The first day of 2012 found me running
The first day of 2013 found me sitting
Both represented victories
My resolution for 2012 was to learn to move. My resolution for 2013 is to learn to say no. Therefore, I say no to myself and officially give up.
I give up on fighting with myself about overtraining
I give up on fighting with myself about running
I give up on fighting with myself about rest days
Done, over, finis.
As much as I want to run, to be a runner, just let it cut
loose and fly, the hamstrings say no, the knees say no, and even the low back
has decided to speak up for no. Okay you guys, I’m listening – can you please shut up?
I figure my heart is one vote and other body parts provide at least three votes – so the heart is overruled on this one. At least for now. Maybe in
the Spring after a long spell of two rests every week, we can readdress the
running, but for now, the answer is no.
After months of overtraining, I cut back from 12 – 14
workouts a week to around 9
After months of working day after day, I allowed myself a permanent rest day
After only a few weeks of one rest day, apparently I’m a
quicker learner so…
I’m building in a second rest day to allow my muscles to truly recover
To be honest, there is some anxiety about this decision, but
it is coupled with INTENSE relief that I finally trust myself to do this.
For the longest time I was afraid to not work out every day.
Afraid that one day off would turn into two, then three, and before long, I’d
wake up and years would have gone by and there I would be, back on the couch,
eating French fries. But my body
was tired, achy, and sore, much more than it should have been. After months of long spells of no
breaks, there was not a major joint that didn’t hurt, and it was time to face
facts – I was overworking my body, badly.
With much internal kicking and screaming, I took off Sundays, and
discovered that Mondays came with me eager to work out (and no French fries). Now, I’m going to take off Wednesdays –
nothing more strenuous than some gentle yoga – and see what happens. If history
repeats itself, I’m gonna bet I
come back roaring on Thursdays with energy and enthusiasm.
To reiterate an earlier post, trust, trust the process. It
will be okay. Promise.
Happy 2013
Just say no to excess (even with exercise).
Thoughts to take with me today: I think this is what yoga
looks like in real life, not executing pretty postures, but living the precepts
behind them - non-harmfulness, kindness, and contentment - especially to myself.
I'm always striving for balance myself: I'm so all-or-nothing/black-white/good-bad. When I was recovering from a back injury, I was doing an exercise using a pressure sensor to make sure that I wasn't overexerting the muscle. I could do the move very strongly, or not at all, but I had an awful time trying to learn to exert a gentle, steady pressure. I just remember the PT saying that it was much harder to keep it going consistently at a low, gentle rate than it was to just push as hard as you can in one big burst. Haven't thought of that in years, but it ties in well with your resolution. It's hard to let go of that stringent control and relax in the knowledge that 'not doing' can also be a form of doing!
ReplyDeleteAnother great insight as always - wishing you a healthy, happy 2013! So glad I am starting it with you as a friend!
Caroline you are a dear! And yes isn't it hard to not go 100%, all the time, hard as we can? it's easy to forget that the soft touch, the easy way, a gentle approach can be better.
ReplyDeletelove you sweetie!
I like your resolution "no". I may just borrow it as I'm sure it will stand me in good stead this year.
ReplyDeleteThanks - it's a hard lesson to learn, and sometimes the step back is the best thing to do
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