By definition, the word “adapt” means to become adjusted to new conditions. The word adjusted here means to alter or move something slightly in order to achieve the desired fit, appearance, or result.
3 months ago you may have been working out routinely or getting to the gym occasionally. You may have been a member at a CrossFit gym, your local gym, a spin studio, etc.
3 months ago you may have been focusing on your diet or “eating better” by doing things like food prepping consistently, or maybe even just mindfully eating.
3 months ago you may have been at a lower body fat percentage than you are currently at or maybe you had more muscle mass than you currently have.
You get the idea. 3 months ago we may have had what we “wanted” or maybe we were doing things that we enjoyed doing. But as we all know, 3 months ago is not the same as today.
Lately, I’ve heard it more than ever… “I can’t wait for things to go back to normal” or “When things go back to normal, I’m going to…” Let me be really blunt with you, because you need to hear this.
There is no more normal.
What was once “normal” is no longer a reality and unfortunately, I’m seeing people struggle a lot with this. Change is easier for some, but we have all been forced into the same level of change in the blink of an eye.
The life that we once knew is no longer here. Sure, it’s great to think that someday in the future that life will look similar to how it did, but the reality is that “someday” is not coming anytime soon. I don’t know what the future holds, but I can tell you that it won’t be the same as it was 3 months ago, at least not for a long time.
Also, while we’re on that subject, I want you to ask yourself a really tough question… “Was I truly happy with my prior normal?”
Most of us were probably not where we truly wanted to be. We may have been doing things that weren’t serving us, maybe we weren’t giving more time to the things that are actually most important to us. You get the idea.
Whether you loved your normal or were super unhappy with it, the reality is this…
You have to create your new normal.
3 months ago you may have said you wanted something. Weight loss, muscle gain, more energy, whatever it may be.
When gyms closed, one of your first thoughts may have been something like “Crap, now I’m not going to be able to (insert an important part of your fitness routine)” or “Crap, now I won’t get (insert desired physical results).” You may have felt like you now were unable to achieve your goal or that this was going to hinder you from achieving it. This is a fixed mindset point of view.
Here’s the deal…you still have goals, they didn’t go anywhere. Maybe they’ve shifted slightly, but I’m willing to bet you still aspire to elicit a certain change somehow, someway. If you want to be successful in an unforeseen, uncertain time like this, you have to have a growth mindset. We have to be looking at “what can I do” or “what am I in control of” if we want to create that change. But if we sit back and play the victim card to this pandemic, our new normal could be more detrimental to our success than ever before.
So how do I create a new normal?
How do I get the physical results I was chasing before when I’m more limited now with what I have access than ever before?
Well, here’s the kicker… it’s not the physical results that you were ever ultimately after.
What you were ultimately after was the confidence you’ll gain from achieving your goal, the discipline gained that you weren’t showing and proving to yourself that you are capable of achieving something that you’re yearning for.
Sure a six pack is cool, but that’s surface level here. Real, impactful goal achievement comes from satisfying something within that can only come from your own personal achievement.
Look, you’ve had 4+ weeks to eat junk food, drink more than you normally would, or binge on Netflix all day. It’s time to circle back to your internal desires. Get real with yourself and ask yourself “WHAT DO I ACTUALLY WANT?”
I promise you, given the current circumstances we are all facing, your goals ARE achievable. Maybe it seems like a long road to achieve them or maybe it seems harder to figure out how your plan is going to look. But I promise you, when you want something bad enough, it doesn’t matter what’s in-front of you. If you’re willing to, you’ll be successful.