Lead a Fit and Healthy Life
Posts tagged rest
Rest Days are Important
04 months ago
by Stephy
in Uncategorized
It’s another rainy day in the DC metro area — we have had the craziest weather this year, sure makes you wonder.
I am taking an extra rest day this week. Last week during one of my workouts, I realized my body was more tired and sore than usual. I just need to give my body a break and take a day off this week. Let’s see how well it works.
Rest days are earned.
08 months ago
I took a rest day today. An athlete friend of mine has been talking to me about over-training. Now I won’t say that I am, but I appreciate that he has taken the time to remind me to be aware of it. He said something yesterday that rung very true — people who are totally hooked on CrossFit get ‘high’ on 2 main elements –the endorphins from the workout and the feeling of working out with the community. He’s completely right. I have always said one of the biggest reasons I love working out is I get to hang with fun and healthy people all the time. I get up super early to go play with a bunch of athletes on a playground.
I took a rest day because I am super tired and my arms are killing me. This has been quite an arm/shoulder intensive week at CrossFit. And also – 5x a week is a respectable amount of fitness in one’s life. I will be there tomorrow, bright and early for their free 10A workout, so if you want and are in the area – join me.
Fitting in Exercise
01 year ago
by Stephy
in Fitness/Exercise
Sometimes I think when I let myself actually rest -things catch up with me. Since Scott is away and I can’t go to boot camp — I have been sleeping in and hanging with the kids since I am on vacation. But it seems like I am more tired and man this soreness is worse than usual. I must have really pushed myself hard on Monday because I seriously am in pain! It hurts when I bend down to pick something up, when I go to lift something and just when I move my legs. I did some serious squats and power clean presses I guess! Who knew??!! I think that so often I operate at full speed handling my life that when I finally slow down — it all catches up with me so makes me wonder if it’s worth slowing down at all.
I want to get out today and do something in the realm of exercise so Nate and I are headed to the school where we will run on the track there. He wants to race me because he says he’s way faster than I am. He told me we both need a practice round so we can evaluate how fast we are — The running will hopefully loosen up my sore muscles. Just because my routine is changed, doesn’t mean it’s a free pass to goof off when it comes to being active and fit! You just need to get creative with what you can do!
Monday – I took a later boot camp, hired the babysitter for 1.5 hours and had my workout
Tuesday – I went to my basement and did the elliptical although not for as long as I would have liked because I was so sore
Wednesday – heading to the local school to run around the track with the kids
All of what I posted above are things we all can do to fit in exercise – when our routine changes! While not boot camp intensity, it still gets the job done!
Rest and Recovery Reflections
01 year ago
Sometimes I forget to stop and smell the roses – I am sure we all do. Today – I had some time to quiet my mind from all the stress that has been around me lately. I did stop and think about how lucky I am. In a million years I would never have thought my life would be the way it is — but here I am. I have a great family. a husband who is healthy and who, along with my 2 kids keep me laughing every day. I have some funny kids. In a lot of ways – I am living the dream and have so much to be thankful for.
I have had the pleasure of meeting great people, and having a few of them influence my life, finding perspective and humor in what could possibly be the most challenging thing I have ever had to face, and have found a passion for living. I have to remember these feelings of accomplishment when I begin to be hard on myself instead of being kind. My rest and recovery has not only helped by body recovery, I feel refresh and renewed with a sense of accomplishment and passion.
I mentally had a hard time grasping the idea of resting for 4 days straight – will I lose some headway I made physically, will I ever begin again, will I slip and fall off the wagon, will I let people down? — all thoughts that raced through my head but what I realized was that it has been good. The run I did yesterday felt good. My body wasn’t aching and feeling stretched past its limits. I was energized during the run – granted Kimmy was there for support and company – but I did more mileage than I have done in a very, very long time.
I realized that I do need to rest regularly – it’s tough getting up at 5a 4x a week, heading to a very demanding workout, then taking care of 2 kids and a house for school/cam — and then head to a full day of work where I am challenged in more ways than one — then homeward bound for family ‘work’ and time – it’s a lot of work running a household and all that entails. I can’t go for a year without a break – it’s not good for me mentally or physically. Resting to let your body recover is beneficial and it’s something I am going to do regularly. I am not superwoman afterall.
