Happy Canada Day! For those who had the day off work, I hope you enjoyed it.

I spent it nursing a pretty sweet hangover. Sounds fun, eh? (had to throw at least one eh in there). This does not happen often. For the past few years I've drank about 2 or 3 times a year, usually on special occasions (birthdays, christmas, etc). It's incredible how difficult it is to recover from nights like this, now and how little alcohol it takes to have this effect. I slept for four hours during the day yesterday then again from 9:30PM last night -7:45AM this morning. I am still not 100% but a lot better than yesterday! A last minute decision to go to a cottage for some Canada Day celebrating sounded like an awesome little pattern break to me.

I have a rather structured regimen and although I love living this way, there's a need to break through it once in a while. Wake times are the same each day, meals are usually at the same time, work is at the same time at the gym until 2, work from home is until 5 or 6, back to the gym to train at the same time,etc. Everything needed to maintain this lifestyle is also very conveniently located, which makes a set pattern even easier to adopt. I am very grateful for this, but do think sticking to a set in stone regimen with the same locations/things/times for too long may not be the best for overall wellbeing. It's also important to not become so set in stone with a routine that change becomes difficult or seems like a "hassle." There was a feeling of needing to break out of the pattern for a bit, so this is what is being done. Training is still being maintained but this week has been used to train at different times, work has been done from different locations when possible and more time is spent with family and friends. However, that one night of drinking is enough for me for a while! All gatherings really don't have to be centered around food and drink, they can and really should be about spending time with each other. Maintaining this outlook, even if food/drink that are not part of the plan are there, makes it possible to choose not to focus on these things while taking part in more get togethers and avoiding feeling secluded, even when following a strict plan (like contest prep).

It can be easy to get lost in work and patterns when you really love it. Certain personalities may also find it a lot easier to get lost in things. It's important to not neglect the other great parts of life and to keep things fresh. Go and have fun, within reason. Mix things up; do something fun with friends/family, relax outside, take a different route home, switch up your training from time to time, workout at a different gym for a day. If you're a "pattern" person, break out of that comfort zone for even just a little while.

This may seem like a weird concept to some, to be so regimented, but I do believe a lot of fitness enthusiasts (competitors especially) find comfort in structure and can quite easily adopt "set in stone," schedules. Developing patterns are amazing for making lifestyle changes and goal reaching, but once you've adopted a healthy lifestyle and find the strength to reach your goals, It's important to continue loving life and the things you're doing and to not just go through the motions with a routine that may become overly repetitive.