Thoughts and reflections during some time off
Hi folks, I’m currently halfway through a fortnight off work. The first of these weeks was a half-holiday, but I am completely away from in-person 1-1 sessions and classes this week. This has given me time to recharge the batteries and recover from the 5 a.m. alarms. However, I have also managed to reflect on some thoughts that have crossed my mind during this time off. I’ve listed them below.
Everybody has at least one superpower
I have always firmly believed that everyone can do at least one thing better than the majority of others. I’m incredibly lucky - I can sleep pretty much anywhere at any time. I once even managed to fall asleep whilst standing up, having recently arrived in Sydney, jetlagged and disoriented! Whilst this may not seem like a superpower to many, it is the reason I can cope with early starts in the week so easily, and it massively helps when I travel on public transport. Over the past few years, I’ve been lucky enough to meet people capable of ridiculous feats of human physical and mental performance, endurance, and strength. Some are great with numbers, others with words, and others just have a real leadership talent. The real gold dust lies with finding a way to make your superpower work for you - I just happen to have stumbled into making mine work well for my lifestyle, and I’m incredibly lucky for that!
Walking makes a massive difference
It sounds obvious, but those in the fitness industry move a lot. My fidgety habit is bouncing on my toes as I talk to clients - something my calf muscles don’t thank me for, especially on those long 15-hour days. I also park 15 minutes away from the gym at one of my venues to help get some NEAT (see the last edition of this blog for more) into my day. When away from work, this leads to a significant loss in daily activity. My typical daily step count has fallen from between 17-22k to 10-12k since I took time off. Still a decent total, but much less activity than I am used to. This has subsequently negatively impacted my ‘superpower’ sleep. Instead of hitting the pillow and being asleep in 10 minutes or less, I’m now awake for a good 60-90 minutes before I nod off. I don’t feel as though I’ve ‘earned’ my sleep in the same way, which is probably just a signal for me to stay up slightly later….easier said than done!
Sorting life admin feels great
I had planned to use this time off to sort a whole list of jobs I’d been delaying for a long time. At home, the smoke alarm batteries needed changing, shower heads needed replacing, garden tidying, paperwork shredding and filing, care tyres changing. And that’s before we even mention Christmas shopping! All of this is on top of trying to prepare for, and plan, new digital and virtual ventures for the New Year. I thought I would dread it, but I didn’t. A slow morning, not having to chug a coffee and get to the car to get to work, followed by working at a gentle pace whilst listening to some music, has pressed the soft reset button in my brain. Being able to do these odd jobs outside of the work rush is enjoyable…although I do wonder whether I’ll change my tune on this by the time my break is over.
I miss work
Time off is great, and I am thoroughly enjoying my 8 am lie-in every morning (yes - that is three extra hours in bed, so a big lie-in!). However, I’m not dreading returning to work; I miss it.
I tell most of my class attendees and 1-1 clients that I am deeply introverted, despite my profession, but I’m not sure how much they believe me. I was, and still am, the shy one in the room, preferring to listen than to speak, and this has typically resulted in a dread of returning to school or work, but this is no longer the case. One of the major reasons for this, I feel, is the change to self-employment at the start of the year. For context, this time last year, I was working a Monday to Friday 9-5 job, going straight into evening PT sessions, and working regular Saturdays on top. For a long time, I was probably working more than 60 hours a week, whilst saving for, and planning, our wedding. Both my wife and I were almost certainly suffering from burnout. At the start of 2024, I cut my hours massively in an attempt to take control of my work-life balance, and it has worked. I enjoy my work more and have time for my family and friends in a way which wasn’t possible before. For the first time in a long time, I have balance.
Thanks for reading, folks. For those who see me in person, I’ll be back next week. To my virtual/online guys and gals, I’ll be back slightly later but do message me if you need me and I’ll get back ASAP.
P.S. - If you’re stuck with the Christmas shopping and would like to give someone the gift (or misfortune) of having yours truly coach them in the New Year, click/tap the button below and we can have a chat!
Speak soon,
Ben