TIP#1.2 You Shouldn't Have Gone Out Last Night
Going out with friends to bars, clubs and parties is incredibly fun. Hugely fun actually. Some of the greatest memories I have are those shared with friends having a good time laughing, drinking, dancing and generally staying up late getting up to no good! It is no doubt a set of experiences everyone should have. It brings people closer, builds character and social confidence as well. However, is it contributing to your physical goals? Does it add or detract from the achievements you wish to gain? I suppose the best way to answer these questions is to assess what your goals actually are; Do you want the most from your training? Do you want to exceed your expectations? Do you want to turn heads? Do you want to be the biggest or the best of the people around you?
If the answer is yes to any of these questions then you've probably worked out that it might not be the best idea to have 'gone out last night'. Totally frustrating right? You want to experience all there is to experience out there with your friends, having fun and soaking up 'life', meeting new people, or testing your limits with alcohol... BUT are you being told you can't do all that, and that it's hazardous to your fitness goals - after all the hard work you've already put in!? It might be a bit harsh but yes, that's what I'm saying; Everything to do with a fun nightlife is detrimental to your goal of becoming fitter, leaner, stronger, healthier and/or more muscular. Excessive alcohol can cause fat gain and de-hydration, late nights affect sleep quality/hormones and meal times, and hangovers can affect training intensity and appetite.
If you are young and reading this than hey, I don't want to steer you into a lifetime of never seeing your friends or never having fun - you alone will have to judge what you really want, and I would never want to deprive a young adult from the great fun of youth. But if you are a bit older, and you have many great fun experiences from late nights with friends then maybe this could be a good opportunity to step back and re-assess. Don't go and give up on your social life, but maybe start to prioritise a little more. Is your health/fitness your top priority at the moment? Would it actually mean a lot to achieve your goal?
The reason why people find it very hard to reduce late nights, or give up drinking, or say 'no' to a party invitation - is the fear of missing out, or losing touch or even losing friends. Yes, some of these things might happen, but I truly believe that you'll be talked about even more when your not at the party, than if you were. The fact is, when you make the decision to miss out on fun for a higher cause, say the pursuit of your goals, people respect you much more for it. They crave your presence, and they become very intrigued by the strength of your will power and your uncurrupted dedication. If you're on a specific diet and your friend offers you a slice of pizza and you say 'Yes' - you are just 'one of the guys', unchanged and completely normal. However, if you say 'No' then you become this totally different person, you are no longer just their friend, but your own man or woman who makes independant decisions about the future, about what standard you uphold yourself to, and what you stand for on Principle. You've made a decision for the good of a higher cause and for something that you know will undoubtedly set you apart from everyone else. In case you haven't noticed, these are in fact all the best qualities of a Leader.
Leaders achieve the most, get all the praise and indulge in all the benefits of being the best. They demand respect, loyalty, support and grattitude - and in most cases are the source of envy in most of us. We all envy the winners and the super achievers, that's obvious - but we also respect them too and we wouldn't hesitate for a second to steal their secrets to success. The truth is that we all want to be the Leader, or the Champion or the King or the one person who shines brightest, but none of us want to do what's necessary to fufill this desire. We aren't prepared to sacrifice, to say 'No' or to devote all our time, energy and emotion to a higher cause. So next weekend or the next time you are invited to head out for a late night with friends, and you wake up tired, sore, hungry and hungover - ask yourself this question, 'Should I Have Gone Out Last Night?' I think you know the answer.
Thanks for reading!
Matt
