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Training is the easy part!

Training only requires me to make a couple of simple choices, showing up is the first. How much effort and how hard I am going to work is the second. It is three to four hours out of my whole week. 4 hours out of 168 hours.

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It is, in fact, the choices I make outside of training that will have the ultimate impact on the progress I want to make and the results I want to see.


  • Am I going to choose to watch more tv and relax on the sofa this evening? Or am I going to choose to get up off my ass and go for a walk/do some housework/cut the grass?
  • Am I going to choose to have that packet of crisps that is going to push me over my calorie goal today? Or am I going to skip the crisps today and work it into my allowance tomorrow or the day after?
  • Am I going to go for the family size bag of crisps and to hell with the calorie deficit for the next five days? Or am I going to go for the regular 25g packet and just have a little indulgence?
  • Am I going to reduce how much I am going to eat over the next few days so that I can indulge when I go out for dinner later this week? Or am I going to say “Sod it, I'm going to have what I want over the next few days and make up for it next week”?
  • Am I going to have one tablespoon of peanut butter? Or am I going to have two tablespoons, pretend it looks like one, and track it as one to kid myself on that all those extras don't add up or count?
That’s all fine in hindsight, but where's that hindsight when you bloody well need it? Yup, us humans have a canny knack for not over-thinking these choices and decisions. It is a bit like g-eeing yourself up to jump into a pool of cold water, you know it will be shockingly cold for a moment but you tell yourself not to overthink it … just do it.

It is the same when I am faced with the snack cupboard, it's like a switch, my brain tries to numb out thinking of the consequences, don't overthink it...just do it. Which I know is fine in moderation every now and then. Having the occasional indulgence is not what got me where I am. The issue is when it becomes a habit to just reach for that packet of crisps to satisfy a sudden notion or add that extra spoonful of peanut butter without even thinking about it!
Because it all comes down to choices doesn't it? I’m accountable for what, where, how and when I choose to do something.

This isn’t about berating myself for a history of making poor choices. It's also not about placing frustrating or unrealistic restrictions on myself.
What it is about, is being in the moment and recognising those mind-less choices for what they are.

It’s about balance, making the right choices most of the time, and being able to enjoy the odd indulgence, and I mean really enjoy, without feeling guilty.
More importantly for me, it's about making choices that will work alongside my training so that I maximise my efforts both inside and outside of the gym and continue to progress and keep seeing results.

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