Discipline > Motivation

Hello and welcome to Tobias Talks.

I really didn't want to go to the gym today. It wasn't so much that I hated the idea, it was more I just didn't see the point. This is an "out" that I mentioned in of my older blogs. The idea being that my subconscious convinces me that I'm not being lazy avoiding the gym, simply that there is just no interest or point in it.

Remember, the world around us has progressed MUCH faster than our physical bodies. We still have the makeup of an apex predator with a large food supply and nothing to do but the so called "Four-F's" Fleeing, Fighting, Feeding and Fornicating. if you have these under control then your body relaxes and stagnates. That's what my body wanted to today.

But I was disciplined, even though I couldn't see any value in it at the time. I got out of bed, into my gym gear, packed my bag for the day and went to the gym. I'm so glad I did!

I did the classic, 20 minutes cardio warm up, followed by heavy chest exercises with 10 minutes of yoga then a 5 minute walking cool-down. This is becoming the standard for me and I'm enjoying it. The benefits of stretching are well known, for me I use them to reduce DOM's, reduce joint pain, improve mobility and reduce my risk of future injury.

I will weigh myself soon out of curiosity. Diet-wise I imagine I'm eating at an approximate maintenance level. So i'm unlikely to see any weight loss, but every day I feel stronger and fitter which I'm really enjoying.

The goal for the future is to keep the gym at 4-5x a week level and add a long hike too, more for my mental health than any other reason. Being out in nature is fantastic for both your physical and mental health and if you haven't read our article on "forest bathing" then you really should. It's fascinating stuff and is just one more reason to get out and enjoy our beautiful countryside!

I'll keep this entry short as I have a lot of other irons in the fire today, but as always, thanks for reading.

Your friend, Tobias