I think the title above is self-explanatory. I originally tried to film a video about this for YouTube, but I just could not get everything in a clear and concise manner, so here I am, trying to write and make sense.
First, the dog is not why I stopped training, and I did not consciously make a decision to stop. In fact, I want to train, but I have been struggling with the mental side of things, and I find that when something goes wrong, I have trouble getting back on track, so I have been struggling for months. If anything, the dog is in a way helping me get back on track, which is what this post is about.
I am a person who thrives on routine and habit, but my life over the last few things has been anything but routine. Going back to when I prepared for my last half iron, I had changes jobs a few times, was going out on a lot of dates until I met my ex-husband, and I was not very focused on training. Since then (five years ago) I got married, went back to school, changes jobs a few more times, got divorced, bought a house, and changed jobs again. My life has been anything but routine, and I have not kept myself in any sort of one in recent years either. I sometimes go to bed at eleven and sometimes at nine, and I would wake up anywhere between 4 am and 8 am (which for me is late). All of this has created the exact opposite of ideal conditions to focus on training.
Getting a dog is helping me get into some sort of a routine. Every night I take Deagle out before bed at the same time, and every morning he needs to be up by a certain time to go out. This means I also need to be on almost the exact same schedule. Does this mean getting a dog is the solution to all of my problems? Absolutely not. It is one of many tools I can use to focus on improving my habits and getting into a healthy routine.
Because of the dog, I need to fit everything into a routine, so I’ve spent some time going through my workouts I need to fit in and worked to figure out how it works with Deagle’s schedule. I go to work twice a week in my office when he is at daycare, and those days I am also working with a personal trainer (more on that another day), so I can only train in the mornings, and I have dinner with my grandma on Wednesdays, so those are the same. That leaves Mondays and Fridays as days where I can do two workouts, so I know I need to plan around this.
So, that is it for my life update, and my dog pictures. I find I thrive when I have a lot of things going on, so I am hoping this new routine will help with getting me on the right track.