Sorely needed...

When we get all enthused about working out, sometimes we end up… sore.  Here are some things to do to deal with the discomfort (if there is actual pain:  go to the doctor!).

1.     Take ibuprofen.  Unless it is not an all right drug for you.  It will help.  And don’t ignore the thing about taking it with food—we don’t want to trade one kind of discomfort for another.

2.     Use ice.  If there is swelling, ice will help it dissipate.

3.     Use heat.  Sometimes our muscles just want to be cozy.

4.     Take a bath with Epsom salts.  This is like heat, but better!

5.     Rest.  Rest days make us stronger in the long run.

Not the Enemy

Another way we get tired around now in our resolution journey has to do with food.  We’ve lost those first few pounds of mostly water.  We are heartily tired of celery.  We dream of pizza.  And we will cheerfully mug someone for their afternoon snack.

Usually, this is because we have been overly strict with ourselves.  We’ve tried to change every single aspect of our diets at the same time while severely limiting our calorie intake.  News flash:  food is not the enemy.  We all need to eat to live.

Early weight loss is almost always faster than the later weeks.  Some of this is enthusiasm, some is physiological.  We have to be patient.  And maybe we compromise with ourselves just a bit.

I’m not advocating for a return to fast food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a side of buttered popcorn.  What I am saying is that it might be all right to have that tablespoon of Parmesan on the whole grain spaghetti with marinara sauce.  We want to approximate our way to greatness, cutting the easy stuff first and taking time to let our tastes adjust.  Eventually, we may find that doughnuts no longer appeal because that much fat and sweet at once upsets our stomachs.

So let’s drink our water, eat our veggies, and make slow but sure progress.

Renew

Usually about this time in January, the resolution crowd is feeling tired.  That first spurt of energy has sputtered out and many of us are sore and cranky.  It might seem like too much trouble to get off the couch.

I have good news.  Or at least some good news.  The couch can be our friend.  Not one of us should be working out at full speed every single day for hours for the rest of our lives.  Most of us were already good at the resting part, so we focused on the moving part of life and forgot that rest is, in point of fact, useful and necessary.

No, I’m not saying that we should be binge-watching all 21 seasons of Midsommer Murders to recuperate from all the great new movement we’re incorporating into our lives.  But a rest day with a reasonable amount of couch time is definitely good for us.

And then we can go back to our workouts, renewed.

We can do this.