In my last post, I complained a bit about the pains I had incurred from over-training. Hip and knee pains, fatigue, hunger, etc. I then boldly stated that after taking a few days off, I felt ready to resume my usual exercise routine. However, the funny thing about that statement is... I completely failed to follow through on it. Schoolwork and laziness turned my quick therapeutic pause into a 10-day slothful binge. I'd like to blame this on homework and other commitments, but since I'm being perfectly honest--it was I, basking in the freedom of thoughtlessness, who did the most damage. When mid-winter break started, I told myself I would start training again, but instead my free time was put to use for frivolous activities. I spent most of my days in bed with my books, computer, and lots of junk food. I completely abandoned the diet and exercise to which I'd been committed for over a month. I "fell off the horse", in other words, and I didn't want to get back on.
Each day I would promise myself that I'd start exercising again, and that my unhealthy spree was at its end. But come midnight, I still hadn't followed through on my promise. I think that in some ways, this was just a burst of impulse and appetite. I haven't fully given in to cravings for a very long time. I can't remember the last time I used "I don't want to" as an excuse for shirking my duties. Nor can I recall a time that I was irresponsible without immediate consequences. It felt amazing to waste away my time and not care that I was being lazy, or to eat a huge slice of chocolate cake and not consider all the saturated fats and empty calories I was consuming. Sometimes, being a slob is a lot of fun, and if I could get away with it, I'm sure I would be a gluttonous couch-potato. But I can't get away with it, and this soon became very clear to me.
One of the nice things about exercising frequently is that you become accustomed to that nice "healthy heart feeling". Everything's all loose and strong...you're like a well-oiled machine--full of energy and finely tuned to your function. If you go through each day feeling like that, it's a pretty big shock when that feeling starts to go away. I am very glad that the tense, groggy sensation I acquired is not my status quo. To constantly feel like your body is weighted down, or like all your tendons are shrinking, is a life I could never live. It was for this reason that I decided it was time for me to "get back on the horse",
Taking a little vacation from a healthy lifestyle was enjoyable. I don't think I could stand a life without the occasional hiccup in my self-restraint. Who wants to live without things like naps or chocolate or random internet sites or books? I don't want my life to revolve around some routine that I created...spontaneity is just as important as ceremony. However, if deviations from a healthy regimen are a frequent part of my life, then I'm not really being spontaneous anymore--I'm just falling into a new routine that is less beneficial. I don't want to grow used to this sluggish sensation that accompanies mindless eating and sleeping, and I don't want to lose my sense of energy or discipline. So I'm returning to my usual diet and exercise, in hopes that I won't let myself fall even further from my goal.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
Day 30: New Training Routine
Yes, I know...I'm technically uploading this video on Day 36 instead of day 30. But I made this video for day 30 of this project, and I'm going to title it as a day 30 video. I'm in control of this blog, and I can title my posts however I want. So there! haha
Day 36: the consequences of too much exercise
So, if you look at my training calender, you'll notice that since Friday I've been intentionally missing training days. The explanation for this is simple: I pushed myself too hard last week, and started to notice the main symptoms of over-training. I had very tender muscles, my knee and hip were sore from hyper-extension, I had a very hard time going to sleep, my mood worsened, I had a loss in appetite, and minor headaches. I was ignoring these symptoms for a while, but on Thursday, after a bike ride home, I could barely walk from my knee pain, I felt grumpy and irritable, I didn't want to touch my lunch, and it took hours for me to drift into a restless sleep. The next day, when I awoke to a dull throbbing hip and soft stabbing pain in my head, I finally accepted that I was pushing myself too hard.
I'm generally the sort of person who sees weakness in giving in to pain, but even I had to admit that my body was trying to tell me something. I had heard too many stories about athletes who ignored these kinds of signs, and ended up permanently disabling themselves. I did not want to become a one-legged cyclist or ruin my muscle development. So I allowed myself a respite from exercise. This break was only supposed to be a couple of days of icing joints, catching up on sleep, and heat-packing muscles. But each morning, I awoke to further pain or problems, and I eventually ended up taking a whole four days off.
