There are days that no matter the amount of effort, I can't seem to get out of my own way.
There are days where I am in a hurry and catch every red light. Days where I drop my keys in the mud. Days where I burn food.
These kinds of days kick my ass and take a ton to get through on a positive note.
For days like this, I do my best to shift things off of my to-do list. If there are things I can do tomorrow that require a clear head and smart decisions, then I know today isn't ideal.
I don't force shit to work on those days.
Instead, I start racking up little wins.
I do the things that I can do at my own pace. I try to do less stressful things like cleaning the house, going for a walk, or doing a little cardio. I even spend time stretching and planning for the rest of my week. If I have heavy lifts planned that day, I push it to the next day.
For years I acted as though I had to assert my will and dominate the day, every single day.
Doing that usually led to sub-par work or training. Plus, it’d be a higher risk of injury or something that I would have to redo later. Pushing through my days like this was counterproductive.
Instead of forcing things, I now listen to my body and mind. Maybe I'm off because I didn't sleep well, or I ate junk the day before, or I'm just in a weird headspace.
Whatever the reason, I've figured out that it's better to leave more difficult tasks for the next day so I can do them right instead of creating double work for myself.
When your workouts or training sessions aren't going well day after day, consider these days as survival training. Coming from a long career of lifting, I can say that it's going to happen.
Unfortunately, these days are going to happen more and more the older you get. Take these days and do the things that can't get messed up. Switch your mindset to set up tomorrow for better success. That way, you can hit the ground running.
Don't be someone that takes pride in forcing your way through a shitty day, just to say you didn't give in. There are plenty of days you can push through it. Those are not the days I'm referring to.
Yesterday I had this day.
I had a 2-hour ride on the books. I didn't sleep well. Then, I spilled my coffee on myself, my desk, and my keyboard. For some reason, my headphones quit working. On top of all of this, my knee and hip were hurting before I even really got started. I decided to make some shifts in my thinking and collect some quick wins to try to turn my day around. I spent some time stretching. Then, I got on the bike to just pedal.
I lowered my expectations to simply put in the time. Any effort is ok. All of this is better than just going back to bed and saying screw it.
Backing off gave me an excellent training day the day after.
If you're not careful, the short momentum from an off day can carry to the next and create a funk.
Not every day is going to be great. By definition, most days will be average if you're out of sync with timing and your day.
Figure out how to reset and adjust the expectations of the day.
More often than not, if I can choose to surrender and focus on being smart, I make it out less beat up and frustrated.
SPREAD HVIII, ALWAYS PARTY
Matthew Vincent
