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Skottie Young's avatar

My Peloton name is StupidFreshMess

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Michael Kenji “Maka” Takahara's avatar

Great job to everyone simply starting again. I like how you all are supportive of Skottie and one another. What a great group. Behavior change is super hard. But just like drawing (I assume, I'm not a drawer . . . yet), we just keep practicing, we improve. And relapse is part of every behavior change. So this sounds fu-fu, but self-compassion has been shown to improve meditation:

Breines, J. G., & Chen, S. (2012). Self-compassion increases self-improvement motivation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 18(9), 1133-1143.

Participants in an online study who wrote a compassionate paragraph to themselves regarding a personal weakness subsequently reported greater feelings of self-compassion. They also experienced other psychological benefits, such as greater motivation for self-improvement, compared to participants who focused on boosting their self-esteem, distracting themselves, or nothing in particular.

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Well, that's kinda what Skottie started with his post here. He wrote about his break in a compassionate voice: "Unlike some other points along the road in my healthy journey, I’m not beating myself up for it."

If you are interested in learning more, here's one way to practice self-compassion as a way of increasing motivation to continue on the path of change: https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/self_compassionate_letter

Good luck everyone! You all are a wonderful group of people. Here's to us all getting better this year.

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Michael Kenji “Maka” Takahara's avatar

Also great interview. :) hot wheels!

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Jami Cullen's avatar

Thank you!

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Jami Cullen's avatar

I just took my break until “after COVID”….well…you’ve inspired me not to “break” my scale!! You also told the story in a perfectly hilarious, and all-to-relatable way!! Thank you!

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Heather P's avatar

Good luck! I've tried every machine out there in the last 2 years. I have started "hot yoga" which seems to be an excuse for me to do stretches in the sauna, but I'm sore the next day so I'll take it. We can do this!

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Melonie Ferrell's avatar

Good luck! I’m on the same path. I just bought a CLMBR before Xmas, 4 weeks in and I’m ordering Mega Fit Meals and meal prepping breakfasts. Good mindset, we got this :)

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Blazefh's avatar

Get it Skottie!!! Also add me @BlazeRN , I’ve been trying to get back at it too after I put on some COVID weight… I also learned recently that I carry all my stress in my shoulders and have been doing shoulder stretches in the am through the Peloton app and stacking with a 5 minute meditation… see you on the Peloton track

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John's avatar

Day three of no smoking, my place will be a crime scene in the near future.

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Skottie Young's avatar

I smoked for 14 years and now am 13 years smoke free. Congrats.

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Calvin Harlow's avatar

Good luck getting back and staying on that bike. I've been working on that myself (lost 50 pounds since last May) and it can be a challenge to not take a break or to force ourselves to stop taking a break.

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Skottie Young's avatar

Wow. Amazing

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Jami Cullen's avatar

Fantastic!!!

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Tyler Lariscy's avatar

That's the way to do it! I think Covid hit most of us and we paid the price in some sort of way. But good on you for not beating yourself up about it! Get back at it!

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Ben Bender's avatar

Hell yeah, brother! Not just the getting back on track, but the mental state you're carrying into it. As one human who struggles to another, I'm proud of you, man :)

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Deuce's avatar

The plight of the middle-aged man…

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wynnesome's avatar

Congratulations getting back on track. I'm the same kind of all or nothing about exercise and healthy eating habits. It's either the every single day routine... or I'll take a break and I'm done. Which would be fine if my day to day schedule had anything near enough regularity to allow for holding to the exercise/meal habits every day. Hard to keep one thing as daily routine when everything else is different daily, often to the point of "not even the slightest chance there's time for a workout in today's schedule." Haven't found a way to make it work anytime in recent memory. Maybe I'll try again sometime.

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Ross REDOPTICALCORP's avatar

Love the peloton!!! I'd love to be your friend on there if having friendly competition helps motivate you!! My user is ross2point0!! See you in the race!!

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David Morin's avatar

Thanks for sharing Skottie! I took that "break" too...time to get back on my own bike! Thanks for your self-portrait for the motivation!

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Steve A's avatar

*inserts gif of Rob Schnieder saying “You can do it!”*

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Itamar Berman Machlis's avatar

Good luck!

Inspiring.

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