Here’s to Monday and back at boot camp…
Rest and Recovery
01 year ago
by Stephy
in Fitness/Exercise
Another rest day in motion. I can totally see how someone can get used to NOT getting up at the crack of dawn — I think this forced rest has done me good though. I am going to run tomorrow morning and have a running appointment with my pal – Kimmy – Saturday morning — so while rest is good – there is no chance of slipping into my old habits. It’s not me anymore –
One thing I have been thinking about is doing some yoga or stretching on a regular basis. Center myself and get some flexibility back. Maybe even try meditation – to help quiet my mind a bit. I am definitely in my head a lot when I work out.
What’s nice about the group of ladies I work out with – I have heard from many of them – just checking in on me and telling me they support my rest time. How great is that?
Day 1 – Forced Rest
01 year ago
by Stephy
in Fitness/Exercise
Dear Diary,
Today was day 1 of my forced rest period. It may not seem like a big deal but knowing that I missed my boot camp was a mental challenge for me. It was great to sleep in an extra hour or 2. My body is still feeling fatigue so while I know I am doing the right thing – I still need to believe it physically.
Here are some reminders about fitness and nutrition goals:
1. Establish a realistic goal: Think about what you want to achieve and why. Set a positive-minded, health-and-fitness-oriented goal that you know you can accomplish. Be specific and realistic.
2. Find a support system: Surround yourself with people who can help you achieve your weight-loss goal, whether that’s a formal support group, a class, one-on-one counseling or your friends and family.
3. Think positively: Resist destructive thinking and put your energy toward proactive steps that will take you to your goal. Stop thinking of yourself as fat, and start focusing on how fit you can become.
4. Use nutrition as an ally: Emphasize good nutrition and educate yourself about how nutrition enables your body to control cravings and regulate its weight through healthy metabolism. Remember that you need good nutrition in order to exercise effectively.
5. Find time for fitness: Keep in mind that fitness isn’t just about burning calories: It’s a fundamental component of a synergetic, effective weight-loss strategy and an active, healthy lifestyle.
6. Watch for positive change: But don’t get hung up on the scale. The first changes may be seen and felt elsewhere!
7. Get help when you need it: If you aren’t making progress, or if you’re feeling bogged down and confused, get some expert help!
Have no fear…
01 year ago
by Stephy
in Fitness/Exercise
No worries – I haven’t fallen off the wagon. Boot camp is off this week and I decided to take it easy with regards to training. I worked out on Tues with my boot camp crew with a guest trainer, ran on Weds, but have been feeling worn out and my throat has been sore so I took yesterday and today off – on purpose. I did set the alarm for o’dark thirty but when it went off – I said nope and turned it off. Part of me does worry – what if this is me heading down that slippery slope??? But, I know I will go running tomorrow morning and back to boot camp on Monday bright and early.
A Buy Week
01 year ago
by Stephy
in Fitness/Exercise
This is actually an off week from boot camp. I took Sunday and Monday off from working out. My body has not really been given a proper rest in my opinion so taking a few days off from dedicated exercising did me good. I am going to do more running/cardio this week than weight training to see how I respond.
The group of boot camp ladies are amazing. Even though our trainer is off this week – one of the campers offered to lead the group for anyone that wanted to come 2x this week. So this morning – I headed to an unofficial official boot camp:
Warmup
400 m run
Core x 2
crunches
bicycle (up and down)
Figure 8s (on your back)
push-ups partner high five double 30
15,12,9,6,3
25lb db push press
box jumps x2
400 m run
25lb kettlebell swings x2
SDHP
Ramblings
01 year ago
I decided to listen to some advice I got from multiple people and take a few days of real rest. That means no working out – lifting, running, – nothing! I think it will be good physically and mentally for me. My back is still hurting so I think it’s probably for the best.
BTW can you believe it’s May? Hard to believe April came and went. Mother’s Day is this weekend, so don’t forget to thank your Mom.
Remember the other day when I was talking about Kiwi and mentioned the special Kiwi spoon I had? Well I found the Kiwi company on Twitter the other day, tweeted them and they are now sending me a few spoons. How cool is that?
Also, here is another article on high fructose corn syrup, that I found interesting…
For High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Sweet Talk Gets Harder – NYTimes.com.
