In Hindsight…

I wasn’t even on social media for 10 minutes this morning before I saw all the “hindsight is 2020” jokes floating around my feed. I laughed at the first couple, then they got a bit redundant. I have also already seen a few “New Year, New Me” or “New Year, New You” posts. I wrote a few thoughts about that sentiment last year (click HERE to read those thoughts), so let’s go back to that hindsight hashtag or joke.

In hindsight, I did not do too well with my fitness goals for 2020. Part of it really isn’t my fault; it’s the fault of my State’s governor and legislative body. How am I supposed to get my deadlift over 300# when I don’t have access to 300# in training equipment? Equipment I had planned to purchase for my home got put on hold when I was furloughed and returned to reduced hours. The part that is my fault? My diet took a pretty bad turn for the worse. When I really focused, I ate great. I enjoyed what I was eating, and the food did wonders for my body. But that focus was easily distracted under the guise of helping local small business. Don’t get me wrong; I was more than happy to help my local restaurants stay open for their sake and the sake of their employees, but my bank account was not as happy nor was my body. Speaking of which. . .

The first month of the lockdown, I did great getting up early to do even just 10 minutes of yoga. Then I got up earlier to do 30 minutes of yoga. In the evenings, I would do 45 min to an hour of yoga or sets of kettlebell swings. After that first month. . .not a whole lot of anything. Even projects around the house – other than replacing my box-spring and mattress – didn’t happen.

Flash forward to November when I decided the time had come for me to get a dog. My cat had been gone for a year, and the lockdowns gave me way, way too much down time to think and overthink. Starting in September-ish, I gained a new group of friends. We make a point of getting together every weekend to just relax and unwind, but I was still going home to an empty house. So, I adopted a handsome pup! (Click HERE to read a bit more about how he has impacted my fitness life.) Some days, I feel as though I’ve had him forever; other days are more of a struggle as if we were just meeting and feeling each other out.

So, that is my “hindsight is 2020” story.

What I need to do better:

1. Diet: I need to clean up what I am putting into my body. I need to actually provide good fuel for my body to use, not just ingredients to stave off hunger.
   How: meal planning. In 2019 and in the beginning of 2020, I had every meal and snackage planned out at the start of every month. It was a flexible schedule with room for the pager to go off or friends or family to plan a night out. That meal plan, however, let me come up with tasty food I like and know is nutrient dense for my body to utilize. This plan also helped keep my grocery budget in check which helped reduce my stress level.
2. Exercise: time to start a regular exercise program again!
   How: the pup has already made it obvious that morning yoga in the living room is not going to be happening. Getting up early is still going to have to happen to head to the gym for exercise before work. That will keep my evenings free to spend time with my pup – on our walk and then crashing for the evening!

I’m only focusing on two things based on hindsight, but these are two BIG things! I’ve already started on cleaning up my diet. Tomorrow I plan to sit down and write out an exercise program for myself.

Bonus goals:
– finish a self-paced course I started but then put on pause when I brought my pup home (even now, he is trying to crawl on my lap to see what I’m typing!)
– finish re-doing my bedroom and storage closet

So. They say hindsight is 2020. We can’t expect everything to magically be better, but we can put a little effort in to make our lives better. After all, we know there is no such thing as a “new you,” but you can become a better you as we start 2021.