(Note:  today’s pictorial comes courtesy of my dog, Grace, who always embraces rest time and sometimes inspires me to do the same.)

Have you ever had one of those weeks that come out of nowhere and totally kick your perfect schedule in the butt?  That’s where I ended up last week.

My nicely-planned exercise routine and meal plan were derailed by uncontrollable elements.  My son’s nagging knee turned out to be a significant meniscus tear, requiring surgery.  It may be the most common surgery performed, but this mama bear was still uncomfortable watching him be prepped.  The hospital gown, IV, shower cap and “happy juice” all made me feel helpless.  OK … I admit, the happy juice was pretty entertaining.  Unfortunately, I’m afraid it doesn’t do much for the anti-drug campaign.  

The procedure went well and we were sent home with prescriptions for pain and taking it easy.

As for my reaction, it was almost as if my body absorbed my son’s need for rest.  Wednesday I sat: check-in, pre-op, waiting, surgery, post-op.  Lots and lots of time with my butt on a chair.  The poor nurse in post-op must have thought I was one anxious mama, pacing back and forth in the room.  The reality is my hip flexors were screaming!

Thursday I got a quick run in. I was greeted home by a very bored and lonely homebound child.  Mom guilt, anyone?  

Friday I chose to just enjoy the time with him.  I figured sitting outside discussing the very real challenges of middle school was a better investment than cramming in strength training.  Mom guilt redeemed.  Saturday is always an unscheduled exercise day, thank you track meets and basketball games.

My habit is moving most days. After several days of not moving, my body complains.  I feel any combination of sluggish, jittery or just plain irritable.  I won’t allow myself to get bent out of shape over an exception to the rule.

Sometimes we just have to accept unexpected days off as rest days.  Very rarely is it impactful on our overall goals and plans.  

What do we do when our perfectly planned meals and protected exercise are stolen?  How do we react?   Do we lash out at the person or event causing the change?  Are we passive-aggressive and make sure everyone knows we sacrificed our sacred workout for them?  Or do we get in a twit, as my family calls it, snapping at any anyone and everything for no reason?

I’m beginning to respect rest days more.  It just seems my body needs them.  To be honest, I’m not even working out as hard as I did five years ago.  Yet, I tend to need more recovery time.  Is it purely age?  Am I not refueling properly?  Should I take more vitamins?  Or just keep a hot pot of coffee ready? (Not really. Well, kind of … but mostly not really.)

A good friend of mine has been using a new personal trainer who prescribes a day of recovery after a hard workout day. Every time. The concept is to let your body unwind to avoid injury. Allow it to replenish with nutrients and recovery before you wind it back up again.  

I’m back in my routine, teaching my classes and ramping up to train for the 5K at the Skirt Sports 13er in June (“because thirteen miles isn’t half of anything”).  I’ll be increasing my intensity some over the next month, but will be sure to schedule in rest time as well.  Who knows, in my downtime, I might even be blessed with another deep conversation about life as a thirteen-year-old.

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Do you schedule in rest and recovery time?  What does that look like for you?

If this resonates and you’d like to hear from someone with more credentials than me, check out these two articles written by Jonathan Ross, who has won personal trainer presenter of the year by not one, but THREE, organizations.

Recovery
Nutrition Recovery