When I first got off the couch and as the saying goes decided that I needed to make a change, I went full force.  I joined a gym and almost immediately started with a Bootcamp class.   It wasn’t long afterwards that I signed up for my first Triathlon and then switched from Bootcamp to Crossfit.   So it was game on.   Training in one shape or form almost every day.   There is a satisfaction in completing an intense workout in knowing you pushed yourself to the limit.    I like that feeling.   I like it a lot.

I’ve also got to realize though that I am a woman in my mid 40’s who has  family to take care of.   I know part of the way that I take care of them is by doing the things that I need to do to take care of me.   If Mommy is happy, everyone can be happy:)   I need the release that I get fro an intense workout be it with Crossfit, running, biking, or Bikram Yoga.   That being said, I am SLOWLY starting to realize that all those articles that I read on giving your body Recovery Days really isn’t a waste.   To me a recovery day was a wasted day.    That isn’t true.  My brain knows it, but my brawn doesn’t.   I’m not sure how I got to the point where I started thinking that taking one day off from training makes me a couch potato.  The reality is that my body needs that day.

Every training plan I’ve looked at and every trainer I’ve had said the same thing.   You need to give your self more than one day off a week.   There was a time where I was pushing it everyday to the max – Crossfit 4 days a week, Bikrham Yoga 2 days, running here and there, swimming, and biking too.    The reality is that I loved that schedule.   Was it a practical schedule for a Stay at Home Mom with lots of other commitments?   No.    Was it good for my body to push it so hard?   Probably not.    I’m learning.   I don’t necessarily like it though.  I’m adjusting.

I think what has really helped me reign in my over training is summer.   The kids are home.   We’ve got things to do.   Fun things.   So I’ve had to readjust.   I’ve had to evaluate.   I’ve had to change.   I also think that now I have a training plan to follow.   I have a focus.  I will learn to respect the rest day because on the non-rest days I am pushing my body to the limit.   That is enough.