Reflection on Covid-19
As we’re meandering our way out of lockdown into the ‘new normal’ I want to spend some time writing an article on my own reflection on Covid-19 & my own experiences throughout that.
I’ll be discussing the highs & the lows to give you a clear insight as to what it’s been like from my perspective. I’m sure a lot will be able to resonate out there with me & I’m thankful you’re reading this.
I know it’s not fitness or health related but it is lifestyle & mindset. Which are big players in someone’s ability to achieve a great result.
The first I want to delve into is:
ADAPTABILITY
One thing that has really grounded me is the ability to adapt & overcome (Bear Grylls pun). I’m telling you now it was the easiest, yet hardest thing I have ever done. The easiest part about it is that we have been literally forced into it. The hardest part being that you are forced into it. It’s odd isn’t it how 1 thing can change the whole world & some will literally not even be able to survive that. Is it their fault? Not at all! Just because they weren’t prepared doesn’t mean it’s their fault or they’re to blame. Why should they be prepared? I certainly wasn’t.
One thing I ask when I make decisions on new projects & ideas is that are they adaptable. What other ways can this be done in the event of a crisis. Take this for instance. There is a huge possibility that the next global crisis will be linked with the online world, the internet. Will this be in our time? Who knows. But I have to ask, are we ready for that in the event of it happening. I would say not right now no, but it’s something we’d have to work on.
Ask yourself: Are you adaptable? Are you ready for the next big crash?
GRATITUDE
Look, to some this is a little airy fairy but believe me it works a treat. Do you know how good it feels to actually be grateful for something. There is a lovely sense of overwhelm & happiness that comes over you. The fact you’re content with what you have & you feel you have it all in abundance.
I’ve always been grateful but never knew what for. Now I understand it.
I’ve been on calls this week discussing with clients who i’ll be honest have stuck with us through thick & thin. The online coaching world isn’t built for the market I work with & that’s a fact. For them to still continue to work with us without the gym, without 1:1 coaching, without in house classes for me speaks a thousand words. These people are loyal, they are invested, they care. That cannot be bought.
Not that I’ve never not been grateful for these people. Times like this just makes you appreciate them more as they wouldn’t necessarily need to go out of their way to show their loyalty.
I’ll be honest, life get’s so good when you’re grateful for what you have. You’re not always looking for ‘what’s next’. Always hungry for more, but always content.
Try this!: Start your day, 3 x per week & write down 3 things you’re grateful for. It could look like this
-That i’ve been able to wake up fit & healthy.
-A safe family
-A secure job & career.
They are little things that to others mean nothing, but to you.
The entire world.
TAKING NOTHING FOR GRANTED
Nothing is guaranteed. Period. Let that digest for a minute… How does it feel to know 1 day you may just wake up & have nothing?
You are not entitled to what you have. It’s earned. Every day. This isn’t a motivational speech. This is the harsh reality.
Take this for instance. I’d see my sister & the boys (nephews) once a month (if that), and it would be whilst I was ‘over that end’. Didn’t think anything of it as ‘they’ll always be there’.
1 day that got taken away from us. We couldn’t make contact in person, we were locked down. All we had was facetime. My heart aches to be able to cuddle & hold them! Does that mean I should see them daily & go over kill? No, it means you are not entitled to think you can see them as & when you please. Life is not that simple.
Take the poor people who couldn’t even go to their relatives funeral due to lockdown & social distancing? I cannot even imagine what they’ve been through. They didn’t take those people for granted but just imagine this.
You’re told sorry you can’t go to the funeral of your Dad. The week before you just said i’ll ring you in a few days I’m super busy at the moment just got to get this project finished up.
TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH FAMILY & LOVED ONES
This coincides with the above but think about it. We work as hard as we do, become as successful as we do, live a total separate life doing the jobs & working the careers we do. To have the possibility of having no one there at the end of it when you’re done.
We work like we do to share these things with these people yet it’s so easy to forget about them during. Who’s to say you’re entitled to having them there once you’re done, whenever that is.
For instance, the gym’s are possibly opening on Monday 20th July, that day is a special boy’s birthday who’s invited me to his meal at Billy Bobs (that’s a really good eatery over Skipton way). This is a catch 22 situation as on one hand. The gym needs re opening that day & on the other hand. I need to spend more time with family. What would you do in that situation?
ANXIETY IS REAL
The oddest part about it, just when you’re feeling ok. That little voice in your head chirps up ‘Don’t forget about the bad stuff’. Then BAM! It starts again.
