I finally realized today that it DOES get better. If you put in the time and you put in the work it really does. I’ve always had FAITH that it got better, but today I could actually SEE that it DOES.
Every so often, my mom and I end up near this donut place in Niantic, CT. Mom has a “thing” for bakeries and that stuff, so she always stops and gets herself something. When we were there about 2 months ago, I was pretty stressed and miserable and I got about 6 of those glazed chocolate donuts I love. I ate them ALL at one sitting and had some of mom’s stuff as well. Needless to say I felt like complete SHIT the next day and even the day after…
Yesterday we were in Niantic again. Mom wanted to stop. Even though I wasn’t getting anything, I went in with her – this is after nearly 2 months of 100% clean eating. And you know what? I didn’t even want anything! Yeah, it all looked good, but my stomach started hurting and feeling sick just thinking about eating that stuff. There was NO WAY I was going to mess up my nice long stretch of eating clean with a bunch of crap and then feel like shit today. No damn way!
Building Momentum…
At the end of April 1011, I decided to do the entire month of May 100% clean and nearly all Paleo. I DID IT. And what did I want to do when I got to the end of May? KEEP GOING! I committed to doing the ENTIRE SUMMER 100% clean. And I’m doing it. It’s EASY too.
I have enough momentum built up that it’s easier to keep going along the track I’m on than to change gears and eat garbage. I have a good training schedule forming up and a bad day of eating will throw it off. Why would I do that? It would be stupid…
The momentum thing is becoming huge for me. The more momentum I build, the easier it is to build more.
It’s Really Just Physics…
I studied chemistry and engineering in college. In physics, when you get into 2-Dimensional motion, you learn that, for something to reverse direction, it has to slow down to the point that its speed and acceleration are ZERO in the original direction BEFORE it can start moving in the opposite direction. I think this is what trips people up in training and in life. If you’re heading in the WRONG direction and not getting where you want to go, you have to put in work just to slow and eventually stop your movement in the WRONG direction and then completely STOP before you start moving in the direction you want to go.
I think a lot of people give up too early because they “don’t see results.” Really, they ARE getting results it’s just that the early results are a slowing of movement in the wrong direction. You have to put in a ton of work to slow your movement toward where you DON’T want to go, THEN come to a complete stop and ONLY AFTER YOU STOP COMPLETELY do you start slowly moving in the direction you want to go in.
Of course, once you get headed in THE RIGHT direction, it’s just as hard to reverse direction as it was when you were headed in the wrong direction. It gets EASIER to stay on track and KEEP going in the right direction. You just have to hang in when it feels like you’re not getting results and keep making positive change and taking positive action.
BTW, when the Buddhists talk about “burning up negative Karma” or “Karmic debt” this is essentially what they mean. The negative stuff keeps coming even after you change your behavior to more positive and appropriate behavior because your “momentum” is still heading in that other direction…
But, You Have to Know What You Want…
Here was one of the keys for me: I had to get CRYSTAL CLEAR on what I wanted. And I mean CRYSTAL CLEAR. I’ve been doing a TON of work on my goals and my vision for my health, training and life lately and it’s paying off. It’s paying off because I weigh ALL my decisions against that vision when I’m making them. That’s why it was easy to pass on the donuts. “Will eating those donuts get me closer to what I REALLY want?” Of course, the answer is NO! Decision made, problem solved…
Here’s What I Want…
I want to achieve the best health and performance of my life. I want to compete in Jiu Jitsu and possibly Mixed Martial Arts and CrossFit. How bad do I want that? How about I ditched my entire old life and changed virtually EVERYTHING to build a life where I had the time and opportunity to train every day and obsess about my diet and rest.
Last week, when I was training with my friends at Modern Self-Defense Center, I realized that I was THERE. As in, I’ve gotten to the point where I can train as often as I need to and WHEN I need to. My life supports my goals and my training and my efforts. Yeah, there’s still a metric crapload of work to do, but I have the time and the energy and the OPPORTUNITY to do that work. Even just a year ago I didn’t…
Speaking of a Year Ago…
It still messes with my head when I think that, at this time a year ago, THIS BLOG DIDN’T EXIST. I was still trying to figure out what I was going to do and how I was going to do it. And my book “The Paleo Dieter’s Missing Link” was just a bunch of ideas in my head and a bunch of notes in MS Word. I had NONE of this a year ago. Strong is the New Skinny on Facebook didn’t exist until September 1, 2010. I wrote the original “Is Strong the New Skinny?” blog post just a few weeks before that. As of today, there are 19,084 friends following SINS on Facebook and the blog post that started the whole thing has been read 14,344 times.
That all happened in less than ONE YEAR. LESS THAN ONE FREAKIN’ YEAR.
