Staying in the Game

My son Elec and I spent over 18 hours driving around the mid-west the last three days.

That’s a lot of sitting... 

A lot of convenience stops. 

A lot of opportunities to say,

“Nope, not this week.”

And to be honest — by the time we pulled in close to 1:00 am last night, I felt it.

I slept until 9:30 this morning.

And today is intentionally a "light day".

Because staying consistent doesn’t mean ignoring fatigue.

It means managing it wisely.

This trip included medical appointments at the Cleveland Clinic, family time, and my son’s rock climbing competition in Indianapolis.

The competition was tough.

Some of the hardest starts to climbs he’s seen in over three years, and for the first hour, he didn’t score a single point.

If you’ve ever watched someone you love struggle, you know that feeling. You want a breakthrough for them. And...

He didn’t quit.

He adjusted.

He kept climbing.

He stayed in it.

By the end of the 3.5 hour competition:

He'd topped one wall.

Earned 10 points on another.

Five points on two more.

Placed 18th out of 38.

Not first.

But absolutely resilient.

And sitting there watching, it struck me — this is exactly what most health journeys look like.

You show up.

You try.

You don’t “score” right away.

You don’t see the scale move.

You don’t feel stronger instantly.

You don’t get immediate validation.

The first hour, or week, or month, can feel like zero points.

This road trip could have easily become one of those “zero point” weeks.

Instead, I focused on preparation.

I packed flat resistance bands so movement didn’t depend on a gym.

We chose a hotel 10 minutes from our appointment so walking was built in.

We packed apples, dried steak, peppers, cucumbers — food that made the better choice the easier choice.

We tried Bibibop for a quicker healthy meal instead of defaulting to whatever was fastest. And, it was so good we had it again the next day - Thank you Elizabeth!

Not extreme.

Not perfect.

But intentional.

Here’s the difference:

Preparation protects momentum.

Attitude sustains it.

And recovery supports it.

Sleeping in today isn’t falling off track.

It’s part of staying strong enough to keep going tomorrow. (TRX class starts at 9:00 am!)

Busy seasons don’t ruin progress.

Unplanned reactions do.

When you prepare, you remove friction.

When you choose your mindset, you stay in the game.

You don’t have to win the first hour.

You don’t have to dominate the week.

You just have to keep climbing.

So if you’re heading into a busy stretch, ask yourself:

What can I prepare now so I don’t lose momentum later?

Pack the bands.

Schedule the walk.

Bring the apples.

Choose better when you can.

Rest when you need to.

Stay in it.

That’s how momentum is built.

Xoxo,

Kim