Can people change?

Hey pilgrims,

I’ve been thinking about change a bit this week – I have once again altered my caloric intake which is likely a turbo-boring topic of conversation for most people, but the fact remains that exactly what I am doing at this point in time is not netting me the exact result I would like to see, so it seems a fool’s errand to continue along the same path expecting a different result.

Long story short: I increased my calories a few months back to see what would happen. Some of the results were favorable, others weren’t, so I’m going to try and rectify the ones that weren’t without negating the ones that were.

But, on a larger scale it becomes a metaphor for life. After 2 whole years of a pandemic it’s pretty easy to reflect and see what could have been handled differently and more successfully in that regard; systemically speaking, but on a more personal level since we’ve had little else to do beyond self analysis I think a lot of us have been doing some soul searching. Mass amounts of career changes, diet plans and workout regimens have been implemented by people who are trying to maintain control over something, ANYthing, and I am clearly no exception to that. Not a single one of us is the same now as when this whole thing started, and I’m sure some change has been for the better, and some for the worse.

In an interesting contrast, it seems obvious to me that there is also less forgiveness and redemption than ever before (at least on a public level, anyway) and a great number of things have become ‘deal breakers‘ when it comes to online acquaintance that never would have been deal breakers before. So with the obvious knowledge that change is completely possible, as well as the acknowledgement that misunderstanding amongst the masses is at an all-time high, why do we feel so compelled to ostracize each other so freely?

It stands to reason that since *I* am such a complex individual, that so is the person I’m seemingly at odds with on one social media platform or the other. Are either of us likely to change the other person’s mind about the topic at hand? It’s unlikely, though it would be a mistake for me to think that they’re incapable of changing their mind eventually. As a younger man, I did and said a lot of things I would no longer do or say because I learned better and changed my behavior. It would be ridiculous for me to assume that I was the only human capable of this.

So… don’t be afraid to go easy on each other.

Training this week has been intense. There were a couple extra bike/run workouts that did a number on my legs. As well, I’m a lot more focused on ZONE 2 training, which is a heart rate range that’s a bit lower than most people train in, HIIT being a very popular training format these days. ZONE 2 much more of a long game, as it’s ideal for endurance training.

Truth is, I’ve been in ZONE 2 for a while, but at the top end of that range (60-70% of maximum heart rate) often getting into the bottom end of ZONE 3. Gradually these ZONEs change and you’re able to go a little faster for a lot longer, and that speaks to me. In the process, you also retrain your mitochondria to go after fat stores your body already has, rather than glycogen stores from food you ate recently as is typical in ZONE 3. I’m still learning about it as I go but it’s certainly making for an interesting science experiment that I’m excited to see the results of.