I have gone from being in the best shape of my life to comparative mediocrity in the space of about three weeks.
But like Muhammad said –
“You don’t lose if you get knocked down; you lose if you stay down.”
The mind and body are intrinsically linked. When something is out of balance, you have to ask, “why?”
Here’s my self-diagnosis. Living with so much control during lockdown has enabled me to balance work, life, training and keep my obsessive type A/INTJ nature in check. Initially, as restrictions lifted, I felt liberated after reconnecting and cycling with some of my favourite people. However, the world wants to do everything at once, and work has been busier than ever (all exciting stuff).
I have allowed the uncontrollable variants to consume me. I have been doing lots of cycling, but it has all been very social or commuting to work. I haven’t been doing any structured training indoors, which doesn’t sound like a bad thing, but the lack of intensity has led to a fairly significant drop in fitness.
I’d probably start overcompensating and try to do too much too soon, but this happened to me last year, and the data I recorded proved that sometimes you have to go down to come back stronger.
It kickstarts new fire in the belly, and your body is well recovered and ready to take it on. So this time around, I have confidence that I will not only regain my fitness, I will reach new heights.
If you’ve dropped the ball, remember – It’s never too late to hit reset and reinvent yourself. Please don’t put it off till next week. Start today, and you’ll soon be making progress and feel great about yourself. Today informs tomorrow.
Sometimes you have to get knocked down to come back fighting.
Life is a long and undulating road. On the deck or at the summit, trust the process and your ability to overcome.
See you on the CicloZone app.
Gareth