Sunday, December 25, 2011

Recover Like a Badass

This post is being brought to you during the most serious component of my training - what I like to call "recovering like a badass." 

True to my style, I am going to tell it like it is.  How you recover is THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE of Training.  If you eat like shit, your body will crumble.  If you do not sleep, your body will crumble.  If you do not rest, your body will tear apart.  If you do not recover like a badass, you will never fully actualize your potential.  You will likely have many friends who admire your addiction to exercise.  Congrats!  How is that working out for you?

Ten weeks ago I started "strength biased training that incorporates CrossFit programming" (hereafter referred to as Training),  Three weeks prior to setting foot in the gym, I transitioned to Paleolithic nutrition.  I came to believe that everyone who does CrossFit is serious about nutrition.  After a few of the most exhausting workouts of my life, I was convinced that there was no way that anybody could do this stuff without eating well and resting HARD.  Seriously, sometimes I am so annihilated that I can barely get into my pajamas.  I have fallen over.  It would be embarrassing if I had witnesses - one of the many reasons I am sure I would be an entertaining wife (sorry, off topic.) 

I train because I love doing crazy awesome stuff with my body, and I get off on the pain like S&M for fitness enthusiasts.  From gymnastics to weightlifting, every workout is a game for me, and I want to play all day, every day.  This may prove that I have a few screws loose upstairs, but my desire to beat my body to a bloody pulp does not equal "dedication to fitness."  It may seem contradictory, but the best time to get a glimpse of my dedication is when I am sitting on the couch working my way through a max effort cave girl dinner.  DO NOT DISTURB - TIRED GIRL BUSY GETTING STRONG.

It's resolution season, so lets take it there... Maybe you are TRYING to eat right, and you KNOW YOU SHOULD get more rest.  Overcompensation is a recurring theme is my writing (see the earlier post about gear.)  But -- if you aren't going to do the easy stuff then I can really only come to the conclusion that you are training to look cool or to slowly commit suicide.  

I have been surprised to realize how many people are working themselves over like assholes without taking proper care of their bodies.  THIS REFERS TO ANY TYPE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY.  It doesn't matter if you are a CrossFitter, a triathlete, a Spin class groupie, or a parent juggling kids and busy schedules.  If you want to improve your performance in whatever you are doing you need to...

1. EAT WELL
2. GET ENOUGH REST
3. TRAIN SMART

Don't waste time on a landscape artist if you decided to live in the fucking desert.  duhhhh.

Well, it's bedtime!  Hopefully, for you as well.
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About Sam

I am a writer in Omaha, Nebraska sharing my adventures in the foundations of healthy living - nutrition, being active, and being funny.

I was born in Kansas City in the sweltering summer of July, 1986. I was nearly born in the car because I was so pumped to get my life started. I have been bouncing off of the walls ever since. Growing up I hung out with the big kids who were even older than my sister (and best friend) Allie. I quickly developed an "I'm over it" 'tude toward kids my own age whose pastimes seemed juvenile - an interesting perspective coming from a preschooler. My snobbish worldview was hard earned however, as I was forced to learn both multiplication and division early to keep up when we played "school," and I was always forced to do dangerous stuff first to make sure it was okay, like eating unidentified berries and making the first run on super steep hills while sledding. We biked all day, ate wild honeysuckle, painted the house with mud, and collected cicada shells for no reason other than they stick to fabric and freaked my mom out.

I quickly realized that even little legs can get you as far as a car can, and as a young child, you really have nothing but time. My adventures were only restrained by the fact that adults do not find it acceptable for young children to explore the town on foot unaccompanied. I prematurely developed a desire to be an independent self-supporting person, so I opened a Kool-Aid/popcorn business to finance my big plans. Looking back, I would say that the only issues holding me back were my limited advertising budget and the fact that I was still too short to ride roller coasters. People just don't take you seriously when you can't go on the upside-down rides.

I was moved to Omaha in the second grade. I continued walking all over the place, exploring surrounding neighborhoods and visiting grocery stores to pick up my favorites: Goldfish, Sprite, and sugar cigarettes. I don't even think you can buy those anymore, and for the record, I never started smoking.

I never lost my hard work ethic, and I needed to increase my income to afford my new hobbies of beading and Polaroid photography. At the age of ten I mailed in a response to an advertisement for paper delivery routes without discussing the issue with my family. Sometimes you need to take matters into your own hands when people don't share you vision. The people at the Omaha World Herald must have had a good feeling about me becuase they contacted my parents to tell them that they wanted to hire me but would feel better if there was an older family member onboard. I still wonder if Allie holds any resentment toward me for pulling her into the labor force when she was only twelve.

In third grade, I followed Allie's lead and began taking dance classes at Mary Lorraine's Dance Center. For the next eleven years it became "what I did." Nowadays, I train more like an athlete, but I will always move like a dancer, and being in a studio will always feel like home.

After high school I relocated again (this time of my own volition) to study "everything" in the College of Business Administration at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. I acquired a degree in marketing and finance that I may use someday. More importantly, I became a close friend and Alpha Phi sister with a cross country runner who easily persuaded me to train for the 2005 Lincoln half-marathon. I have been running ever since. In April 2011 I developed plantar fasciitis after jumping into an intense 50-70 mile/week schedule. This is the first athletic injury in my life. Although it has been indescribably frustrating both physically and emotionally, the silver lining is my increased receptivity to more variety in fitness disciplines.

I enjoy Pilates, yoga, enjoy Zumba, plyometric interval training, running, walking, and seeing how quickly I can run up stairs without losing my lunch. When I am too exhausted to move, I read and write. I love fiction, non-fiction, cookbooks, poetry, philosophy, song lyrics, and comedy. I have been writing for as long as I can remember. I love spell check, and felt tip pens.

I am happy and optimistic most of the time. I enjoy living simply and deeply. I hope you enjoy what I have to share.







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