You know those days where everything comes together? Your day went well, your meals were on-track, water intake was good and your workout left you feeling strong? Today was not that day for me.

Today, every rep felt hard and heavy and left me feeling frustrated and defeated. Why is it that just last week, I had done this same workout and was able to manage these weights with little difficulty, but today, every part of my body was saying stop!

Now that I’ve had some time to reflect (thank you Vince and Mercedes for being a voice of reason), I’ve realized there were many things that affected my performance today.

Attitude: I walked into the gym with half a dozen things on my mind. Not all positive, and some weighing heavily on me. Working out can be a great way to clear your mind and work through things, but it is also important to focus on your intentions for your lift. Set your mind, focus your energy and try not to let the noise take over.

Rest: I moved around my workouts this week, which had me doing a heavy lift yesterday, on my rest day. Now, I am all for moving your workouts around to fit into your life. It’s important and helps with motivation. There is a reason that trainers put rest days in specific sequence though. Playing around with that may not give you the best chance at optimal performance. If you are going to shift rest days around, make sure you are still giving yourself appropriate recovery time before hitting those muscle groups again.

Fuel: I failed to plan properly this week, and my calories suffered because of it. By Saturday, meals were sporadic consisted of whatever I could find that satisfied my hunger.

Water: ….this was not a good week for water. Normally, I aim for at least 3L of water a day. Some days, I barely got 1L in (insert multiple excuses here…). Water makes up 60% of our bodies, 75% of our muscles and significantly affects our energy levels and brain function. Don’t wait until your thirsty to drink. By the time dehydration sets in, you could be dealing with dizziness, headaches and dry mouth. Start your day with a glass, set yourself a timer, whatever will remind you to drink throughout the day. You’ll have increased energy and better productivity.

Rest: Actually, I can’t really complain here. I’ve had some really great nights of sleep, but last night, I let myself fall back into old habits, and started my day at 4:00am with a House marathon on Prime TV. By the time my training session was set to start, I was tired and unfocused.

The reason I’m sharing this with you is because, today, I had to eat some humble pie and recognize the role I played in my performance. Here’s the deal, it is normal and ok to have highs and lows in your training. Some days, things will fall into place, other days you’re working with some increased challenges. The most important thing you can do is to continue to show up for yourself. Take the lumps with the leaps and feel the struggle. It will help you appreciate those days that leave you feeling invincible, and remind you that it isn’t just the workout that leads to improvement. It’s what you do in-between to help support your growth that sets you up for success.

-g