We all have our own word for it, but we all need time to heal. But, by heal, I mean physically, mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually. The idea of healing physically and mentally might seem somewhat obvious – good. But, I am still going to talk about it. The idea of healing emotionally and spiritually might make some sense when you stop and think about it, but you might not have automatically associated it with your CrossFit experience, and I think that maybe you should.
Physically, this topic would cover bed time rest, post workout recovery, and injury recovery. They are all important and each of us will have a different need for each of those. It depends on the intensity of your workouts, how messed up your health is, your Food Plan (and if you are sticking to it), your mental state, your emotional status, and your spiritual strength.
When I say Rest, I mean sleep. I am talking about quality sleep. I have no idea how parents do this, I can only hope that you do get at least 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep on occasion. (Parents are pretty amazing peeps!) Most of us recognize the value of sleep. It is nice to feel well rested rather than feeling like you are hanging on by a thread until you get your next fit of sleep in just to have another crazy day. But, did you know that the lack of sleep can slow down your efforts to lose weight? Or that it can mess with your cortisol levels which are associated with stress and belly fat, and that the lack of quality sleep jacks your insulin around. Some people believe so strongly in the need for sleep, that they put it on the top of their list of how they take care of themselves. That is right, it is above workouts and high quality food.
Post Workout recovery is different for each of us too. Post WOD recovery includes tending to the muscles you just pummeled and some high quality replenishment. There is also some thinking about a Contrast Shower. I would love to hear your feedback on that if you have tried it. Effective Active Warm Ups prior to your WOD is actually the first step to your Post WOD Recovery. And, stretch it all out when you are done and still warmed up. And, you gotta drink oodles of water! And, not just on the workout days. All the time. If you keep well hydrated during your Rest Days, it is easier for your body to flush toxins out of your system. Seriously consider the fact that you work hard at your job and you get paid for it. Well, after a workout, your muscles would appreciate a paycheck or two also. They worked hard for you, give ‘em some love!
Then there is that other issue: Injury Recovery. I am pretty smart, and I can find some slick sites to point you to, but I aint no doctor. I am not here to push the Lawson Health Care Reform Bill. But, if you saw a doctor, follow the instructions you were given. If you do not like the directions, seek a second opinion. If you still don’t like them, you might want to consider where the problem really lies – patient or doctor??? With that said, there are some smarty pants out there who are bold enough to offer advice on managing injuries. I have read it, and it made some sense to me.
Mentally, this topic would cover the day to day frustrations that we all encounter, the snarky comment made by the boss that eats at you, problems at home, etc. While I am certainly not going to say that the need for mental recovery means you should skip a workout, I do think you need to make a decision. As you know, I had cancer in December. Prior to having the surgery, I would have been an uncontrollable basket case if I had not had the chance to workout some of my stresses. But, I went into each workout knowing that my mind was not in a good place so I was not going to be disappointed with lack luster performance. I just needed to keep moving. As much as I do think that was a good way to handle a tough situation, it also meant I did a lot less mental healing when I should have. I delayed the inevitable. I still had concerns that I needed to deal with, and just moving and sweating was not going to get that done. Again, I am not saying that a workout should be skipped when you have things on your mind, but I am saying that I don’t want you to kid yourself. Physical work will probably not be a good substitute for the work you need to do in your mind, but it just might be what you need to do to get through the concern that is on your mind. And, I hope that each of you have far more fun things on your mind anyway.
They say there are four very basic emotions: Glad, Sad, Bad, and Mad. Glad covers happiness. Sad covers regret, sadness, and loneliness. Bad covers things like guilt, fear, and anxiety. Mad covers anger and frustration. But, we all know, it is not that simple at all. Emotionally, things are a complex mixed up bag of who knows what from day to day and sometimes minute to minute. When our emotions are so strong that they are our primary motivator, we are not our selves. You need to take time to acknowledge the emotions, decipher where they are coming from, tend to the uglies, and embrace the warm and fuzzies. If you are an emotional mess, it is up to you to fix it. Lowe’s does not have the tools but there are tools out there that could help. I don’t want to go on about this too much, although I do think it is humongously important. If you need more information, post a comment (even anonymously) and I will expand on this.
