I slept four hours a night at a wedding this weekend. I drank, and I ate whatever was in front of me. And as someone who's been 12% body fat for five years, I'm not getting back on track this week.
Because "back on track" is the wrong way to think about it.
I don't look at my health and habits as a separate track or bubble in my life that I need to tend to or get back on.
My health and body ARE me. So when I have an out-of-rhythm week, there's nothing to fall off of. It's all just me, making decisions, and finding balance.
And every time, I know I have that balance because I look forward to coming back to it.
When you're disconnected from your body, with no intention around how you move, what you eat, or even what you want for yourself in the future, it can feel like this OTHER thing you HAVE to take care of.
A shadow that follows you.
Creating that ON vs OFF feeling I am sure you have felt before.
This thing that you drag around instead of the home you take care of.
So anyways, here's how to NOT get back on track and instead, CONTINUE:
1/ Keep one system going the whole time, and decide which one ahead of time. For me that was my walks. 10k steps before 10am, no matter what. I check the box, keep my momentum before the day's other responsibilities start, and create a little extra room for the inevitable wedding foods.
2/ Relax the routine. Intentional rest from the weights, coming off an eight-week cycle. Stocked up on yogurt for breakfast, then ate whatever I wanted the rest of the day.
3/ Don't freak out. I'm probably a couple pounds up. That's expected, and it does not mean I failed. This is where guys go haywire, and either starve themselves all week in a panic or say screw it and don't come back to the routine until next year.
That one system from step one is your momentum thread. Start pulling it with that morning walk you have already been doing, and build your day back up around it:
Groceries ordered back into the house for a few dinners this week.
A couple lifts on the schedule, even two or three 30-minute sessions. Again, think momentum.
Sleep and evenings back to 8pm, book in bed until my eyes shut.
Nothing drastic, self-deprecating, or extreme.
Life is fluid, imperfect, and UN-optimizable.
Your plan for keeping your body healthy should reflect that reality.
In your corner,
Coach Zack
P.S. Reply and tell me the one system you'd keep through a weekend like that. If you don't have one yet, I'll help you pick it. I read every reply.