Change Your Attitude

Over the past couple of days, I’ve been feeling a little blah – really tired, and not motivated to workout at all.  I think it’s just because I’ve been go-go-going all the time for the past couple of months, and I need a break, but it still sort of gives you an uneasy feeling when you’re not yourself. 

Then, the other night, I came across this picture on Instagram:

I don’t remember this quote from the movie, so I could be taking it totally out of context, but still, I believe it.  When you’re faced with something, you can either dwell on it, worry about it, and stress over it (like I usually do), or you can choose to look at it from a positive perspective, tackle it head on, and overcome it. 

Sure, me feeling a little less-than-energized certainly isn’t the biggest problem going on in the world right now, but it’s still applicable.  I could lay in my bed and cry about how lazy I feel, or I can just embrace it, take some time off, rest, relax, and recover.  And that’s what I’m going to do!  

Attitude change #1:  I did make it to the gym yesterday morning, but my neck was killing me, and I really just wasn’t feeling it (again), so I did some heavy 5×5 shoulder presses and a WOD with 5 rounds of 9 cleans, 6 push presses, and 3 overhead squats at 55lbs and called it a day.  Normally, I would’ve beat myself up over the fact that it wasn’t as “intense’” as I would’ve liked, but instead, I gave myself a lot of credit for just getting out of bed and moving around a bit.

Attitude change #2: For breakfast, (after going back and forth with the whole should I?/shouldn’t I? debate a million times) I decided to stop at Dunkin Donuts and get a chocolate chip bagel.  Normally, I would abstain because of the inevitable stomach ache, and then the whole feeling-bad-because-I-knew-that-would-happen thing… But you know what?  I wanted a bagel.  So I got a bagel.  And I enjoyed every bite of it.

Attitude change #3: Instead of sitting at my desk during lunch, wishing I was at home/in bed/at the beach/anywhere-but-here, I took my food and my book outside to the picnic table.  I brought chicken (with crushed red pepper), and brussels sprouts and broccoli (with sundried-tomato and basil spices and olive oil) that I roasted in the oven, plus carrots, figs, and a dark chocolate square, and it was delicious. 

I read a bit, and then my friend joined me while we ate – and it’s seriously amazing what a few minutes to yourself, some delicious, nutritious food, a little bit of sunshine, and good company can do for you!

My afternoon snack was a sliced Fuji apple with a handful of fruit and nut candy crunchies… delicious.

Attitude change #4: I had plans to workout with my friend after work, but when the day ended, all I wanted to do was go home and veg.  That initially made me feel like a huge slacker, but instead of feeling bad about it, I decided to enjoy it.  Free time doesn’t always come about that easily, so why not take advantage of an evening with nothing to do and just… do nothing?

For dinner, I heated up another serving of meatloaf + mashed cauliflower, this time adding green beans to the mix.  To cook them, all I did was put them in a bowl with a little water and microwave them for a few minutes… easy peasy!

The rest of the night was spent on the couch… thoroughly relaxing.  I caught up on a couple TV shows, read a little of my book, and got to bed early. 

This morning, my alarm went off at the usual time… and I promptly turned it off and went back to bed for two more hours.  I woke up the second time feeling like a million bucks – and not guilty at all.  

There’s almost nothing you can’t overcome with the right outlook, so if you’re facing challenges right now – whether they’re big or small – I’d encourage you to change your attitude about it too.  You will be surprised what just a small shift in perspective can do for you!

Have a great day!