Anything to the extreme can be dangerous. Even something as that is healthy- like working out! Have you ever crossed over to the side of doing something healthy in an unhealthy way? It’s really hard to see when you are in the middle of it. There was a time that I was so dependent on my daily workout, that if I didn’t get it in, it caused me extreme stress and anxiety. Working out started to identify who I was. It’s so nice to now be on the other side of that way of being, and now having a healthy relationship with workouts. If you want to know a little about what I learned, just keep reading…
Why Rest Days are Important:
It was during a very strange period in my life. One of those times when everything in my life had completely changed, my world was flipped upside down. My first marriage came to a very abrupt end after 17 1/2 years. Never in a million years did I expect it- but life is funny like that.
During my time of healing and finding out who I was, I tried to be healthy in every way.
- Mentally by spending quality time with people I loved dearly – my kids, family and my friends, by seeking therapy, daily journaling, practicing self care.
- Physically by eating healthy, working out, learning how to get quality sleep, learning to love myself.
- Spiritually by learning to authentically pray, seek guidance, really listen to what God was asking of me.
For some reason, I just latched on to workouts. The way that I worked out and did not allow my body to rest and recover, ended up causing me a severe injury, then surgery and a long recovery. I now know why that was- Working out was the one thing that I had complete control over at a time I felt out of control, and it made me feel strong at a time I felt powerless. But during that time I was guilt-ridden if I had to miss a workout and I started obsessing about what the scale had to say. The thought of not working out in a day made me feel really panicky.
When I injured myself, I lived in denial about it for quite awhile, which only made it worse. I continued doing things that injured me further. If I would have taken the time to stop, rest and let it heal, I may not have needed surgery. All of those what if’s don’t really do us any good though – so I just accept that the experience I went through during that time was something that I needed in my life. From the time of the initial injury to my surgery was almost a year. I can tell you how nice it is to now, have a healthy relationship with working out, because it is something that I really enjoy and want to have in my life. But I don’t want it in charge of my life either.
After my surgery I had 6 weeks of doing mostly no activity, except during PT and that was pretty limited. I felt trapped, and I had some really dark times that I mostly hid from those people closest to me. I felt like a burden, and even though I knew it was temporary, it was overwhelming. There is something about the ability to take care of yourself getting taken away from you that humbles you like nothing else can. It was a wakeup call. I was careful and scared during that time of re-injuring myself. My surgery was for a hamstring repair, that reattached my hamstring to my pelvic bone. Because of the location, there is no sitting for 3 weeks, mostly non-weight bearing on crutches and you can’t bend your hip past 90 degrees for 6 weeks. Then it takes a couple of weeks to fully get off crutches, even after all that it was really slow getting back to my normal self. I remember the day that I was able to walk around the block for the first time.
This experience brought gratitude to my life in a whole new way. One that I would have never been able to experience without it. It was so nice to be able to workout again, but fear directed my workouts for a while. I self programmed workouts very selectively. It was something that I could only do for a while though and I knew I needed to change. My schedule these days does not allow for me to go to the gym. So working out at home is the only way for me to workout. There are a lot of apps, and Pinterest ideas that have great workouts, but I decided to try out this at-home workout program. It is so organized and put together, and I have been completely impressed with it, so much so that I decided to sign up to be a coach! There are programs for every fitness level. It integrates nutrition, provides tracking sheets, planning tools, recipes, on-line support, and so much more. It is challenging and it is making me step out of this scared bubble I put myself in after my surgery, but still in a very healthy way. I have gained back a lot of strength and flexibility in my hamstring and other muscles that had weakened drastically.
The biggest thing though, is working out is in balance with my life. I take complete rest days, without guilt. I am fueling my body properly and just really love how fitness complements my life now instead of controlling it. Finding Beach body has changed the way I work out. There are programs for anyone on any fitness level. If you are interested in trying out one of these awesome at-home workout programs (you can actually do it from ANYwhere), my coach id is 2037855 email me realliferealhome1@gmail.com, click here to follow me/contact me on Instagram and/or here to follow me on Facebook!! I am so passionate about how fitness, nutrition, self care, and loving your self all ties in together-so it makes me so happy to be able to help others on that journey. I feel like I have learned a lot in my 40 years on this planet and want to be able to share those lessons and be a guide for others.
Products that help with muscle recovery:
Thank you for stopping by~
Faith ♥
***Some of the links in my posts contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. I pinky promise I will always give my honest opinion of any product and would never recommend something if I did not use it and love it!!
****Any thing I talk about regarding fitness, comes from my own personal experience, please consult with a doctor or professional before starting an exercise routine!
