“Even if you fall on your face, you’re still moving forward.”—Victor Kiam
I had a pretty ambitious body composition goal for the year. Unfortunately, I got in the BOD POD® on Friday to be tested, and the results were far less than expected. They were in the positive direction—a gain in muscle mass and a loss in fat—but nowhere near what I wanted them to be. The initial feelings were of failure. After all, I have worked hard (not nearly as hard as I would have preferred). I didn’t expect to have reached my goal, but I expected to be closer.
We set ambitious goals. (Or at least we should be.) Sometimes conquer them. Sometimes we don’t. The question remains, how do we respond?
We can make excuses. I really have no excuse for not making in the improvements I sought.
We can blame. Who am I gonna blame? My wife for cooking too well? My trainer? (I train myself!)
We can revise and renew. A new year in ahead of me. I can revise my strategy and try again.
With regard to feeling like a failure, I teach my students about the decline in muscle mass from 25-50 years and how is accelerated from 50-80 years. I am 54 years old. I gained muscle mass and strength over the past year. This is better than the majority of men my age. I should (and am) be satisfied that the progress is not going in the opposite direction. I could have lost muscle mass despite my efforts. My strength gains (though not hugely impressive) were significant. I should be pleased.
So, my plan didn’t work as intended. It is time to reassess and reformulate my plan. I can make my goal less ambitious. But, to me, that would be just short of quitting. Better yet, I can strengthen my approach. I can create a better plan. Personally, I think I focused too much on dieting in the last couple of months and didn’t adequately fuel my training. My daily schedule challenged my eating, but, if I want to be serious about this, I have to be smarter and more committed.
Healthy living is not as hard as one might want to claim it is. Training for performance and more than health takes significantly more effort. Bodybuilders and athletes work extremely hard for their physiques. Those bodies don’t come casually. You want it? You must work for it?
Do you have an ambitious goal? Go for it! Be (extra)ordinary! Do something that challenges you. If you fall short, consider the progress you have made and keep going forward.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow!
Carpe momento!