Recovery

Last time I posted was February 7th. I was going to take a rest day the next day. I did not. I did, however, take a rest day the following day. I was smoked. I also decided to skip the judo class and relax. Thank goodness for rest days!


Even though I want to see results, I have come to the age where I understand my limitations. I'm not talking about simply being scared or too lazy to give it my all. I'm talking about reality. And the reality is, I'm middle aged. It never occurred to me that one day I would say, "I'm old, I have to rest," but now I am. For a while, that bothered me, like I was using my age as an excuse. Now I understand that my age has brought me just a small modicum of wisdom, and I am proud to announce my age and that I am freaking going to rest!!!


The saying, "Age is just a number" is synonymous to, "Money doesn't matter." Okay? Money doesn't matter unless you need it desperately to eat, bathe, sleep somewhere safe. Basic life necessities. So people who think that age is not a factor are either really young or delusional. 


I have a brother who is 50 years old and is uber-athletic. This guy has the body of a 25-year-old athlete. He can do anything physical well. But he is not typical. He has always been athletic. He has never been a big drinker, never smoked, and eats clean. Because he started taking care of himself at a young age, he can do what he does now at age 50. The answer is to START YOUNG. Start taking care of yourself when you are young. We are not indestructible and we don't last forever. 


I guess it goes back to the age and recovery thing. I want to stress that recovery and rest are great. Just because you push yourself to 100% every day does not mean you will see results. In order to see results you must allow the body and mind to recover. Even lifters and athletes don't always go all out in their training. Leaving it all at the gym simply means that you have nothing left for everything else in your life.


It is good to go to failure every once in a while. But every day?? If you drove your car like a race car everyday, how long do you think it would be before it broke down? Not long. The same goes with our bodies. Our bodies can be pushed, but they need rest, too. Over time, they break down. They become a little weaker. They need more maintenance. Some things lose elasticity and strength. We have to meet those needs in order to preserve our bodies and maintain our strength and flexibility.


I rest a lot more now. Sometimes it is active recovery, like a 1-mile jog (and I do mean a slow jog) instead of a workout. Sometimes, instead of working out, I hang out with my family and watch movies. It is okay to not work out all the time. My body will not forget how to do a dead lift. It will actually thank me for allowing it to simply be. Once I wrapped that concept around my brain, my ego let it be, too.

Sometimes We Say, "Uncle"

Lately I've been following Old Country Strong's CC, a strength cycle. It's tough but fun! Because of my schedule, I have been following it a little loosely, but I definitely see major value in it. 
In addition to their programming, I am still getting together with my friend to do workouts. She is my trainer/training partner, so we try to incorporate things into our workouts, including OCS' protocol. Yesterday we did one of OCS' workouts, entitled, "Slobberknocker." I have no idea what that means, but I did feel like whatever a slobberknocker might be afterward.
As I was sprawled out on the ground gasping for air after the workout, my friend leaned over me, her head surrounded by the sharp, ugly halo of fluorescent light, she asked me to pick two movements. Dazed by the workout and the vision of her standing over me, I mumbled, "Kettlebells and sit-ups." She nodded, and next thing you know, we were doing a Tabata. A Tabata. Sit-ups, dead lifts, Russian pumps, and kettlebell swings. Really?? 
Why didn't I tell her to screw off????? I don't know. Maybe I felt it would be a great challenge. Maybe I was too confused to say, no. Maybe she locked the doors and I had no choice.
But I did it. It was sloppy and ugly, but I did it, and my numbers were the same as if I had not done a workout already. I was pretty proud of myself.
This morning I went in for the workout, thinking tomorrow I will sleep in and not work out tomorrow. I worked out this morning. Nothing horrendous, and I didn't go balls out, but it was enough to say it was a workout. I guess I was wrong.
Brigitte looked at me and said, "So, you coming in tomorrow?" 
I immediately nodded and replied, "Sure!"
What???? What is wrong with me? I am always trying to tell people to rest, not go to failure. Wouldn't this much working out mean going to failure?
I am considering going to judo tonight because I haven't been in months. Then an OCS workout in the early morning?
When do I say, "Uncle"?
I will let you know after tomorrow.