Spiritually, we all get mired down. Whatever church you go to or philosophy is your religion, I venture to say that we all have a set of spiritual beliefs that keep us centered. But, things go awry and we all get off center for all sorts of reasons, many of which are outside of our own control. The thing is, when you loose that centered feeling that is such a core part of who you are, other pieces of your life will demonstrate less strength. Your emotional fortitude will suffer, your mental state will be less steady, and I bet your physical stamina will end up in the toilet at some point. Keep working out, but get your heart where you need it to be so that the rest of you can fall back in place too.
Sometimes we need to take time off. It sucks, hard. But, you have to. My month off to heal from surgery was not optional. I hated it. I missed you guys so much. It messed with my mind, a lot. Here is a post that helped me with the situation. I hope you never need a WOD sabbatical, but if you do, that post has some interesting insight.
So, put all of this together, and you get your much needed chance for your body, mind, and spirit to take a collective inhale and then sigh deeply.
∞ Go to bed early.
∞ Take a walk with a loved one, hold their hand, and smile the whole way. When done, give your strolling partner a hug. Wasn’t that nice?
∞ Go fly a kite. Feel the breeze in your face.
∞ Play some music and sing out loud. Dance if you are not driving, especially if you are not a good dancer. Thanks for being my cheap entertainment!
∞ Attend a church service or some synonymous event.
∞ Family Game Night – and it is ok if your kids beat you.
∞ Commit a random act of kindness. Often.
∞ Delegate, and I mean really let them do it. Appreciate the work they did.
∞ Ask for help. I promise, it is so worth it!
∞ Laugh with your pals, a lot.
∞ Arrive to things on time or early. Arriving late is stressful to you and the others who were waiting.
∞ Know of something to look forward to next week, next month and next year. If you don’t already know what those would be, figure it out.
∞ Make a decision, and stick with it. You have thought about it long enough.
∞ Plan time for yourself and then actually use it for yourself instead of others.
There, doesn’t that feel better?
Physically, this topic would cover bed time rest, post workout recovery, and injury recovery. They are all important and each of us will have a different need for each of those. It depends on the intensity of your workouts, how messed up your health is, your Food Plan (and if you are sticking to it), your mental state, your emotional status, and your spiritual strength.
When I say Rest, I mean sleep. I am talking about quality sleep. I have no idea how parents do this, I can only hope that you do get at least 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep on occasion. (Parents are pretty amazing peeps!) Most of us recognize the value of sleep. It is nice to feel well rested rather than feeling like you are hanging on by a thread until you get your next fit of sleep in just to have another crazy day. But, did you know that the lack of sleep can slow down your efforts to lose weight? Or that it can mess with your cortisol levels which are associated with stress and belly fat, and that the lack of quality sleep jacks your insulin around. Some people believe so strongly in the need for sleep, that they put it on the top of their list of how they take care of themselves. That is right, it is above workouts and high quality food.
Post Workout recovery is different for each of us too. Post WOD recovery includes tending to the muscles you just pummeled and some high quality replenishment. There is also some thinking about a Contrast Shower. I would love to hear your feedback on that if you have tried it. Effective Active Warm Ups prior to your WOD is actually the first step to your Post WOD Recovery. And, stretch it all out when you are done and still warmed up. And, you gotta drink oodles of water! And, not just on the workout days. All the time. If you keep well hydrated during your Rest Days, it is easier for your body to flush toxins out of your system. Seriously consider the fact that you work hard at your job and you get paid for it. Well, after a workout, your muscles would appreciate a paycheck or two also. They worked hard for you, give ‘em some love!
