I went to the gym on Friday morning, then proceeded to eat and drink my face off from Friday to Monday night. I did get a lot of walking in on Friday, a fair amount on Sunday, and a ton yesterday at the Smithsonian. That being said, I ate and drank so much that even a mega-ton of exercise had no prayer of balancing the indulgences.

I thought (long & hard) about feeling guilty about it, and then a funny thing happened… a thing which seems to be symptomatic of my new way of being. I still have a lot to learn and a lot to work on, but something is shifting for sure. I didn’t turn to MORE food. I didn’t give up, eat myself sick, or start mentally berating myself for every real and perceived flaw.

Instead, I just reset. I got up on Tuesday morning and decided I was done. I walked myself about for three hours. I made better food choices. I stayed under my calorie goal. I got up this morning and went back to the gym. I packed healthy food.

WHO AM I? (Captain Awesomesauce?) It’s just that this whole thing is making me realize something that a lot of other people have long understood to be common sense. A few days of indulgence? It’s NO BIG DEAL. It’s only a problem if I make it one. I HAVE THE POWER HERE.

Speaking of which, I’m trying something new. My little brother (who is more than a foot taller than me and could likely benchpress me) has hopped on the healthy habits bandwagon, and he’s working out and eating better. He’s also got some help from what I’ve lovingly dubbed his sensei. He’s got a workout buddy at his office who is helping him with training and nutrition, which is helping my brother see some real changes in his health and making him feel like a billion dollars, and this guy happens to be a kung fu artist. Hence the likely incorrect nickname.

Per his advice, my brother has started drinking green tea every day. My brother likes green tea about as much as I do (read: not at all) but he swears it’s making him feel healthier. And so… I’m trying it too. Right now I’m using the horrible little powder packets we have at work, but I’m about to brew a giant pitcher of actual green tea tonight to keep here at the office. I’m wondering if it’s legitimate to replace some of my daily water with green tea. It’s not caffeinated, so it should count as hydration, right?

I’m also excited because, upon returning to the office today, I discovered a sample box from Premier Protein! They reached out to me on Twitter, and now I’ve got four of their snack size protein shakes and six protein bars to try. I’ll definitely be reviewing them soon and may share with my coworkers too since I’d love to know what someone other than me thought about them.

So I’m back on track, just like that. Weird, right?