A short one for you today my friend – and something to think about in the weeks, months and years to come.
It's easy to dial in your health when you are really motivated.
When things are going well; when you are in that 'flow state'...you don't need to really do much to stay on track.
It's just easy.
And I know this, because I've been there multiple times.
Times like when the weather is good; you've got the opportunity to train outside, you're feeling good about life – it all just falls together so easily.
But what about when the coin flips?
What about when the circumstances and the situations you find yourself in are far from ideal?
Like when you've had a bad night of sleep.
Work is piling up.
Or you just can't be bothered and don't feel great about it.
This is where it's so important to get used to this:
Making a contract with yourself that this is just who you are.
I'll be honest with you...I've got my weekly interval sprints on my training menu this afternoon and I've had that voice come in my head a couple times to just say 'you can skip it'.
But that's where it is paramount to get used to the fact that you train and you eat well. Yes, the fact.
And that's something I've done over the years to get to the point that I'm at.
Even when I don't feel like it.
This is one of my core beliefs when it comes to health and wellbeing, and one that will help me continue focusing on health in 20, 30 and even 40 years.
It's just a belief I've put my mind – from the moment that I wake up to the moment that I put my head down to sleep – that I am a person that prioritises health and puts it in the top bracket of my list of life.
And of course that comes with repetition.
You also can't negotiate with yourself.
You can't be like 'if you get this session in then you'll be free to chill, relax, have a beer etc'.
Of course downtime is important in life, but it shouldn't feel like a prize or a reward for your hard work.
You just set the standard for how you operate day-after-day – and when the time comes to rest, you enjoy it.
But what matters so much in terms of the longevity and sustainability of your health practices is the narrative you feed to yourself.
It's the standard you have in your mind.
It's the belief that come rain or shine, you will be the person that you've told yourself that you are.
Winter is coming, with those dreary cold and dark days...now is the time to start drumming into your mind that, regardless of those circumstances, you're going to get it in.
Whether you want to or not.
For everyone – myself included – that is a time where you'll be tested and it will be so much easier to stay in the warmth of your home.
But no matter how it feels at the time of training or preparing meals you know will nourish you, the benefits will always be undeniable – they'll be there in the short term, and in the many years to come.
All because you've told yourself you are that person.
Stay healthy,
Jeff