Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Taking a Break

Do any of you ever feel like you need a break? Lately I've been feeling like I need a work-out hiatus. It's been about 3 weeks since I have exercised, probably the longest I have gone in years. I just felt like with every workout my body was begging me to stop. And if it wasn't my body begging me, it was my mind.

I did some research and found that most experts recommend taking blocks of time off to heal muscles, regain enthusiasm, and to avoid injury.

Medical News Today reads:

"...athletes should take time off from one sport for two to three months each year. Taking a break from a sport allows injuries to heal and the opportunity to work on strength training and conditioning to reduce the risk of future injuries. It also helps kids (read: adults) take a psychological break, which is necessary to avoid burnout, or over training syndrome.

Symptoms of burnout include chronic muscle or joint pain, personality changes, elevated resting heart rate, decreased sport performance, fatigue, lack of enthusiasm about practice or competition, or difficulty completing ordinary activities. It's imperative that youth athletes are educated about appropriate nutrition and fluids, and how to avoid hypothermia, hypothermia, over training, overuse injuries, and burnout."




My guideline with any hobby in life has been to not force myself, and to only do it when I truly want to. Because really, if you don't do it because you want to, then it's not a hobby anymore! I've been enjoying the extra hour of sleep in the morning, but I can tell I am getting ready to go back to training. And I love that feeling, because when I do, it will be because I love it and I want to be there. It's a great feeling!

10 comments:

  1. i agree. sometimes it really is important to take a break in order to get that passion back, especially if it is something that you do love and still WANT it to be a part of your life. same goes for anything, not just sports. my husband teaches fiddle, and when he notices kids going through similar feelings that you listed, he recommends they take a break for a couple months. they will more often than not, decide to pick it up again on their own.

    good for you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh my gosh. You could not have posted this at a better time. I have not run in about 3 weeks and even before that I wasn't running on a regular basis. We've started going to the gym, but I'm still not running yet. I keep feeling like I need to start again, but I just haven't wanted to. This post is just what I needed to remind myself that it's okay to take a break. I'm sure I'll start up again soon, but until then I'll just enjoy the gym. And I'd really like to start swimming again.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What great timing! I was thinking about taking a break before marathon training begins....but I'll tell you right now...I'm sooo nervous about taking a break! Mainly I'm nervous I'll lose all ability to run! Of course that won't happen...but that's my worst case scenario. Of course during a training schedule I want nothing more than a break...funny that when I get a chance to take a break...I'm nervous about it! Oh well!

    ReplyDelete
  4. amen, sista. i haven't done ANYTHING since my half two weeks ago and i'm a bit afraid to start again. molly and i were talking about it yesterday. so, i'm glad there are others like me. i'll get back to it...sometime...but for now i'm enjoying the physical and mental break.

    ReplyDelete
  5. i took the entire month of May off. I didn't really choose to do it - just got real sick at the beginning of the month and then had a real hard time starting up again. (see my "Diary of a Beginner" post on Marathon Mommies). It's been tough coming back for me but I'm past that now and feeling AMAZING! I have my first half marathon in July and am actually feeling really good about my "forced" break - i think it did me a lot of good - especially mentally. I say go for it!

    ReplyDelete
  6. i'm so embarrassed. In case you're wondering who "fatgirl" is, it's me. I was signed in accidentally under a really old screen name that was used for a family weight loss competition last summer. kind of funny actually but thought I would just give you a little explanation there.....

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lisa, that's pretty hilarious. I just thought you had an interesting self-image :)

    Glad to hear that everyone sees the value in taking a break. It can be scary and seem somewhat lazy, but what is more scary is what can happen when we overuse our bodies. And isn't summer a great time to take a break? :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. i struggle with this so much, as i am very much an on/off kinda girl. i feel lots of "guilt" when i'm not running. though, without doubt, there are HUGE benefits to taking a break.

    jona's read that in order for a runner to "take it to the next level" for a marathon is to STOP, and start all the way over at a faster speed.

    wise words kaylynn!

    ReplyDelete
  9. julia, that's interesting what jona read. i can totally feel that in my training right now. for my first marathon, it was all about covering the mileage, not time. then i took a pregnancy induced break, and when i started up again, i had a pace in mind, and goals, and have started running with those goals in mind, and it is amazing how well i've been doing and feeling. i'm still working up to my goal pace, but i know that i am already faster than i was last time around, and i just had a baby... crazy! well, i guess i had just had a baby last time too, but i think your body can acclimate to whatever speed you choose, doing it safely and responsibly too, of course!

    ReplyDelete
  10. that is AWESOME to hear morgan. my goal is very much to run faster, so it's good to hear that the theory actually works. :)

    ReplyDelete