Sunday morning.
The clock read 7:00 AM. I swung
my legs out of bed having every intention to make today a productive one . I took one step and immediately felt my left
foot give out on me. I knew something
felt off when I got off the treadmill last night but like every other runner in
the world, I pushed the injury as far back into my mind as it could possibly go
and continued on with my night. I
stretched, I ate dinner, and slept a much needed eight hours before I realized
that this day might not be as good as I had hoped for.
Having a bum foot is one thing, but what really
bothered me were the thoughts that instantly started racing through my head. "How am I going to work out
today?" "How am I going to
continue adding miles if this is how I'm going to feel when I'm
finished?" "If I don't work
out today I'm going to lose every ability to reach my goals and be
happy." And so on...
I think these are natural thoughts for many people
who are active. Once it becomes a part
of your everyday life it's hard to go about your week without it. I sat there this morning with my coffee,
upset that I couldn't and wouldn't be able to do anything active today. And then the little light bulb in my head
went off...
Rather than focusing on what I can't do, I needed to focus on what I can
do. Just because I can't run or do much
walking right now does not mean that I can't swim, work my upper body, do core
work, or even some light yoga poses. As
a runner, I get so fixated on miles and speeds and distance per week and it's
just...gross. We should not have to live
our life praying for a treadmill run four times a week and even more than that,
we should not have to worry about an injury completely ruining our ability to
be happy. Active people sometimes suffer
from injuries and that is just part of life.
The only thing you can do is give your body time, rest, and the care it
needs so that you can do better next time.
Here are my tips to overcome exercise setbacks.
·
If you think you should see a doctor,
you're probably right. If you believe
you truly injured yourself and need a second opinion, go get it looked
it. There is nothing worse than not
knowing what the real problem is and it can affect your sleep, your mood, and
your stress levels if you go day after day just hoping it will go away.
·
Keep focusing on the things that you can
do. Like I said, I can't run or do
anything with impact, however, I need to think about what I'm still capable
of. Sunday afternoon I hobbled around my
entire house and cleaned and did 15 minutes of core work. Today I'm going to do an upper body circuit
and some stretching. There are so many
ways to get your heart rate slightly elevated!
·
Find fitness in your everyday life
----> as my mom would say, 'weekly
maintenance cleaning' is a wonderful saturday workout.
·
Focus on your diet. Amp up your fruit and veggie intake, skip the
second piece of candy, and avoid heavy meals that are hard to digest.
·
Allow yourself a break. If you are typically an active person, give
yourself a much needed time off. If you
think about it, a high school sport only lasts for a fall, winter, or spring
season. What do athletes do during their off season? After a week or two of rest, they begin training again. Everybody needs a small break
once in a while. It will make your
cherish fitness even more when you return.
I've burned myself out a few times before and it's a terrible feeling. My immune system was weak, my body was always
tired, and I was never in a good mood.
·
Focus on one other area of health. Since I can't do much exercise right now, I'm
trying to put my energy towards another area of healthy living, my mind! I went over to my parent's house last night
and grabbed a few books from my mom's bookshelf and spent the evening reading and
drinking three mugs of ice water before bed.
It felt good to just relax a little bit!
Happy Monday to you all. Have a beautiful week and always remember...
I'm a sucker for The Lion King and it makes me cry every single time I watch it. I'm such a sap.
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