First of all I do not write this blog post from a position of being holier than thou!
I still drink booze….just nowhere near as much as I used to.
Throughout my 20’s and then particularly in my early to mid 30’s it was
my default way to ‘relax’.
The problem with it though is that it started taking more and more
beer (and then Jack Daniels) to feel relaxed – after a long hard day at work.
My tolerance was pretty good though and on a night out I was always the last
one standing!
but I guess this isn’t something that I will proudly be telling my grandchildren one day.
The Stories We Tell Ourselves
What I was unable to connect at the time was that my poor sleeping habits,
poor skin, big inflated gut, feelings of lethargy, poor relationships and regular
acid reflux and stomach aches were a side effect of drinking too much alcohol.
How do I know this?
Because since cutting down drinking from every night to just 1 night at the weekend
all of those issues highlighted above have improved.
Yet at the time when that voice appeared in my head saying
” may be you’re tired today because you had that extra beer last night”
There was another voice that followed up by saying
“get through today, just have a couple tonight and then go to bed a bit earlier”
or
“may be my expanding waist size has something to do with all the beer I’m drinking”
followed by
“nah, it’s just a sign that I’m getting middle aged. I need to exercise more”
These are the early signs of addiction by the way.
Joined A Gym: Nothing Changed!
Anyway, I did join a gym and I did start exercising more.
But
then nothing really changed
other than I felt a bit stronger and a bit fitter.
My actual body shape didn’t change though.
“Must be what I’m eating”
“Must do more cardio”
“Probably need to exercise on an empty stomach”
It had to be anything other than beer getting in the way of me seeing any results.
Reality Check
The reality of all of this though is that if you’re a regular drinker and you’re hitting that
middle age mark – 35+ then your body is going to be struggling to run properly and you
WILL be holding on to fat.
I have guys apply to work with me that want to transform the way they look.
They tell me how desperate they are and that they are fed up with feeling like crap.
They say that they want to be an inspiration to their kids.
Then when I mention to them that they need to cut their drinking habits right down
to just 1 night per week they retreat.
Excuses then start coming out as to why they can no longer go ahead.
The thing is – I know the feeling.
I’ve been there and gone through it.
I’m not one of these personal trainers that talks down to you having been
bought up on chicken and broccoli every day along with protein shakes and 3
litres of water.
I genuinely get it.
How I Did It
I managed to make the change when I got to the point where my goals
were so damn important to me – getting rid of my beer gut and feeling like
an inspirational role model to my kids – that I made the decision to do
whatever it takes to achieve them.
That meant I had to exercise properly and I had to eat and drink properly.
Before I knew it, new habits were created to replace the old ones and
I’m no longer feeling rolls of fat every time I bend over to do my shoe
laces up!
The other good thing that has come out of this is that by only having
a few drinks on a Saturday night I actually appreciate it a lot more.
I enjoy the taste and the feeling rather than just be drinking for the sake of it.
Importantly though I feel firmly in control of things.
Best,
Ricky
ps: if interested in applying for our next 6 week online transformation
programme where I help out with all this stuff – exercise, nutrition and motivation
all covered then you can do so just here: CLICK HERE TO APPLY