I am thinking about habits now

I injured a tendon in my right elbow about two weeks ago.

It's commonly known as Golfer's Elbow and affects my "pulling" movements in the gym. In college, I had experienced a mirrored injury called Tennis Elbow which affected my "pushing" movements.

I felt a twisted sense of déjà vu once I realized what the injury was!

Back then, I was able to fix my Tennis Elbow by doing physical therapy exercises using a rubber resistance bar. It's known as the Tyler Twist and strengthens the specific tendons that were causing me pain.

Naturally, I drew upon this knowledge and ordered another set of resistance bars to fix my Golfer's Elbow. I've now been doing an exercise called the Reverse Tyler Twist to patch myself up.

Because of this injury, I haven't gone to the gym in over a week. It's been interesting to see how quickly my routine has adapted to fill the void.

I used to go to the gym in the morning. I'd wake up at 6:45am, do my morning stretches and meditation, eat breakfast, then head out by 8:30am at the latest. I'd head to the office to drop off my stuff, hit the gym for 45 minutes, then be back at the office by 9:45am for daily standup.

Now, I wake up at 8:00am. I still do my morning stretches and meditation, but I skip making my own breakfast and opt to pick up a McDonald's Egg McMuffin alongside a protein shake I prepare the night before.

Within a week, this has become my new normal. And I dislike it! I can't wait for my elbow to heal so I can get back to my previous routine.

Without my morning gym session, I feel less disciplined. I know deep down that this is a temporary setback, but my frustration bubbles up nonetheless.

If my elbow were to never recover, would I continue my Egg McMuffin routine forever? I think I'd recalibrate and do morning runs instead.

But regardless, I recognize that good habits are hard to build and easy to break. At least for most people. I am not most people.

My elbow will heal. I will go back to my morning gym routine. I am that type of person.