It's actually interesting how the repercussions of a strenuous lifestyle manifest themselves after you take a break. The first day of resting, all of the major muscles and joints on the left side of my body kept seizing up. I tried stretching them, but it was as though my body were saying to me "hey, you've been relying too heavily on your left side. When you start cycling again, you'd better focus on your equilibrium". On the second day of rest, I became ravenously hungry. I ate endlessly, leaving behind a trail of wrappers and crumbs everywhere I went. It felt amazing to not be living on fruits and vegetables. After consuming a hole block of tofu and some chicken-less nuggets (I'm a vegetarian, in case you didn't know), I realized that I was probably suffering from a protein-deficiency. On the third day of rest, I tried to do some strength training, but after two back-kicks, my right hip made an unhealthy popping noise, and I decided I should probably start stretching my muscles before I use them. Finally, today I felt the great fatigue of an over-worked body. I kept falling asleep, and eventually took a 5 hour-long nap. After waking, I drank about three bottles of water, reminding me that sleep and hydration are necessities which I should not neglect. At last, I feel fully rejuvenated and ready to resume my training routine.
I now have a better idea of what I should prioritize in my training routine. I need to use my muscles more evenly, stretch before exercising, drink plenty of water, fuel my body with a more protein-rich diet, fit in more time for sleeping, and put less of a strain on my joints. I'm also considering fewer hours of exercise per week, since many of these issues can be owed to insufficient time for taking proper care of myself. However, I don't want to jump to any conclusions, and will try my current training regimen for another week before finalizing my decision. This recovery time may have set me back a little in my preparations, but I would rather stall my improvement than permanently handicap myself. So I'm glad I took this short vacation from exercise, and I am eager to resume my usual routine.
I'm generally the sort of person who sees weakness in giving in to pain, but even I had to admit that my body was trying to tell me something. I had heard too many stories about athletes who ignored these kinds of signs, and ended up permanently disabling themselves. I did not want to become a one-legged cyclist or ruin my muscle development. So I allowed myself a respite from exercise. This break was only supposed to be a couple of days of icing joints, catching up on sleep, and heat-packing muscles. But each morning, I awoke to further pain or problems, and I eventually ended up taking a whole four days off.
It's actually interesting how the repercussions of a strenuous lifestyle manifest themselves after you take a break. The first day of resting, all of the major muscles and joints on the left side of my body kept seizing up. I tried stretching them, but it was as though my body were saying to me "hey, you've been relying too heavily on your left side. When you start cycling again, you'd better focus on your equilibrium". On the second day of rest, I became ravenously hungry. I ate endlessly, leaving behind a trail of wrappers and crumbs everywhere I went. It felt amazing to not be living on fruits and vegetables. After consuming a hole block of tofu and some chicken-less nuggets (I'm a vegetarian, in case you didn't know), I realized that I was probably suffering from a protein-deficiency. On the third day of rest, I tried to do some strength training, but after two back-kicks, my right hip made an unhealthy popping noise, and I decided I should probably start stretching my muscles before I use them. Finally, today I felt the great fatigue of an over-worked body. I kept falling asleep, and eventually took a 5 hour-long nap. After waking, I drank about three bottles of water, reminding me that sleep and hydration are necessities which I should not neglect. At last, I feel fully rejuvenated and ready to resume my training routine.
I now have a better idea of what I should prioritize in my training routine. I need to use my muscles more evenly, stretch before exercising, drink plenty of water, fuel my body with a more protein-rich diet, fit in more time for sleeping, and put less of a strain on my joints. I'm also considering fewer hours of exercise per week, since many of these issues can be owed to insufficient time for taking proper care of myself. However, I don't want to jump to any conclusions, and will try my current training regimen for another week before finalizing my decision. This recovery time may have set me back a little in my preparations, but I would rather stall my improvement than permanently handicap myself. So I'm glad I took this short vacation from exercise, and I am eager to resume my usual routine.
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