Summary

The author has adapted their fitness routine to maintain health and fitness despite the challenges posed by the lockdown, while also pursuing a new career in blogging.

Abstract

The author of the web content reflects on their journey of adapting fitness goals from seeking a shredded body to aiming for a disease-free long life. Initially motivated by impressing others, the shift in perspective came with the realization of the broader benefits of exercise on mental and physical well-being. The lockdown prompted the author to create a new fitness routine at home, which includes a disciplined sleep schedule, meal planning, and morning writing sessions. Despite the lockdown, the author has not only maintained but improved their fitness levels while also starting a successful blogging career, emphasizing the importance of adaptability and a strong mindset in the face of adversity.

Opinions

The author believes that fitness goals should evolve beyond superficial aims, such as getting a "beach-body," to more profound health objectives like living a disease-free life.
They suggest that significant change is possible with a disciplined routine, citing the 21-day period as an opportunity for transformation.
The author emphasizes the importance of finding intrinsic motivation rather than relying on external factors, quoting Jim Rohn: "If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t want it that bad, you’ll find an excuse."
They advocate for the power of adaptability, showing that it's possible to maintain and even improve fitness levels without access to a gym by creating a structured home routine.
The author values the integration of new habits, such as writing, into their daily routine, which has become a fundamental part of their day and contributes to their sense of purpose and accomplishment.
They encourage readers to use the present time to work towards their dreams and long-term goals, suggesting that the pandemic can be seen as an opportunity for personal growth and development.
The author expresses pride in their ability to balance health, professional life, and relationships during the lockdown, attributing their success to their evolved personal system.
They invite readers to join their community and stay tuned for the launch of their email list, indicating a commitment to building a community of lifelong learners.

I Still Pack My Gym Gear Every Day With Purpose

“If you have a body, you’re an athlete” — Bill Bowerman, Nike

I thought it was impossible to add progression in muscle building without weight training. It is indeed valid to some extent, but the level with which it determines your fitness journey depends on ONE factor: your fitness goal.

Typical goal a newbie has

Like every other person, my sole reason to start gym was a shredded body to impress girls.

It is over one year now. To be honest, the same reason was still my driver for a few months in the beginning when I had healthy conversations with girls at the gym. Sometimes I even racked extra metal to show-off, LOL! That is not a good memory. It hurts! The metal clanking on my body hurts.

Realistic fitness goal

Gradually, when I started seeing the effects of exercise on physical and mental health ( throw in yoga with yoga-mat too, I am riding this big baby home! ), I looked at the bigger picture.

My fitness goals changed from then on. Seriously, does getting a beach-body sound like a fitness goal? Not to me, it doesn’t.

I exercise for ONE reason now: to live a disease-free long life.

I’ve lived a considerably healthy life before I became self-reliant. Financial independence? I got it after starting my first job.

Started work-from-home before the lockdown while maintaining fitness levels

When I quit my first job ( because my freelance job started paying well with less engagement ) on December 31 2019, I had more time to organise my exercise routine while laxing career-wise in the first month of 2020.

I said “No” to resolutions this year because I follow them from gut instinct, not because of an auspicious day!

After a lot of air travel in March, and then finally the national lockdown kicking in since March 25, I saw my routine becoming ineffective.

The last time I’ve been to a gym was around February 21 2020, before I went to a friend’s sister’s marriage and then my first solo trip.

Building a new routine

With the lockdown in session, it forced us to stay at home ( the city where I work, not the domicile one ). I had to figure out a way to solve this situation.

As always, I took a few days ( it is less compared to the hedonist January of 2020 ) to relax and come up with a new system. Why? Because the lockdown was for 21 days, folks! A substantial change can happen in 21 days if you follow a disciplined routine.

I recreated my old fitness routine — the one where I used to workout regularly at 6 AM in group classes at Cult Fit in Bangalore. Cult Fit is a sensation here.

Below is the routine I restarted:

sleep by 10 PM
plan pre-workout meal and pack gym gear in advance
block time to write one Medium blog before the workout

The last task is the one that took time to fit in the schedule. Since I started my new blogging career on day one of lockdown, I used to write in the last hour of the day while keeping the morning workout relatively strict.

When I finished the 21 days writing streak ( a little wee bit o’ celebration ), I ramped up my schedule and shifted writing as the first thing in the morning.

I moved it in the morning to develop consistency. Now that writing has become drugs, I can write any time of the day now.

I was even back to writing in the last hour the day again. I am doing it right now, LOL! But now I have the next morning planned. I’ve set in such a way that the aforementioned 3-step morning routine-starter will take effect from tomorrow! Not every day will go perfect, but I perform my best every day, which counts a lot!

Final words

I’ve seen my fitness freak friends compromise on their journey because of these reasons:

they miss weight training
they’re waiting for everything to get back to normal
they are struggling with the new situations, instead of thriving in it.

Here is a thought that tells you to adjust your routine while respecting both: your fitness requirements and all the external factors that test your ability to be health-oriented:

“If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t want it that bad, you’ll find an excuse.” — Jim Rohn

With the mindset of unbreakable attitude mentioned in the above quote, we must prepare for whatever lemon life throws at us. And also to find a way to sustain the new conditions as we face it.

Because if you do the maths, March 25 was day one of lockdown and today is day 117. I know it because I blog on Medium every day. I’ve maintained ( “drastically improved” makes more sense ) my fitness levels while starting a new career.

Takeaways

The message I want to convey here is to use the present time to bend the reality you wish to bring to life.

Becoming a blogger was my dream. Turning it into a primary income stream is still another status which I am chasing while building a community of lifelong learners.

You belong to my community if you’re reading this. I’m starting my email list soon. Stay tuned!

No matter what the distractions are, having long-term goals helps to overcome the short-term adversities. This pandemic is another test to evaluate how much we can do on our own. Alone with the power of the internet!

Do you want to start a new career? Give it a shot. Do you want to venture a startup? You will find so many problems to fix if you look around. My friend and I’ve started a project with a long-term vision in place.

Maybe I am late to remind you of the relevance of the present situation. But believe me when I say this, “I am flying with time in the 4th month of social distancing era because I was, and also am, completely immersed in the new blogging journey.”

I’ve found a way to enjoy the new system by evolving mine in balancing health and professional life both! Relationships? Going well. Family? Well, they are proud of me. Let’s just leave at that!

This blog belongs to a series of posts I am publishing on a daily streak. The first two targets were day 21 and 100. The next goal is day 150. Today day 117. Here is the first blog that started the streak.

Thank You for reading. See you tomorrow!

~ S.