My Life as a Tire

So, it is easy to tell from the pattern of my last few blogs (or lack thereof) that I've been missing in action. At risk of repeating myself, I wish I could say that absence doesn't imply a lack of commitment. But, it does.

I haven't been able to stay on plan for more than a few days at a time and am feeling the effects. A lot has changed in six months so the change is different. My eating is mediocre and my exercise is sporadically steady. What exactly does that mean? I think sporadically steady translates as 1-2x a week. The effects? Weight gain, on top of muscle maintenance. And? A growing discontent with what will be a less than spectacular entrance into my spring wardrobe. What happened?

I'm pretty clear that the issue starts and end with giving myself permission to miss workouts. Here are a few leading questions that I have posed to myself in an effort to make analogies to other parts of my life -- it adds a bit of levity to an otherwise frustrating turn of events:

Q1) What happens if you see let an ant or two appear in you kitchen?
Q2) What happens when your boss tells you at the beginning of a project that it is okay to miss a deadline?
Q3) Does adding air every other week improve the performance of a tire?

And my answers:

A1) This is easy. The little dudes run (or do they crawl?) and tell all their friends. It is imperative that you nip these in the bud at the beginning. Likewise, a missed workout or impulsive cookie purchase can quickly become the rule instead of an exception.

I don't want ants in my kitchen.

A2) At first blush, this makes for a great boss. Everyone needs a little relief from pressure sometimes. But, over the long-term, low expectations depress performance. The doctors aren't there to admonish me every few weeks and it is critical that I continue to set expectations for myself.

I am cheating myself when I miss my own deadlines.

A3) Oh yeah, the tire is a classic. Adding air and avoding potholes keeps the tire running, but it will not get better. Eventually you have to drag yourself to Costco, invest in new tires, get irritated when they don't have the exact brand that you want on-hand, and plan to come back for installation later in week.

Lesson here? You can put it off, but eventually you will have to take care of the tire. Short-term fixes (also known as 'fix a flat') are just that.

Bonus lesson? Once you fix the flat, it makes sense to check the wipers, oil, and get a tune-up. This stuff is annoying when it all comes at once. Decidedly less so, when regular maintenance is part of your routine.

So, where does this leave me?

I've been running around like the punctured tire for the past three months. I'm still running and nothing catastrophic has happened. However, I am not improving my performance. I got nip the little ant dudes in the bud and shed the excuses before they mount a full-rebellion against my hard won discipline.

I have high expectations for myself.