I have found myself constantly thinking: ok this Monday I’m starting
over. Every Monday is a new beginning for me. Especially coming back from a vacation
or falling into a 3-5 day slump. But I have come to realize, we are always
building up and not needing to start over. Sometime your body need s long break
that does not mean you have lost all you have worked for. All you do in between
also counts just because it’s not “part of your training plan” doesn’t mean it
doesn’t count. Health & Fitness is a lifetime process. We are always
building up. I think the starting over
concept may apply if you have not been healthy for a long period of time. Even then
your body has a lot of muscle memory, it just need s to be exercised. Muscle memory is pretty remarkable. When you take a couple of weeks off, yes it might
take a week or two to get back into the swing of things, but after that initial
phase you fall right back where you were.
Not all activity is the same. We should constantly have
variety in our and fitness just like we preach in our diets. We all hit plateaus,
& muscle confusion is important to counter that. Rotating your workouts
& activity is necessary. Our body is a whole unit; you can’t improve only working
on one thing. We all know the runners that all they do is run, no upper body
strength, no flexibility and then when they can’t run for some reason they lose
it. If injury has taught me one thing, it’s BE CREATIVE! If you can’t run, try
swimming, yoga, lifting, walking, there is a benefit to everything. Mix it up.
I was looking at running shoes the other day and I like a
particular brand and style for the most part, but while I was doing a shoe fit
analysis the person helping me made a very good point. If this brand switches something
or your foot gets used to only one fit, you will adapt to it and if you ever
switch, you are more injury prone. So try to use a variety of light, heavy,
less & more support in your shoes and you will cover more bases and your
feet will easily adapt and get stronger. Light bulb went on, that is how our
bodies work!
Remember you are stronger than you think, just because you
took a break doesn’t mean you lost all you have been working for. Mix it up,
take a break and keep you head high, because YOU CAN ACHIEVE IT!
