Everyone can use a day off.
A week off sounds nice, and by ‘sounds’ nice I mean it s o u n d s nice… but when it’s a week you didn’t choose to take off, it’s frustrating.
Well, I didn’t take the week off. I just had an ‘off’ week in a couple different ways.
I had a teeth appointment on Monday morning.
And I had a bloodwork appointment on Thursday morning.
These things; in and of themselves, are fairly nothing-burger reasons to register my disgust throughout the online world, however I am DOING SOMETHING and however important that something might be to me and my autistic, routine-loving, goal-oriented lifestyle, it’s fair to say that those things are important enough.
I’m amid a level of progress with my fitness and nutrient intake that I am very concerned with knocking off the tracks, and these 2 events meant I got 3 workouts in when there should have been 5. And of COURSE other irritating things happened this week.
Tuesday, I had to take my dog to the vet – he’s fine… just an ear infection that’s clearing up nicely.
On Wednesday, I’d anticipated the arrival of a package that never came.
Y’know… basic human shit.
As much as a vet visit and an undelivered package messed with the equilibrium of my calendar, they didn’t mess with my brain the way a missed workout does. I tend to feel very undisciplined when I miss a workout. My psychological response to not being able to start the day with my intended program is to (metaphorically) throw my hands in the air and write the whole day off… I’m far more likely to stay up too late, binge-eat junk food, and ignore my macronutrient balance and overall calorie intake on a day when I miss a workout than on a regular training day.
Again, the difference between an ‘intentional rest day‘ and a ‘missed training day‘ are pretty vast, despite looking exactly the same from the outside. A missed training day feels completely fucked-up and out of sorts in the “I missed a workout so I might as well eat an entire bag of oreos and not move from the couch” sort of way. An intentional rest day is something I earned, that allows for a longer sleep, and longer dog-walk, focused energy on my personal projects, and a visit to a record store, among other things.
But I digress – these things are going to happen, and I need to make room for them at those times, because if I’d had 2 consecutive weeks of ‘4 workouts instead of 5‘ I’d be just as annoyed. And as I look at the coming months, I see only a couple or 3 days of potential interruption until Christmas time… at which point I’ll be trying to put a positive spin on all of THAT mess and derailment in this very blog.
Anyway, we can resolve to roll with the punches… or we can stand firm and get our jaw broken – but in this metaphor, either way… a punch in the face is coming for you.
In other news, you can go stream “The Future Ain’t What it Used To Be” in its entirety on whatever service you use to steal music. I’m boxing up records and mailing them out this week. Clicking that link means it’s not to late to order your copy on vinyl.
The Conscious Pilgrim 