I read & I have a lot of tools to help me overcome this. I have a coaching mentor who enables me to use perspective, point me in the right directions & offers invaluable advice. I am ready for these situations however it doesn’t mean I don’t experience them.
They are crippling. The day before you may be laughing about what someone has said, the next crying because you’ve taken it the wrong way.
Check our ‘Anxiety management’ Instagram & Facebook post giving you some tools to implement when things get tough.
Know this one thing – It won’t last forever.
What have you learnt or taken from lockdown & the current crisis?
I mean, don’t feel you even had to. It’s not the written rule you had to pay gratitude every day or run 5 miles per day. You can take whatever you wanted from it.
If you took nothing, use that as a tool to perhaps say next time, I will look at taking something from bad situations.
There is always a way around something & you’re in control of that.
I hope what i’ve shared with you today gives you an understanding of my experience through lockdown. Nothing specific in there but things I have truly felt.
I’ve cried, I’ve laughed, I’ve been cocky, I’ve been everything in the past few months.
I’ll tell you one thing, I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Bring it all on.
Big Weekends – What Should You Do?
Picture this, you’ve just been paid, decent bonus this month, the weather is grand, feeling good, everyones happy. You’ve had an absolute minter of a week on the training & food intake & you’re just generally on plan. Check in with the boss goes well.
The only thing this means is that your ‘entitlement thought’ has gone from 0-100 in the space of 10 seconds. You think you’re a baller on the food front & I don’t blame you. I’ve literally gone ‘oh f*** it’ too which has resulted in a major over indulgence on the old food & drink front. That’s not the problem, it’s how we move into the next week that is.
I know how you feel on that Monday morning when you feel fat, bloated, very tired & lethargic, demotivated, sluggish…. & all the rest. Anyway, look, I’ve been there, done that, too many times & to be honest really fed up with how it was making me feel on Monday / Tuesday. I’m guessing you’re the same?
The initial reaction from Monday is to wake up ‘on plan’, super motivated, no carbs in the house, no sweets or chocolate, lot’s of veg bought in, meals prepped, all the water, green tea etc. I think it’s important to first point out well done for making the effort here. However, i’ll tell you now it’s not the best way to go about ‘getting back on track’. Infact can be quite detrimental to the back end of the week again.
The amount of pressure & restrictiveness you’re putting on yourself to ‘behave’ is the issue here. The problem here we have to look at is ‘why’ are we going all in on the weekends? It’s not the weekend itself, it’s the reason why we’re doing that. I had to address my week as a whole & look where things may be holding me back overall. On the face of it, I was making a lot of progress which I was 5 days a week. But the other 2 days where I let my hair down I was thrown totally off plan & undid what I had worked hard for all week.
Think of it like this
My weekly calorie deficit accumulates to 15400 calories.
Monday to Friday I consume 2000 calories per day, full of great quality foods, no alcohol, no snacky foods. Really solid week.
It gets to Saturday & I consume 3500 for fun, same again on Sunday. (‘But Kyle I couldn’t stomach that’ – head over to this blog to find out how easy it is to consume a lot of calories – processed foods over eating). You’ll be shocked at what calorie values you can put away in a short space of time. Don’t underestimate the power of calorie dense, hyperpalatable foods.
Overall I’ve now ended up consuming 17k over the week. See ya later calorie deficit.
The reason I’ve acted like that on the weekend is fundamentally due to the restrictiveness I’ve placed on myself all week. not allowing for the foods i actually really enjoy. Who would even do that? I get health & all the but I also get sustainability & surely, sustainability trumps short term gains every time? I would much rather be living a balanced healthy lifestyle 12/18 months from now than having to yo yo in & out of p*** poor diets searching for an immediate reward of ‘ooo i lost 7lbs in 1 week’. Great, tell me that in 12 months when you’re still in the cycle of 5 days good, 2 days d*******.
The worst thing to do on Monday morning is wake up & be ‘good’ again. Wake up, live your life how you’d like to (within moderation on food intake of course – we can’t all be eating pizzas at 7 in the morning otherwise we’re all f*****). Let’s look at it from another angle instead. Get your head out your ass & accept, you’re in a pretty poor situation that you’re doing what you’re doing. It’s now time to take back that control, wouldn’t you agree?
Start from today. Allow the snacky treaty foods in the house, fancy them on a Tuesday night? Go for it, want a beer on a Thursday? Fine. Factor them into your week, allow room for these things, alongside the non negotiables (fruits, veggies, protein). You’ll be well on your way to achieving a pretty solid sustainable result.
If you found this useful, head over to our article 5 basic nutrition principles for fat loss to see how else you can start making a change from today!
