I first saw that about two weeks ago, when I went in to do some cleaning at the restaurant that I used to work at. Used to being the key phrase there.
This wasn't just any restaurant. This was my restaurant. Now, by mine, I mean that I was the head chef. Kate was the general manager. Her parents owned it. We all put a lot of time, money and a whole lot of effort into it. And I would be lying if I said it didn't hurt a whole lot when we locked the doors for the last time.
Now, I'm not going to go into a lot of detail about it because the past is the past. A combo of things led up to the inevitable closing; poor location, poor parking for customers, and struggling economy are just some of the things that made us shut down.
I'm really trying to have a positive outlook in this whole situation, I was able to walk right back to my job at United Fitness, and I learned a lot of lessons about running a business. I learned what a manager truly does, and I dare say that I really tested my grit - working countless hours in a sweltering kitchen to make sure every plate was as perfect as it could be.
On a side note, if you have never worked in a kitchen, on a line, you don't know what suck is. The ambient temperature some days was 130 degrees, your chef's coat is soaked and you barely have time to take a drink of water because the slips are stacking up. Take into consideration that sometimes you are by yourself, or a man down, and that brings the suck up to 10. Not to say its the toughest job in the world, far from it, but now I can see why a lot of chefs have a drink or 12 at the end of the night - I digress.
Now taking that quote back into consideration, I believe that I can apply that to all aspects of my life. I know that I can apply that to my nutrition. As you well know, that nutrition has been a huge part of this journey that I am on, and write about it quite frequently. I was in a hole, I stopped digging. I had hit a massive stalling point in my weight loss. I was eating egg whites and broccoli. I was doing five to six cardio sessions per week. My weight didn't change and my body fat percentage stayed exactly the same. I found a new coach - a smarter coach - I guess you could say I started to climb out of the hole.
Now in a matter of weeks, my body fat dropped a point and my weight dipped and has gone back up, slightly, which I don't give a damn about. But I feel better now than I have in months. I'm doing minimal cardio and guess what, I'm eating carbs. GASP!
I'm starting to really get an understanding about nutrition and applying it to your training, because at the end of the day, they do go hand in hand.
When it comes to training, I have started incorporating some new ideas, as well as some classic favorites (if you have never checked out Mountain Dog Training, you really should, it is by far, my most favorite "bodybuilding" type of workout I have tried) as well as some "fat burner" lifting sessions. To shed a little light on that, "fat burner" lifting is high reps and lower weight with some high intensity cardio woven into it. Out of the training hole.
Now the last hole I wanted to quit digging (and get the hell out of) was a negativity hole. Sometimes you just find yourself adrift in a sea of suck. Work sucks. Your workouts suck. Your dinner sucks. The guy in the silver Honda Civic in front of you at the traffic light with the 'Id rather be driving' bumper sticker sucks too. You don't know him, but he sucks. No matter what side of the bed you get up on, your day is just going to be complete and utter crap.
Now, you can change this. You can get up and just let all the problems of the world roll off your back and slap a smile on your face. Sound corny? That's because it is. You don't need to go out and try to set the world on fire. You don't need to make the world all sunshine and rainbows. You just need to get up, and do what you need to do.
Do your job to the best of your ability. Whether you are flipping burgers at McDonald's or you are the CEO of a bank. Be the best damn burger flipper that Ronald has ever seen.
You don't need to look like Arnold at the end of every workout. Its leg day, and you're tired, and you ate like crap today, and you don't want to go the gym. But you do because its on your way home. You walk in, you do some squats, leg extensions, leg curls and some lunges. The workout sucked and you felt weak, but you know what, you did it any way. It's better than just going home (most of the time that is). Enough of those days, and you're bound to hit your stride sometime.
I'll leave you with this final thought. I hadn't hit my stride in quite a while. I was un-motivated and down. I didn't want to workout anymore and I didn't want to care about what I ate. Then a very dedicated, educated, hard-working friend sent me a message that really made me think, and quite frankly, quit feeling sorry about myself. I know that I have a lot of people following me, and wanting me to succeed on this journey. And the fact that all of you want me to succeed, will ultimately make me succeed.
Thank you to all of you who follow this, and follow me and my example. Thank you for all of you who will me to win and who force me to be better for me, and for you.
So lets stop digging these holes, and make some magic happen.
Until next time, stay strong.
-Brann
