When The Usual Isn't Enough

 Hey everyone! Hope you're having a great week. Today I'd like to talk about the struggle of when your usual routine isn't giving you the results you want! See, I've been going hard at the gym to start to correct my recent weight gain, and uhh, as you can see from my fitbit, the trend is not moving in the direction I'm gunning for! 

 

While this is demoralizing, there's a few things I've reminded myself of. For one, I'm not a model, I'm a powerlifter. There are plenty of larger women in my league and they rock how they look, so gaining weight is not a sign I've been slacking in my training. My actual lifting numbers aren't going down, after all. 

For two, I totally get that I'm just eating a lot more lately. I finished those edibles, mostly as late night snacks to wind down alongside these really delicious pies from a bakery I got a coupon for! I've also been really packing away those protein bars between sets and that uh...'enhanced protein powder' I got is too good not to slip into my morning shakes! All this has made me more motivated to actually lift, so I'm not inclined to stop my little indulgences anytime soon! 

For three, I know I need to practice what I preach; I'm all for body positivity and I'm frankly not bothered by having a little bit of chub! I wear my new belly pooch proudly...though I am thinking of switching to two cardio days to help offset the weight gain in the long run. I'm starting to feel, uh, noticeable jiggling when I'm jogging that wasn't there before, so I'm still concerned about longer term performance!  

 

 

 

Anyway, otherwise, this week's been amazing! Ivy and one of my wonderful readers showed me how to get my steam deck up and running and how to use it as a computer with a mouse and keyboard, and someone gifted me "Terriaria" and "Minecraft" ! So, I've plugged it into my TV and been playing those a ton online with Ivy, and I think we've really gotten closer to each other as a result. I actually haven't seen her since we were in college, so it's been like 2 years! We've got to change that soon, for sure. I didn't realize how much gaming could bring people together, plus these games are SUPER fun and addicting. I complained to Ivy that too much Minecraft was keeping me out of the gym, so she built me a gym in-game as a gag! It's my base now, I added an apartment on top of it!

 So, I guess my advice to you all is don't beat yourself up when things don't go as expected, don't stop doing what you love because that will just feed burnout, and make small adjustments to start to see the changes you want to see! Most importantly, LOVE YOURSELF!

 P.S. I got a really generous donation for dating app credits and some romantic dinners while I was gaming with Ivy. I'll talk more about my romantic history and goals in another post, but I brought it up to her and she joked that I should take her out to dinner for old times sake. Seeing as we've been spending so much time together, I figure why not, y'know? Maybe I can finally convince her to start a gym routine once I've fed her and gotten some wine in her...she's sharing her hobbies with me, it's only fair I try and do the same to her, right?