It’s OK to take a break
2019 was a difficult year for me as I dealt with multiple injuries and setbacks, one after the other. At times, I felt very overwhelmed and frustrated as I had so much planned, including my first half marathon. As the year is coming to a close, I have learned that I really couldn’t have planned or prevented these setbacks but I can chose to deal with them in a healthy way.
With not being able to run for more than two months, I had a lot of time to reflect and came up with a list of things I could do to show my body, mind and spirit some love.
Fresh air: A simple 20-minute walk outdoors can make you feel re-energized and clear your mind. I started taking daily walks on my lunch break, rain or shine, and notice a difference in my mood when I get back to the office and for the remainder of the day. If you track your steps walks can get you a long way to meeting your daily step goal. They’re also a great way to involve family, friends, or co-workers in daily movement and activity.
Stretching and yoga: Stretching and foam rolling have always been a part of my training but more so after a run or when I was sore. Even though my mother is a yoga instructor, until recently, I never really dabbled in it other than a few hot yoga classes here and there. The great thing about the internet is all the free resources you can find, including yoga videos! I tend to select 20-30 minute practice videos so I can easily fit movement into my da. My personal favourite is Yoga with Adriene on YouTube. She offers a variety of classes that range from 20 to 40 minutes.
Nutrition: Although I pay close attention to my nutrition and eat well balanced meals 90 per cent of the time, I realized nighttime snacking was contributing to extra bloating and overeating when I wasn’t really hungry. Being aware of what you are eating and how you feel when you eat certain things is so important. So if haven’t been feeling like yourself or are dealing with extra bloat, take a step back and re-evaluate your nutrition.
Getting back to it: Once I got the all clear from my health care professionals to get back to physical activity, more specifically running, I was excited yet terrified. I looked forward to working out and running but was scared to re-injure myself and to find out how much progress I really lost during my recovery.
It turns out that running is just like riding a bike, it can be daunting and scary at first but once you get into a groove everything just comes naturally. Although I am currently not running at my fastest pace, I am being patient with myself and using running intervals as needed to get through longer runs.
If you are dealing with an injury or just in a mental funk, remember it’s OK to take a break and step back.
I hope that these tips can help someone who is dealing with coming back from an injury or just feeling overwhelmed in general. Be kind to yourself.
