Eat. Pray. Workout. Love.

Can you believe it’s been 11 years since Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat. Pray. Love. became an international bestseller? A few weeks ago, as we were preparing to say goodbye to 2017, it hit me. My life was mimicking the book. Kind of:

·         Protagonist was a late-twenty/early-thirty something: Check

·         Protagonist had a dream job in, arguably, the greatest city in the world (NYC): Check

·         Protagonist was married and divorced: Not check

·         Protagonist used travel as a way to learn, grow and discover herself: Check

This all came to light as I was thinking about my resolutions for 2018. The comparisons were a bit scary when I thought about it. It’s extraordinary when you look at what Elizabeth Gilbert did and how her year of travel led to such rich self-discovery. And while we can’t all up and quit our jobs and travel the world full-time, nor would that be personally fulfilling for me, there’s a lot to be learned from Gilbert about how we can use our time wisely to reflect on the past in order to carve our path for the future.

Eat.

2017 was the year of ‘eat.’ I spent the first few months of the year on a goodbye tour, eating and drinking my way through Manhattan with friends, family, and colleagues. A good excuse to hit all the local hotspots one last time. After all, when I got to Amsterdam I’d surely go back to some normal routine and have plenty of time to get back on track. Ha. Right.

Upon arrival I found Amsterdam to be one endless gastronomic wonderland. I was pleasantly surprised to discover a vibrant food scene. Elizabeth Gilbert spent 4 months eating her way through Italy. I spent 9 months eating my way through most of Europe.

In Amsterdam my excuses for throwing any semblance of a balanced diet out the window were easy: I was partly intrigued because I am a foodie who absolutely loves trying new restaurants and exploring new cuisines, and I was  partly reluctant to turn down an offer to meet someone for a meal or a drink because, well, that’s the way you meet people and make friends!

And then the travel began. When I was in France why would I not eat the croissant, and the crepe, and the pastry and drink the wine. In Spain the paella. In Ireland the battered fish, and creamed soup. And so on and so forth throughout the Netherlands, Belgium, Singapore, Myanmar, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, Finland, Russia, Israel, Latvia, Germany and the UK.

And all those amazing friends who came to visit. I had to take them to Winkel 43 for apple pie, Pancakes Amsterdam for pancakes. Bitterballen at the bar. Tony’s Chocolonley bars. And so. much. bread.

I enjoyed every moment. I savoured every bite. I did not, and do not, regret it. But one day, just like Elizabeth Gilbert experienced, my clothes got tighter, the number on the scale was scary, and I just couldn’t do it anymore. Unlike Elizabeth Gilbert, I did not take this as a sign to move on to my next destination. I needed to find a way to have a better balance in Amsterdam.

Fast-forward to present day. Two weeks into 2018. Why would I share this? After all, it’s actually quite embarrassing to admit. But I am writing it because a. I know I’m not alone and b. if I put it out there, I have to do something about it.

So, there you have it: resolution #1. Focus on fitness again. Yes, you read that right. Do the same thing about 1 billion other people around the world are doing. But unlike 99% of them, stick to it. Just like I’ve done before.

Workout.*

*Ok, ok. I know this should be pray. But, as stated above, I said my life was kind of like Eat. Pray. Love. And part of Elizabeth’s spiritual journey included yoga, which is exercise. So, it’s essentially the same thing.  

 

In 2015 I went on a fitness journey. I joined a new gym, started working out with a trainer and took an interest in properly learning about food for the first time in my life.

It took a full year to see results. One full year. That year was frustrating. It was demotivating. Why was I torturing myself to get up in the pitch dark at 5:00am to go to the gym before work? Why was I cutting back on pizza? Why was I wasting time to pack my own lunch each night for the next day? Was it worth it?

Absolutely. I cannot describe how it felt to be in, arguably, the best shape of my life. My energy was up. My confidence was up. And here’s the catch: I never even got on a scale. The number never mattered. It still doesn’t matter. I just felt good and that was good enough for me.

It’s been a struggle to get back on track because for the last few months I’ve let the pain of that ‘year’ take over. I didn’t know if I could do it again. To try and try and not see the result for a loooong time. And although I never stopped fully training when I got to Amsterdam, I wasn’t fully committed the way I was back in 2015.

I’m pleased to share that mind-set stopped a few weeks ago. Mind over matter is real, and it’s powerful. I’m now excited to get back on this fitness journey. I know things won’t change overnight, but they won’t ever change at all if I never start again.

Resolution #2: Live the mind over matter mind-set. Not just as it applies to my workout/eating habits, but in everything I do. Maybe I am a bit spiritual after all.

Love.

When I was in London I looked back at some of my first few blogs posts. London, by the way, turned out to be so much fun after the complications of the first 24 hours. Anyway, I noticed I wrote about dedicating more time to dating. In the beginning that was absolutely the case. And then I got busy. Work picked up. Friends came to visit. Trips with new and old friends found their way onto the calendar. Dating became a secondary priority again.

What I love about Elizabeth’s experience in Bali is that she just fell into love instead of seeking it out (if I am remembering correctly??). It got me thinking: why doesn’t that happen anymore? We’re all hiding behind apps. When was the last time someone came up to you at a bar and struck up a conversation? Sometimes the apps are misleading. Sometimes the apps are downright scary. How great would the dating world be again if apps went away? But alas, this is the world we live in.

If you look on the bright side, a great thing about the apps is the amount of people you can potentially connect with. And although none of my app-based dates have amounted to anything significant in the last year, clearly, they do tend to make for fantastic stories to share with friends. So friends, you are welcome.

Resolution #3: Prioritize dating again, and be open to meeting someone via a dating app BUT never give up on finding Prince Charming in the real world. A girl can dream, right?

So there you have it. 3 out of my 4 resolutions for 2018. What’s the 4^th? It’s professionally related and now that I know how many of my wonderful colleagues are fans of my blog, I’m going to keep that one personal for now J

Happy 2018 everyone!