The Sunday After

It's the Sunday after three weeks full of work challenges, it's the Sunday after it all finally gets back to normal!

Last night I slept. And today I slept in! And rested! Oh, how I needed a rest! I am actually glad I didn't try to push the workouts this last week. The crazy shifts at work, a staff member moving on to other opportunities, staff being away sick, and just so many events back-to-back meant that I wasn't getting the recovery time I needed, mentally, at the very least. I wasn't sleeping well, and was up early every day, and coming home spent!

I did six workouts this past week, all fitness classes, and all were great for maintenance, but even there, I was feeling a bit of lethargy. In Attack Kirsty wondered if I had run prior to class. I hadn't, I was just that low on energy.

It also didn't help that I wasn't on top of my diet. Nutrition, as we have established, plays such a critical role in my general well being and energy levels. This week started well, but fell to pieces as the week got more hectic. I ended up eating many super-sugary pre-packaged high-fat low-value meals this week. When I eat like this I feel hungry all the time, as none of this food satisfies in the long-term, so I ate a lot more than I needed too. Normally I don't pay attention to my weight and it holds relatively steady, but this week there was a noticeable weight gain.

Again, I found circumstances ruling, somehow I wasn't in charge of my own food once again (up too early, home too late, missed the shops, no time to prepare anything). This is a real problem for me, especially as I am now working my way through what might be food intolerances, or what might just be a symptom of over training. Either way, not eating right means I'm pretty sure to be feeling a bit ick in the tummy, which sure doesn't help!

So, although today could have been spent doing a few workouts (which I surely needed) I instead spent it doing a few things that I think were more in line with improving my energy levels. Doing things like laundry, mopping the floors (not done in three weeks!), and preparing a few big meals ahead have made me feel back in control while not trying to push myself today, when I'm still low.

I also took the time to review the priorities I set at the beginning of the month. Holding these priorities in mind really kept me on top of my training schedule and I always felt like I was moving forward and accomplishing the important things first! So, I have added a new first priority - me eating well!

1. Nutrition - continue striving to eat nutritious, balanced meals that keep me feeling energised, healthy and ready for each challenge.
2. Horse - min 4 sessions per week - he is an athlete and needs to be trained like one.
3. Run - min 3 sessions per week - running a minimum of three times per week is the only way to maintain my knee strength. Run my race distance consistently!
4. Cycle - min 3 sessions per week - This will be my weakest link and needs to be strong.  I will have to do 20km of hills in varying terrain after having done a previous 4ish hours of exercise!
5. Paddling - can get squeezed in anywhere and I will only need 2 or 3 sessions a week.
6. Rowing - I will use the rowing machine once a week as a tool to work on swimming fitness. The pool will be opened to a few people doing specialised training at the beginning of October. I will have almost a month to get this discipline up to par.

So, with a few bulk meals getting finished up, and my priorities reviewed, I feel ready to face the week and expect to see many successes! I hope to push out a few personal bests this week!

Have a great day, and keep well!