“Cue Training Montage!”

There is a moment familiar to people who watch movies like Rocky where there is a training montage. This is a signal that, possibly after several false starts, the main character has made a commitment to improve. Now there will be no messing around and things are going to be done properly.

To give the most generic example of how it starts a character has undergone something horrific that shakes them out of their complacency. They go to the bathroom to splash water on their face [which I’m sure everyone can relate to – it’s something people do all the time and not lazy shorthand for the character being worried]. All of a sudden they stop, look in the mirror and really see themselves for the first time [which I’m sure we also all do all of the time – it’s perfectly natural].

Then “Cue montage!” – An extremely cool collection of images follow that show one thing – progress. They may look a little uncomfortable at first but pretty soon they are doing Tai Chi on a mountain top, banging out one-arm push ups and completing advanced algebra like a boss. (If you want to see all of the Rocky montages in order you can click here.)

This doesn’t quite happen in real life.

The closest I come to this feeling is “being in a groove” you find a reliable approach to doing something that you can continue over a longer period of time.

For a while now I have been waiting for that feeling of “being in a groove”. This is strange because several times I feel as if I’ve hit some kind of bottom (The equivalent of “seeing yourself for the first time”). The problem is that not meaningful progress has followed this.

This is all related to my declining fitness which is still OK but something I want to improve. I feel though that right now I have come up with a reliable approach that hopefully will get me in a groove where I can feel my own version of a training montage play out.

A younger me would have implemented a super spartan training regime where the only thing I eat is protein powder, chicken and broccoli and the only kind of training I carry out is the gruelling kind.

The problem is, and to paraphrase another movie, “This is not Sparta”. This doesn’t work over the medium or long term (the only kind of timescale that really matters). Whatever you do has to be mindful that life is already filled with stress without piling more on and dooming things to failure. So this is my reasonable plan:

• I am going to have a very modest calorie deficit on the days I am not working.
• On the days I am working (3 in total) I am going to have a stricter deficit. I am very busy in the school day so I am going to skip lunch which is a hassle anyway and have a more generous dinner.
• I am going to maintain the same workout schedule I have at the moment.
• I am going to maintain this level of strictness until June 1st where I am meeting my old colleagues for a birthday party which I want to be in good shape for.

That’s my plan and I think it is OK. Writing this down honestly makes me feel like a frivolous person who is out of touch with “real problems” that exist in the world and peoples’ lives. Nevertheless, it’s a persistent nagging problem that I want sorted. Adios for today and take care!