Then there is that other issue: Injury Recovery. I am pretty smart, and I can find some slick sites to point you to, but I aint no doctor. I am not here to push the Lawson Health Care Reform Bill. But, if you saw a doctor, follow the instructions you were given. If you do not like the directions, seek a second opinion. If you still don’t like them, you might want to consider where the problem really lies – patient or doctor??? With that said, there are some smarty pants out there who are bold enough to offer advice on managing injuries. I have read it, and it made some sense to me.
Mentally, this topic would cover the day to day frustrations that we all encounter, the snarky comment made by the boss that eats at you, problems at home, etc. While I am certainly not going to say that the need for mental recovery means you should skip a workout, I do think you need to make a decision. As you know, I had cancer in December. Prior to having the surgery, I would have been an uncontrollable basket case if I had not had the chance to workout some of my stresses. But, I went into each workout knowing that my mind was not in a good place so I was not going to be disappointed with lack luster performance. I just needed to keep moving. As much as I do think that was a good way to handle a tough situation, it also meant I did a lot less mental healing when I should have. I delayed the inevitable. I still had concerns that I needed to deal with, and just moving and sweating was not going to get that done. Again, I am not saying that a workout should be skipped when you have things on your mind, but I am saying that I don’t want you to kid yourself. Physical work will probably not be a good substitute for the work you need to do in your mind, but it just might be what you need to do to get through the concern that is on your mind. And, I hope that each of you have far more fun things on your mind anyway.
They say there are four very basic emotions: Glad, Sad, Bad, and Mad. Glad covers happiness. Sad covers regret, sadness, and loneliness. Bad covers things like guilt, fear, and anxiety. Mad covers anger and frustration. But, we all know, it is not that simple at all. Emotionally, things are a complex mixed up bag of who knows what from day to day and sometimes minute to minute. When our emotions are so strong that they are our primary motivator, we are not our selves. You need to take time to acknowledge the emotions, decipher where they are coming from, tend to the uglies, and embrace the warm and fuzzies. If you are an emotional mess, it is up to you to fix it. Lowe’s does not have the tools but there are tools out there that could help. I don’t want to go on about this too much, although I do think it is humongously important. If you need more information, post a comment (even anonymously) and I will expand on this.
Spiritually, we all get mired down. Whatever church you go to or philosophy is your religion, I venture to say that we all have a set of spiritual beliefs that keep us centered. But, things go awry and we all get off center for all sorts of reasons, many of which are outside of our own control. The thing is, when you loose that centered feeling that is such a core part of who you are, other pieces of your life will demonstrate less strength. Your emotional fortitude will suffer, your mental state will be less steady, and I bet your physical stamina will end up in the toilet at some point. Keep working out, but get your heart where you need it to be so that the rest of you can fall back in place too.
Sometimes we need to take time off. It sucks, hard. But, you have to. My month off to heal from surgery was not optional. I hated it. I missed you guys so much. It messed with my mind, a lot. Here is a post that helped me with the situation. I hope you never need a WOD sabbatical, but if you do, that post has some interesting insight.
So, put all of this together, and you get your much needed chance for your body, mind, and spirit to take a collective inhale and then sigh deeply.
∞ Go to bed early.
∞ Take a walk with a loved one, hold their hand, and smile the whole way. When done, give your strolling partner a hug. Wasn’t that nice?
∞ Go fly a kite. Feel the breeze in your face.
∞ Play some music and sing out loud. Dance if you are not driving, especially if you are not a good dancer. Thanks for being my cheap entertainment!
∞ Attend a church service or some synonymous event.
∞ Family Game Night – and it is ok if your kids beat you.
∞ Commit a random act of kindness. Often.
∞ Delegate, and I mean really let them do it. Appreciate the work they did.
∞ Ask for help. I promise, it is so worth it!
∞ Laugh with your pals, a lot.
∞ Arrive to things on time or early. Arriving late is stressful to you and the others who were waiting.
∞ Know of something to look forward to next week, next month and next year. If you don’t already know what those would be, figure it out.
∞ Make a decision, and stick with it. You have thought about it long enough.
∞ Plan time for yourself and then actually use it for yourself instead of others.
There, doesn’t that feel better?
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