In honour
of Transformation Tuesday, I am taking this opportunity to look at the
transformation I have made since I began this health & fitness journey on
March 16th. Although I am proud of the physical changes that have occurred in my body,
I am far happier with the more intangible changes that I have experienced since
I made health & fitness a priority in my life nearly 50 days ago. The
benefits of planning & executing a health & fitness routine have
had a lot of intended, as well as a number of unintended, positive consequences that have motivated me to
train harder, eat healthier, & focus more.
Today while I have posted
pictures of the transformation that has been made in my body, I want to focus more on the intangible changes that I’ve experienced over the past 48 days.
- More
energy: when I first started this journey, I spoke about how my body was
constantly sore & I seemed to always be in a state of fatigue. Although I
still do experience muscle soreness, more specifically in my legs, I have been
pleasantly surprised that not only have my energy levels returned to normal,
but that I find I have more energy throughout the day, most specifically in the
afternoons & the evenings. I believe this increased amount of energy have
come as a result of the better nutrition, exercise, & an increased amount
of sleep. Where before I used to experience a post-noon crash that I tried to
overcome with coffee, I have found that I have a more enduring level of energy
throughout the day, & although I still drink coffee in the morning, I find
I need a lot less & I consume caffeine more out of enjoyment than
necessity.
- Improved
focus: one of the first unintended consequences of executing upon my
fitness routine has been a tangible improvement in my ability to focus while at
work over the past few weeks. Similar to my increase in energy levels, I
believe my improved ability to focus is a result of better nutrition, exercise,
& getting more sleep at night. This improved focus has led me to feel like
I am operating more efficiently at work, & although I have not been putting
in my standard 60-hour work weeks due to the demands of my training & blog schedule,
I believe I am accomplishing as much as I used to in 45 to 50 hours as opposed
to 60. Another unintended consequence of this improved efficiency is a better
work-life balance that has provided me with a great level of happiness.
- Improved
mood: over the past few weeks, I have found that I am in a much better
mood throughout the day. Once again, I must point towards improved nutrition,
exercise & sleep as causes of my increased mood, however I believe the effect
of consistently ‘winning’ in the gym & on the trails has had a major impact
on my mood. I have discussed the benefits of ‘incremental gains’ many times on
this blog, & I believe that the consistent gains I have been making in the
gym have provide a positive feedback loop for me, allowing me to feel as though
I have accomplished something positive every single day. Additionally, the
opportunity to make these gains each day has given me something to look forward
to throughout the day, making common daily challenges more tolerable & easier
to overcome, resulting in an increased mood throughout the day.
- Improved
confidence: I have recently noticed an improved level of confidence
permeating into all aspects of my life including work, personal, & on this
fitness journey. While a small portion of this confidence may be attributable
to the way I look, I believe a bigger cause of my increased levels of
confidence is due to being able to feel as though I have purpose & that I
am doing the right things, day in & day out. I have struggled with anxiety
in the past, however unlike most that experience anxiety, mine is more linked
to work & personal goals as opposed to social anxiety. I am a very
ambitious person, & when I feel as though I am not giving my all or
applying myself to a worthy goal, I get anxious that I am wasting my time or
not living up to my potential. This journey to the Spartan Race has given me something
to work towards each day, & with each day that passes where I am able to
execute upon my fitness goals, I feel my confidence levels increase.
- Improved
discipline: I believe the discipline that has been required for me to
complete 5 workouts each week & follow a strict diet has transcended into
other areas of my life, including work & other forms of personal discipline.
At work, I’ve found that the discipline I’ve cultivated to push myself through
difficult workouts has also helped me push through challenging work assignments
& tasks. There have been plenty of days where I get home from work &
feel like just sitting on the couch, but have been able to push myself to get
into the gym. When it comes to work, I’ve applied a similar ‘get it done’
discipline, occasionally thinking ‘if I can get through 40 burpees, I can get
through this’ for particularly challenging assignments or tasks. The challenges
that I face each day during my workouts has put into perspective the relative
ease of completing assignments at work that used to seem mentally challenging.
- Sense
of purpose: without getting too philosophical, adopting this exercise routine
has given me a purpose to carry throughout my day. Often when I first wake up
in the morning, I will think about the workout that I have to complete that
evening & that thought will carry through my day. It is a liberating
feeling to know that, regardless of what happens at work, if I am simply able
to get into the gym & complete my workout, that will be one positive thing
that I’ve accomplished that day. That sense of accomplishment builds momentum
& as I mentioned in my recent post on non-negotiables, I am hoping to
parlay this sense of accomplishment into building other healthy, enduring
habits such as reading, meditation & journaling.
- Financial gains: until I began this journey, I had not realized quite how much money I spent on alcohol & meals at restaurants. While I certainly don’t think I had a problem with my drinking, on average I would have one night out of drinking with friends per weekend & the occasional beer or rum & coke throughout the week. Over time, this certainly adds up both in terms of toll on the body, as well as toll on the wallet. Additionally, with me being more conscious about the foods I put into my body, I have packed a lunch every single day & only gone out to restaurants a handful of times to mark special occasions. I used to eat out at least 4 to 5 times per week between lunches & dinners, & it wasn’t until I began this journey & cut this number to 1 meal out or less that I realized how much more expensive eating out was versus cooking your own meals.
All that being said, I have also
enjoyed the physical benefits of this journey. Even if it is just as an
affirmation that the hard work I’ve been putting in is paying off, it is nice
to see that I have experienced a physical change to go along with the numerous
mental & intangible changes that I’ve discussed above. I did not think to
take a progress picture until nearly 2 weeks into this journey, & for the
first few weeks after that I noticed few, if any changes in my body save a
thinning out in my face. It has only been in the past few weeks that I have
noticed a change in my body, I am very excited to see what the next 7 weeks of
intense dieting & training will have in store.
To
the next 50 days of hard work & dedication – Aroo!
100-Day
Spartan
A noticeable change. Great work!
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