Hi Reader

Last week, I shared that I had my Day One for roughly the 100th time in my life. So now let's talk about Week One.

I already told you what Day One looks like. But what does an entire first week look like when you're restarting?

Here's what most people expect: that they should be able to pick up right where they left off. But let me ask you something. Is that really practical? Is it feasible from a life perspective, and more importantly, from a biology perspective?

Think about it. You haven't worked out for three weeks. Your body, your metabolism, has adjusted to a lower volume of physical activity, less weight training, less cardio. Now if you suddenly go back and try to lift the same weight, hit the same intensity, match the same volume... do you think your biology is ready for that?

Ready to take that load? Maybe.

But here's the part most people miss, even when they are consistently working out: is your biology ready to recover from the stress that workout generates?

Most people completely ignore this.

So let me tell you what my Week One actually looked like. It was simple: two workouts. One on Monday, one on Thursday. That's it.

Two reasons for keeping it this light:

First, while I did make time to start working out again, a lot of things are still taking shape in this new place. My priorities haven't settled into a normal routine yet. There's still a lot of setup happening in the background.

Second, and more importantly, I want to make sure my body recovers from each workout before I add another session, more volume, or more intensity. The purpose right now is not to lose body fat. It's not to build muscle. It's to slowly and gradually retrain my body to handle the load, recover from it, and then progressively increase from there. This is what we call progressive overload, and it has to be earned, not rushed.

Even within those two days, all I did was 20 minutes of walking and 20 minutes of simple dumbbell movements. That's my Week One.

Now, why am I sharing all of this?

Because if you're struggling to restart, if you're thinking "Day One needs to be perfect, it needs to look exactly like it did before"... I want you to let go of that expectation.

It is never going to be what it was. It is going to be very different from where you left off.

Think about time itself. If you're 43 years old today, like me, will you ever be 43 again a week from now? No. Every minute, every hour, every day, you're getting older. The time that has passed is not coming back.

Just like water flowing through a river, the same water never comes back. It passes through and moves on. Time works the same way. So don't anchor your expectations to a previous version of yourself.

It can absolutely get better. You may build stronger bones, joints, and muscles. You may reach higher intensity than before. Or you may choose to stay at a comfortable level for a while. Both are fine.

But don't set unrealistic expectations based on where you were before.

Whether you're restarting for the first time, worried that a break has set you back, or frustrated with yourself for not being consistent, I hope this gives you some clarity.

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Just hit reply and let me know.

To your health,

—
​Dhaval Bhadeshiya​
Sleep, Stress & Recovery Coach