Wake-Up Calls

I am a fan of Shakespeare and Ian McKellan, and seeing him perform Shakespeare live has been on my bucket list for some time now.

So when Sue told me she had got us tickets to see him in Player Kings in Manchester, I was beyond happy. It was on March 18th, 2024, and I will never forget that night or date for two reasons, and one of them is what I want to share with you now.

This blog is not about Shaksperar or McKellen; it is, in fact, about wake-up calls and change.

Call me old fashioned, but a night out at the theatre deserves a bit of dressing up. Jeans, a smart shirt and a jacket are essential for me.

So my best Levis, crisp white shirt and slim fit jacket came out of the wardrobe.

My wake-up call came when I tried on the aforementioned clothing. None of it fitted; the shirt and jacket were too tight, and I could not even fasten the jeans.

In the latter part of 2023, I decided to put some weight on. I am naturally slim, but I wanted to build some muscle and bulk up a bit. I had a plan, and it was simple: eat more and train hard. The problem was that I managed to nail the eating more part of the plan, but the training hard part, not so much.

As I put weight on, I had many compliments on how well I looked with a bit more weight on me. But as lovely as those compliments were, I had no energy, was sleeping way longer and was moody when I woke up; my walking and running were much more challenging and not enjoyable. I picked up a couple of injuries, and my knees ached. I knew 100% that was due to the extra weight. I ignored these little red flags, and by the time I got to April this year, I had gone from 11 stone 5lbs to 13 stone 3lbs.

The night of the Player Kings performance, I decided it was time to change, and my inability to fasten my jeans was the wake-up call.

The very next day, I started to change my diet and exercise. I cleaned up what I was eating and began to train in a way I could sustain. I aimed to return to my 11 stone 5 lbs before starting my Summer break.

I weighed myself the morning before setting off on my travels, and I was 11 stone 5 lbs. I dropped almost two stone in 3 months. My energy was back, running and walking was easy again, and I was happy with how I looked in my swimming shorts.

Was it easy, not always? Was it worth it, yes

So, what does this have to do with you?

If you find yourself having some wake-up call, you have two choices: take note and make changes, or ignore it. Ignoring it will always lead to a bigger problem to sort out further down the line. Sadly, most people ignore it. Don't be that kind of person.

We can easily let things slip—we are human, and there should be no shame or beating yourself up about it. But when you recognise you have gone astray, you are 100% responsible for sorting it out, and no matter what you have let slip, you are also 100% capable of turning it around.

So here is what you do:

First, you must be open to new thinking and willing to change old habits.

Secondly, also accept that you may have a few challenges along the way. But if it's important to you, you will push through those.

Finally, learn what you need to know (I spent three weeks, full time, researching nutrition and diet) and then take consistent action until you get the desired results.

It's simple. It's not always easy, but it's simple.

So don't ignore wake-up calls; they are a powerful tool in becoming a better you.

Before I go trotting off to the beach to work on my tan, I have a final thought: If you get the chance to see Ian McKellen live, definitely take it. He is one outstanding actor.

Take Care

GB