time to get back on track

i think it was around my birthday when i was actually starting to make some strength gains and lose some fat. this momentum was short-lived and i have since lost some visible muscle and gained back a bunch of body fat. i'm sure most people don't really notice and just look at me regardless and think, that guy is short and stocky, both back in early september and currently. but when i look in the mirror, i notice.

while i can only truly blame myself, there have been some external factors that have caused some admittedly avoidable roadblocks, but roadblocks nonetheless. i went on a trip where i ate a ton of bad food. i also joined a kickball league, which meant tons of drinking and eating out in the middle of the week. on top of that, i managed to severely injure my ankle, as i have done about 4 other times in my life, during the final kickball game. being an idiot, i kept on playing and as a result, could not put any pressure on it for the next 2 days, hopping around like lisa turtle during the dance competition.

this ankle injury has left me with another sad realization, in that 2 weeks later it is still not even close to being 100%. when i injured it in high school i was running around without issue 2 days later. this was definitely a good marker for aging and could be a seemingly insignificant moment i wistfully look back on 20 years from now as when i truly realized i was no longer a kid. i am already imagining this being one of those injuries oldies bitch about hurting just cause the weather changed...ugh.

anyways, the swelling has gone down and is still there, but much better. my range of motion is slooooooowly returning. i can walk without any sort of limp, but can't really even jog on it without a few sharp pains. overall, i would put the ankle at about 70%.

i am anxious to begin reversing the doughification that has been going on with my body the last 10 weeks and while i certainly need to get my diet back on track, getting back to the gym will help keep me motivated and just feeling better as a whole. so i am thinking tonight is the night. i should be fine with most exercises and will generally ease my way back into the swing of things, hoping to do about 70% of what i had been doing prior. i am most concered with squats and power cleans. i hope my ankle and foot are stable enough. i hope i don't reinjure it. i hope i don't get sloppy, turn it a weird way, get a sharp pain and collapse under the bar. i just have to put my ego aside and be cautious in my return to the gym.