Real talk time. I'm gonna pull back the curtain a little bit to show y'all that - even though I seem like this funny guy with a kick-ass metabolism - I have my struggles too. This is the internet after all. We have "what we show" and then there's "who we are" offline.
No one needs to know everything. This isn't a drama dump or fishing for sympathy... just showing a bit more than normal to let you know something:
"E'ry little ting gonna be alright!"
All the effort you put in can be sabotaged in a flash. Life can crash overnight. But you have power to change it (or at least how you handle it)! No matter how low you get, how much weight you gain back, how much time you spent away from the gym, how depressed you get... IT ISN'T THE END! IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A NEW START! Make that first step to get to healthy!
I've been showing up intermittently; disappearing on and off over the last year and beyond... well, in the background, I'd been diagnosed with depression. The gym was my outlet and primary hobby and when covid took that away, I fell into a deep slump. I recently increased the gym activity from not working out to one or two a week 😢
I'll leave out the religious parts, but I found new hobbies, learned to love and appreciate those around me a lot more, and got so much more respect for all life has to offer.
Today I'm fine and all is well. No one outside those closest to me ever knew because I masked it very well and "put on my happy" whenever I left the house. However, the doctor had me try a few meds (some worked and others made me weird - these are the times I took breaks from FS), and I was never quite the same.
Having a new motivation for the gym again finally is a massive help! Sadly, some of the medication made me feel sorry for myself and had no desire to work out. Now that the meds are gone, I'm 100% moving forward in high gear!
Here's the thing: when someone takes a break from the gym for a long period, apparently, it resets the body... I'm actually getting that "noobie gains" boost! Muscle is growing SUPER fast and strength returned within a couple weeks and then some!
So, in summary... life sucks sometimes. Sh*t happens. Just remember, it's never the end until the end. Just roll with it, talk to your friends, family, and especially your doctor/psychologist, and accept it, BUT DON'T RESIGN! DO NOT QUIT!
There is sun after the rain. Things do get better eventually.
Enough gushing. Off to the gym!
❤
