Monday, June 20, 2005

Monday's Off

I woke up today feeling like I was hit by a truck. Everything hurt. My neck was killing me. My shoulders tight as a drum. I pushed a little harder this past Sunday because I felt like I could. Eighteen lever pull-ups, Thirty switch grip pull-ups, two rounds of swing hand-stands and far too many (or not) plyo push-ups. It felt good (at the time) to dig down and go hard. The way I felt this morning reminded me of the way I felt every morning during football season in High School.

My good buddy (and yours) Traci Morrow and I had scheduled a workout on the Santa Monica stairs (a well known place to have your butt kicked) for 2:00 today, before we went to Beachbody for some Power90 Master Series work. When she showed up I informed her of my condition, and after a short discussion she went for a 4.2 mile run and I headed for the tailor & dry cleaner. My mind and neck pain convinced the rest of my body to take the day off.

Before, during and after my decision my noggin was filled with oodles of mind chatter. Disappointment about skipping the workout, guilt about letting Traci down, mad at myself for pushing too hard on Sunday and frustrated about a bad night of sleep. What could I have done differently that would have allowed me to show up for today's workout? The answer is nothing. Things change and that's okay. The best laid plans...

I want to believe that I'm Superman all the time, and the truth is, that sometime I need to be Lay Low Guy. Can Lay Low Guy and Superman live in the same bat cave? Only if Robin has a spare room. I digress. Burnout, injury and disappointment crash together when you don't know when to say when. If you don't listen to your body (I mean really listen) you'll get fried. I'm here to motivate you to rest and relax. The positive changes you're looking for also come on the days you leave your body alone.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey SuperBatman "Lay Low Guy"! You do need your rest. I thought Monday's was your day off? Well I am glad that you rested and got to come to chat. Keeping it real for us is the best thing you can do. I had a bit of a kink this morning on my shoulder thru sweat 3/4. I just adjusted and finished my workout. I did my best and that is what counts. You did your best and now you are rested and ready to bring it! Happy Tuesday!

Damon said...

I've gotta tell you... your timing on this topic is impecible Tony. I had to take most of last week off due to a pulled muscle in my back. I couldn't turn my torso without pain shooting through my spine.

I was feeling exactly the same way. I felt like I was letting myself down by missing my workouts. I still did some stuff, but its even hard to do pushups with your back hurting, so I finally had a "coming to Jesus" meeting with myself and decided that it would not be the end of the world if I missed them; but, I was and am determined to come out of it screamin'.

Long story, short... I started back yesterday. I was noticibly a little weaker and a little shaky, but I hammered through it and did my best... and forgot the rest.

Thanks for the inspiration and assurance. I'm having soo much fun with P90X I can't stop... :)

Regards,
Damon

http://blog.abruzere.com/

Anonymous said...

Just what I needed to hear, when I needed to hear it. I too think I am superwoman. Always have had this Miss Independent gotta do it myself streak! (so my mama says) I work myself to the point of exhaustion. Then I give up. I missed three days last week due to a sinus infection and have been beating myself up about it! Then I realized that life happens and we just need to go with the flow and listen to our bodies! My body is ready for power yoga tomorrow. It was ready for girlie push ups and dips today! But I needed those three days to get back to health!

Thanks Tony for a wonderful note! You are too funny...only if Robin has a spare room indeed!

G-Mama

Anonymous said...

I really needed to hear this. I missed my workout on Tuesday and slept a record 12 hours! I felt guilty at the time. Now that it's Thursday and I read your Blog, I know that I really needed that rest. I'm back in the swing of things and may even get my diet on track today. Summer is a struggle with kids, activities, and vacation. I just have to keep pressing PLAY and plodding along the best I can.

Thanks for the encouraging words!

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