Workout Warrior

Workout Warrior

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Recovery

Here are some of my eats from this week...just a few :) Lots of loads of veggies....
Almonds and Greek Yogurt
Smoked Salmon
Muscle Milk Oats...tried it for the first time this week and actually it was very filling...but not worth the four dollars for one container.
Apples, greek yogurt and frozen peanut flour!
This has been one HARD and ROUGH week. I want to say thank you for all the words of encouragement, you guys are wonderful! It is so hard for me to justify that I need to be eating more. For one thing I have cut down all my activity level by 90% this week. Monday I woke up dizzy and starving as well as Tuesday. Tuesday night I woke up in the middle of the night with throbbing quads and a racing heart. I know food is just not the factor here, and some of it is my body just recovering from the over impact I have put it through in the last few months...but I know that I do need to eat more.
Usually during the week I work out about 6 times per week eating around 2,000 cals. When I take my rest day I don't eat my pre/post workout meals which slashes about 500 cals from my daily intake. So Monday and Tuesday, my actual calories were about 1, 500 or a little more. In my mind, I think that is plenty enough considering that I am not working out...but in reality my body is trying to recover and needs all the nutrients it can get. So yesterday I added an extra large apple to my diet, some more nuts, as well as a bigger dinner. I hit about 1,700 cals. This was hard for me. This is eat more when I am working out less. It is hard for me to eat more during the week, while I still know this weekend we have a wedding to attend and there will be two days of lots of wine, cake and wedding food...and no gym............yes I am freaking out.
Going through this with my body is really waking me up and telling me that I need to make some changes in the way I eat and the way I train, which I last posted. I wish it were just that easy. To wake up and say okay I am going to eat 2,500 cals and not even care about it. To drive through Fast Food and eat what I want and not feel guilty about it. I know plenty of friends who eat as they please and don't workout, and I know for sure they don't balloon up over night. The only way I am going to recover from this is to eat well and deload on my training.
So far this week I have made it to the gym and just did 20-25 min of light walking at 3.9 speed with some stretches. My legs are rock hard once I am finished and I have a washed out feeling. During the day, the mornings are the worse. I am washed out, tired, and sore. By mid afternoon my body wakes up a little more and the washed out feeling goes away. Several weeks...I know I can get through this and it won't last forever.
I have been doing some research on over training and I found that when you over extend yourself for a period of time you over work your CNS (Central Nervous System). When you overwork your CNS you experience the following symptoms:
Lack of motivation
Poor Mood
Impaired Cognitive Ability
Fatigue
Hmmmm...all to familiar. So how do you recover, well by sleeping more, resting, and eating well. Which is exactly what I am doing. Each day is a new day, a chance to become stronger and to be thankful for the things that I do have and not think about what I can't do at the moment. I will get there, and when I do I will do things the right way and start to make healthy changes.

7 comments:

  1. just rest....I am actually not even kidding but I find doing meditation and or yoga helps me better listen to my body. Today on my workout schedule I am supposed to run 6.5k - 4miles, but my body wants to rest. So I will do it tomorrow instead. Having a plan and sticking to it is AWESOME! and obviously you don't want the reverse to happened and let yourself slide....but learning to listen to what your body is telling you is an art and I think it's one any skilled athlete knows how to do.......hence why I'm still learning ;) lol

    I need to add greek yogurt into my mix! YUM

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sometimes overtraining can lead to a racing heart in the middle of the night, maybe that's what you were feeling the other night?
    I've never had it happen to myself (I'm just not dedicated enough to overtrain), but I know a few friends who have had the issue when they're just working out too much and not fueling enough. Hope you feel better soon!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I can relate to this post 100% girl- fatigue, anxiety, dead/hard legs, just general physical blahhh-ness... even up to the number of calories you eat and how many days you workout! That is how I used to be (and am still battling to an extent...) and I am also trying to hit 2,500 calories now by working out less. Ugh this is so damn hard sometimes that I just want to scream.
    I wish I had something insightful to offer but right now all I can tell you is that I completely understand and am struggling, but also working hard with you!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow I don't count my calories..but you are making me think twice. I definitely want to make sure I am eating enough..but sometimes I guess you really just don't know. Like in your case. I worry if I start counting my calories, it will become an obsessive thing, so that's why I have never done it. I don't want to concentrate so much on something like that. But maybe I should start paying more attention. Good luck, hope things get better for you!

    ReplyDelete
  5. friend! wow! it sounds like you are going through a lot...you have such a great attitude though and are so strong so i know you can get through this. i just posted about this on dirt road anthem's blog...but i think sometimes i forget that i NEED food and that good calories are important...a healthier outlook on fitness has reminded me that food is fuel when used properly and without it i could not do the other things i enjoy. hope you recover quickly dear friend! i am thinking of you!

    ReplyDelete
  6. i can relate to this a lot...i think one really important thing to remember is that you are seeing yourself completely differently than everyone around you...one of my favorite "quotes"/pieces of advice i've heard...would you be friends with someone who talked to you the way you talk to yourself??
    Think about all your little girl students- and what a great role model you are for them- dont just talk the talk :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. This sounds like it would be just as hard for me as it is for you. It's so admirable to see that you are taking care of yourself, despite how wrong it feels. I know how good it feels to work out, but until the body is in balance you won't reap all the benefits of it anyway! It's so hard to grasp, and it's so hard to take control of it, but you are setting yourself up for a better future! Keep on truckin'!!

    ReplyDelete