Weekly blog

Sept 11

I love being outdoors. I think that's been the case most of my life. Many years ago that came to life by trading chores with my siblings; I'd take the outdoor projects if I could unload the ones inside. In fairness there are things I don't love "about" the outdoors.....gnats and mosquitoes, poison ivy and deer who think everything planted is for their consumption......but generally speaking, if given the choice, you can find me finding the fresh air. And so with the nearly perfect sunny skies and relative low humidity this past long (Labor Day) weekend, it was a great opportunity to get a bunch done.

Although my mind and soul were more than willing to get "out there" and log long days, my body, the third leg of the stool, was a little less ready as I was reminded when the alarm rang out on Tuesday morning. The hours of bending, twisting, lifting, lowering, carrying and crouching that the tasks of the day (critter-proofing the yard with a fence and planting some sapling trees) demanded had left me in the throes of recovery. Muscles that took a little time to get going (classic stiffness), a few cranky areas to remind me a few days doing something different would be wise (soreness/mild discomfort) and an energy level that snooze buttons were made for....all signs I had over-reached.

As a generally desk-bound human whose primary tool of the trade is a laptop, I am very well conditioned to sit at a desk and point, click, type and note. By the end of the day my brain is tired but my body feels fine. HOWEVER, as a person who is past the age when we naturally get stronger and more adaptable (sadly that age is around 30 years old after which we lose 3-8% per year), I am learning (and relearning at times) the lesson that expecting my body to just "go" and not yell at me later might be a poor assumption.

But here's the best part.....if we take the warning bells of stiffness and mild discomfort seriously, apply the right self-care tactics and nudge the body move through the RECOVER process....we can not only get through to the other side, but emerge stronger.

The basics

1. MOVE - day 1 was low intensity, high frequency - nothing too regimented, rather I just thought back to the "offending" movements I was doing over the weekend (lots of bending and stooping) and tried to counterbalance by nudging things in the opposite direction. This meant "standing tall" by gently pulling shoulders back backward, sticking chest through and tucking my chin to elongate my neck (I like the headrest on the car for this). On day 2 I avoided heavy loading exercises but opted for an easy run instead.

2. FUEL for recovery - I tried to eat especially clean (low process, low sugar, high fiber) and drink enough water ("straw" urine color) which helps provide the right nutrients without the inflammatory bump.

3. RECOVER with sleep - I couldn't get to bed early unfortunately (best option) but I was able to ramp down earlier than I normally do. This helped me to get the highest quality sleep possible.

The result?

By day 2 I was mostly back to normal.....and by day 3 I was feeling nearly recharged.....just in time, if the weather cooperates, to do it all over again this weekend :)

Maintaining health & fitness is complex, but definitely not impossible. A little push here and some pullback there and we can expect to stay stronger, longer.

Have a great weekend,

Mike E.