Day 10: Exercise

By now, if you've read through in order, today's exercise routine probably seems predictable:  30 Day Shred Video and then running on the treadmill.  So rather than go through the same-old, same-old about the routine, I thought I'd share some thoughts on the process so far.

Sleep
First, sleep is important.  You need sleep so your body can process the fat you are working off, and do repairs.  If you were to research what our bodies do when we are sleeping, you would be amazed.  Don't short-change yourself - give your body the rest it needs.  If you are significantly upping the exercise you are used to, this is even more important  because your body isn't used to it and all this work is a bit of a shock.

We live in a Go! Go! Go! culture that in nearly every way is "fast food" mentality (and not just in terms of diet).  So just in case you don't believe me yet, consider this: marathon runners like Deena Kastor and Kara Goucher sleep twice a day - at night, and during the day after they've run a training regiment that would kill most of us.  They literally get up, train, sleep, train some more, go to sleep at night; repeat.  These are the people who do 'fitness' for a living.  They are the elite.

"Moral of the Story: You need good sleep"

What about the other end of the spectrum?  The super-NOT-in-shape?  The contestants on The Biggest Loser start out as about not in shape as you can get, which is part of why they are picked for the show.  The trainers have them sleep a lot when they are on the ranch as well. Why?  Your body needs it to process what it has to process when you're working it hard.

The moral of the story: get sleep.

Injuries and Stretching
Other thoughts: I have two areas that traditionally I've  had to overcome: shin splints and a lower back injury.  I know I'm not alone.  I don't have knee, ankle, shoulder, elbow or wrist injuries, but those are other common ailments that afflict people.  We can let those things be an excuse to not exercise, or we can overcome them.  Note: Be Safe!  Don't injure yourself further, but there are things you can likely do (depending on the nature and severity of the injury) to work through it.

In my case, I have to be militant about stretching.  This may deserve it's own post someday - especially since there are different schools of thought - but, I do want to cover it a bit here.

Because of my lower back injury, I tend to wake up a bit stiff.  The good news is that with regular exercise, I tend to build muscle support where I need it to strengthen my back.  The bad  news is that it is possible to push it too far - especially if I haven't properly warmed up and stretched before-hand.  So for me, I absolutely must stretch so I'm not stiff and don't hurt myself.

Shin splints may or may not be super common for runners.  I haven't take a poll, so I don't know.  But if this is something that affects you, there are some things you can do to help.  I wear compression sleeves, do calf lifts and stretches.

Compression sleeve 

Calf lifts

Note: You don't have to have any weight or a barbell in particular.  You can also stand feet just slightly wider than shoulder width, place your hands on a wall or a post for stability and lift.  You can also use stairs.  The important thing is to build strength in the calves.

Calf Stretches

For me, this stretch is important before and after I run.

Again, as before, we are not doctors, nurses, chiropractors, certified trainers or nutritionists.  We are simply sharing what's worked for us.  If you have injuries especially, consult with your physician.

Thanks for reading, and take care of yourself!