What Is Your Fitness Lacking?

Our topic this week is What is your fitness lacking? Over at Fitness Blog World!

I love these topics, they come in handy and also force me to look more into my own journey and help me improve my training.

Well this week is no different. My fitness is lacking lots! I mean in reality we all are lacking in one way or another, whether we are willing to admit it or not.

Since I began marathon training I began slacking on my stretching. Yes I know I am a runner and stretching is super important right? Well I just need to be earnest and say I just do not have patience, time, motivation to sit and stretch after all of my runs. I could sit here and make excuses, and believe you me there are plenty! But that is not the nature of myself. There really is no valid excuse just the need for me to sit down and force myself to stretch more.

I have muscle aches and pains, I have pelvis alignment issues, and knee problems. Stretching and my PT exercises that I learned back in May when I was having a  lot of problems are the solution to keep these things at bay. So actually making time and doing my stretches is what I need to do!

The other way my fitness is lacking is with REST!! I know I know the body needs rest. I do not love rest mentally, but physically it is a necessary evil. When you rest it gives your muscles time to regroup and regenerate. Ironically if you do not rest you will over train and destroy the muscles you think you are working so hard to build.

I run a lot. Well I am training for a marathon so I have no choice. Even when not training for a marathon I work out daily. I am addicted. I cannot help myself, you see when you are morbidly obese and on an antidepressant daily, then you replace that with exercise it is hard to take a rest day. Mentally it makes me nutso and I fear for people around me ;) Well ok so I am just a little bit cranky when I do not get to workout, BUT I need to work on that.

I need to realize that rest day is a good day and I can do other things to relieve stress that do not lead me to a binge of chocolate or fit of tears. Things like reading, blogging, and spending time with my lovely family. After all I need to take some rest here and there if I want to be able to win more of these ;)

 So what is the plan to make this happen?

1. Stretch! In fact I will not allow myself to have my recovery drink until I stretch. I love my recovery shakes so this will be the main motivator! I will make myself do my stretching exercises after my runs and take the time to thank my body for carrying me through the torture I put it through.

2. Rest days! I will take a rest day once a week no matter what. I have been better about this but I still have some weeks where I do not. I have a plan! On a rest day I will reward myself with a 30 minute epsom soak where I read a running magazine and just relax. It still gives me the 'me time' I get from working out and helps to take some stress away!

What is your fitness routine lacking?