That gives me one hell of a perspective. And it makes me think about what I can accomplish THIS year…
What can YOU accomplish in a year?
ttys
Adam
LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! And yes Adam, you do ROCK. 🙂 Thanks for being a friend, support, motivator and confidant. You, more than anyone can show the world how goals can be set, and ACHIEVED, even when “life happens” (particularly when our own heads get in the way). Your devotion to making a difference continues to inspire, wait for it…. tens of thousands!!!!! 🙂 Hooray for that. And, hooray for you! 🙂
Thanks SO MUCH, Jodi! Nice to have you around again 🙂
Adam
Love this post and your blog! Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks, Lisa!
I have to say as soon as I saw the picture my stomach knotted up. As much as I love donuts, it isn’t worth it.
No, it’s NOT worth it, Katie!
Adam
Adam it’s all about making choices, some choices are not as good as others. I am so pumped about my journey right now and my goal is to make on a continuous bases the right choices I am not putting time on it I am just doing it…If I make the wrong choice then I need to re focus and get back to making the right choice…….”We can eat whatever we want to eat as long as we are willing to accept the consequences”
You’re absolutely right, James!
Adam where’s the eating clean for 30 days group? I think that I can get a couple girls from the box together who want to eat better to commit!
Excellent post!
Sent you an invite, Carrie! 🙂
Adam
Wow. This is a very inspirational post; THANK YOU. It is easy for me to get discouraged when my diet is less than perfect or I miss a workout, but this helps me see what I can do with just a LITTLE bit more effort to tidy things up. Exciting stuff!
SO glad it helped, Martha!
Adam
WOW! Good for you! Isn’t it crazy to think back to our diets before we started paleo living? And to think how I felt on a day to day basis for so long and thought everything was ok. Everyday we have choices on wether to work out and eat right. And everyday we have to make the right choices if we want to have optimal health.
It IS crazy, Jessie! I’m just thankful I found Paleo!
Adam
Great post Adam!
Thanks, Leah! 🙂
THANK YOU SO MUCH. I’ve been hearing from a co-worker, for years that “you need to get in shape, you need to work out, you need to eat right”. So, now that I’ve started all those things, her comments are “it doesnt get any easier”… so discouraging. So, to read this blog means more than you know. Can’t thank you enough!
Awesome! Glad to hear it! It’s ALWAYS work, but it DOES get easier! 🙂
Adam
Thank you for your words of encouragement. I now realize that I have been going down the wrong path with the momentum of a freight train. It will take a lot of work and dedication to slow/stop that much force and turn it all around. I have taken those words to heart!
Great! Good luck! Glad it was helpful to you!
Adam
My first 40 day challenge starts today. I need all the tips I can get !
Good luck, Joy!
BEST POST SO I HAVE READ! I have been eating clean too and when you work so hard you dont even want cheat days because it will set you back on your vision! 100% agree!!
THANKS A LOT, Sara! Glad you liked it!
Adam
I really enjoyed reading this post! Your presentation of having goals and how your daily actions truly impact them really hit home for me– especially in regards to what I chose to eat on a daily basis.
So great to hear that, Amanda! Glad it gave you something! 🙂
Adam
Adam,
Wow!! Inspiring! I haven’t tried a paleo diet yet but I have done vegan for periods of time and I am always a vegetarian. It’s so true about the momentum. I have lost 14 pounds over the last year and a half. I have done so by changing my lifestyle to include working out at least 4 or 5 times a week and very selectively choose the food I eat. It ‘s amazing how it can be thrown off track so easily but the power that you feel when you can stay on the road is indescribable. Nice work! Keep it up, YOU KNOW YOU CAN!
KP-T
Glad you liked it, Kris!
Adam
I agree! We reach a point where we don’t feel tempted anymore!
Isn’t it great!?!?!
Great post! I definitely know what you are saying, because once you get all of that crap out of your system then it is a WHOLE lot easier to resist the tempation. However, there comes a point, for me anyway, when you’ve been making so much prgress and you just think, well I DESERVE to have a little treat, or to skip a workout, or whatever. You start making excuses and justifying it, so that it doesn’t even seem like a thing. Then Tuesday rolls around and you’re looking at yourself and you’re lke WHAT the hell happened? Sigh… Anyway, I guess indulging every once in a while might be ok if you have the self control not to over-do it, which I do not. But I’m just going to do myself a favour and no give in anymore, and you’re right it will get better!
Yeah, “I deserve it…” We all do that. Silly though – You deserve to make yourself feel like shit because you work so hard? The BIG thing there is to not associate unhealthy behavior with reward. THAT’S the REAL trick!
Adam