My Week Off.

Operation Damage Control is in full swing and I've done exactly what I said. No workouts, no calorie restrictions. Just living as normal and rested as possible. It hasn't been a 100% rest week since I teach fitness classes, but I haven't actually devoted any time at all this week to focus on my fitness. And now we are Thursday, and I FEEL AWFUL. Besides exercising for my own fitness goals, I am starting to believe I need exercise to function. I had to miss work today because of an ear ache and horrible headache I woke up with. Since Monday (Day 2 of no exercise) I've been plagued by these headaches, which usually go away, but today's headache has persisted for the past 4 hours.

Is there such a thing as exercise withdrawal? I may be going through this right now, or maybe the flu. Whatever the case, on my journey to become a well balanced, fully restored, healthy body I will continue on with this week of rest.

vacation time.

It's been quite a while since I've done this. I needed a mental break, and a break from sharing my life with everyone. It was tough, I invited everyone in on this journey of mine and then I couldn't handle the attention. I found a note in my training journal from my best friend, it reads:

"People are watching us more closely this time. Some because they want to see how far we'll go, others because they hope we'll fail."

This note was written when I still thought I was going to do Nationals...probably one of the reasons I backed out of competing. The pressures of letting people down, not placing as high as I would like. I allowed stress and self doubt defeat me on that one. I'm passed it, Nationals wasn't my show. That's been established. Cant deny that the competition is a week away, and I'm a little sad I wont be competing as I look at the date marked in my day planner, on my closet wall, in my training journal. Not all is lost, there is always next year. 

So now I'm in off-season. This is when I get to recover and restore my body with everything I deprived it from. I'm learning there is a right way and a wrong way to do this, I of course did the "wrong way off season" and so now I'm in operation damage control. How does one begin this damage control??

Well with time off from the gym. How exciting, I get to stop working out and doing cardio for 2 full weeks. Honestly, Im not thrilled about this time off, but my body will appreciate it.

Why am I blogging about this? Well, first it was my therapy while I trained for my last show and even though I have no show, well, I still have a goal and so I'll blog. Second, blogging kind of holds me accountable to stick with my training routine. If I have an audience, I'm more likely to behave. And so, here we go again. 

OPERATION DAMAGE CONTROL BEGINS. Its kind of odd its beginning with me doing absolutely nothing, but, I gotta do what I gotta do. :)