Making a Come Back...

It seems like in the last two months everyone has been beat up by something. People were coming down with all sorts of silly combination illnesses including flu-like symptoms, bronchitis, pink eye, strep throat etc. I myself was taken out of the work force for nearly 3 weeks due to a fever that turned into strep throat,  turned into dual earaches, turned into dual pink eyes. In addition to viral/bacterial infections it also seems alot of people were having surgeries or getting out of casts that kept them out of the fitness loop for months.

Going from 60 to zero and then being kept there for weeks or even months can mess with your head, not to mention your body. So what do you do? My first bit of advice is, "don't beat yourself up." It's easy to finish your first workout back and feel hopelessly weak and out of shape. It's easy to be mad at yourself for not feeling as fit as you once did, but lets face it, right now you aren't as fit as you once were. Yup, reality is a nasty little fish that bites you on the ass when you're skinny dipping.

You can't build a house on an imaginary foundation. Finding out how un-fit you now are is pretty crucial in knowing how to get started again. At our CrossFit we erase all of your 1-rep Max numbers and best times to wipe the slate clean and to give you a fresh start. You are now free to do work without feeling like you're working in the shadow of past achievements. You are free from feeling like your best effort isn't good enough until it matches what it said on the board.

Before you took a hiatus, you must have spoken with a new kid at least once. They said, "ugh, I feel so out of shape. I couldn't even do one thing in that workout as Rx." How did you respond to them? Now you're on the receiving end of that advice.You're the new kid, but with AWESOME form. One or one hundred scaled workouts doesn't make you hopeless, each one is just a point on a time line. More of a fit line. So plot your point and move on.

I didn't do a workout for almost three weeks. My first attempt at a workout and I did one round, 36 total reps in a CrossFit Open WOD, went home and took a 3 hour nap. The next workout back included a near-cry during and a 2 hour nap after. Only three weeks out of the gym and I still needed to slowly work my way back up to where I had been before.

Think again about that new kid. They didn't do any excercise before coming to your gym and now they're so excited they want to come every day even though they can barely roll out of bed in the morning. Did you tell them not to come in? To go away and not come back till Thursday? You remember hitting a WOD well 4 times a week, but now that's you! Getting back into it often requires easing back into it.

I like to remind myself that I got sick because I hadn't been listening to my body's needs. I pushed too hard for too long and got wolloped. But whether you were sick, injured, on vacation or otherwise removed from action, you can absolutely get back what you've lost. Don't concern yourself with where you were and how much you could lift. Focus on what you can do today. Ease back into your regimen and listen to your body when it says to back off. It will also tell you when you can floor it :-)

Yours in health!
Michelle