"The cyclone drives its powers from a calm center.
So does a person."
-Norman Vincent Peale
Today's "assignment" was aimed at recovery, which is fitting since I learned that my hips and glutes are all kinds of tight and generally out of whack. I'd like to think that my muscles are just so strong that it makes them inflexible, but in reality, I don't put in even half the time to properly stretch, roll, and recover from workouts, stress, or whatever else makes me tense.
Some of my techniques to aid in my recovery are:
- Take los perros for an easy relaxing walk everyday
- Take 10 minutes to stretch each night (especially my hammies & butt)
- Do the Mobility WOD of the day (this guy is great!)
- Turn off the electronics at least an hour before bedtime (I rarely get a good/full night's sleep)
If anyone has some suggestions, I am all ears. This isn't just about muscle recovery--it's about recovering my peace of mind and finding calm when life can seem so stressful. As anyone who knows me can testify, I tend to put a lot on my plate (figuratively and literally...damnit delicious carbs), and learning some techniques to find quite will be essential.
Hi Sara, nice post. Do you do any yoga? I love a good prayer to high cobra cycle, repeat 10 times. End with some down dog, great for the legs and glutes.
ReplyDeleteI'm a creature of routine and find great comfort in knowing what my schedule is each day. The night before I mentally prepare for the next day. It's comforting when I wake up in the morning. I feel kinda prepared for the day.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of turning off electronics before bed. I'm too often reliant on TV or "Angry Birds" to put me to sleep.
I lie awake too many nights stressing about the next day. If I prepared for it before bed then there would be nothing left to worry about! Thanks Jersey!
DeleteGreat post!!
ReplyDeleteI'm with Izak on the yoga -- it's so relaxing and refreshing, and it'll definitely loosen those hammies. If you you can't make it to a studio, this yoga chick, Dashama has some pretty cool vids on youtube. Here's her hamstring flexibility routine:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4knoPwh8AgU
Also, finding a really good book will help you get to bed early. I recommend The Hunger Games -- the series is so much better than TV.
Those are great suggestions! I bought some passes on Groupon for a few yoga studios around the Valley. I'm way overdue on cashing them in. In the meantime, I'll be googling some routines.
ReplyDeleteI never thought about YouTube for yoga!! Thanks Dani!! :)
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not Hammer, I'm shy when it comes to new things so I like to try it out before I do a class at the gym... :)
Yay!! I'm off to Google/YouTube yoga moves now....
I would never have believed you to be shy! If you find any great videos or links, let me know.
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