 Get ready to take a barbell overhead today Workout recovery is a set of specific actions that aid the body, mind and spirit in recuperating from current training and prepares us for our next training session. However rest days are not the same as recovery days. A rest day is a day with intentional absence of effort, movement or exertion. One of the challenges many of us face is that our rest days often include practices that inhibit recovery, rather than aid it. One of these practices is the overconsumption of alcohol. I have always known that my performance in the gym suffers if I have 2 or more drinks the night before. Since I've been wearing my Whoop I now have actual data based on my body on how alcohol impacts my recovery. To get a sense of what happens to me when I have more than 2 drinks I listened to the WHOOP podcast. I learned some very, very powerful things. First - Dose make the poison and all it takes is ONE drink for our body to have a decrease in heart rate variability, an increase in resting heart rate, an increase in disturbances, less time spent in the restorative stages of sleep. WOW! One drink does all that. Imagine what 2 drinks will do! Here are some of the negative impacts I learned from the WHOOP podcast.
What are you doing to intentionally recovery this week? Share with me your recovery practices in the comments. Click on the link below to listen to the entire WHOOP podcast on alcohol. It's just over 30 minutes and totally worth your time.
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 Charlene encourages Sarah G. in the bench press. The never-ending, constantly mutating, highly contagious, Covid-19 pandemic, has created a collective mental challenge for us all. Collectively, we are experiencing grief, anxiety, boredom, anger, sadness, and uncertainty. Never before in our lives have ALL OF US gone through this together. Individually we may have overcome more challenging times. Together, we are experiencing a vast array of emotions.
Now, more than ever, we need to be open and honest about our mental health. While we are still supposed to be physically distance from each other; please, let's be sure we are not socially distant. Reach out to your friends, family, gym buddies and make sure they know you care. If you feel lonely, reach out to me. One of the things I absolutely know to be true is that working out improves my mental health. While I have personally been through more difficult times than the Covid-19 pandemic, (pretty sure nothing will ever top being in a war), I have had many down days during the past 2 years. Worry about the future of True Spirit CrossFit, uncertainty about what I would do if we had to close, and anxiety about how we will make it through this challenging time. These feelings and emotions feel like the weight of the world on my shoulders. Every time that I feel like I won't be able to surface out of the dark hole of despair I start moving my body. I literally start with an inchworm. Then I do another inchworm. After about 4 inchworms I feel my body start to respond to movement. Then I know I can do the WOD. Doing the workout of the day always, and I mean ALWAYS, brings me up. I have never, ever regretted doing a workout. I have only regretted when I don't. I hope you feel the same as I do. Working out, attending classes, being around like-minded people are things I rely upon to keep me happy and mentally healthy during these uncertain times.  Today's barbell burpees are facing the bar:) Monday I explored the appeal of a cleanse for a New-Year reset and suggested that you might be able to make yourself feel better if you just drink enough water. I know drinking water isn't as sexy as doing a cleanse. But, hey, I'm here to tell you the straight truth not try to sell you a nutrition system based on magic powders, pills, tinctures, and elixirs. We have an outstanding nutrition system just down the road, it's called Rocky Creek Farm. Hydration is an often overlooked health practice that has numerous benefits. Being adequately hydrated can make your skin look great, help reduce joint pain, reduce hunger, and a whole mess of other good things. Check out the image below, click on it if you like, to learn all the benefits of staying adequately hydrated.  Click on the image above to learn all the benefits of staying hydrated One of the reasons I suggest focusing on your hydration rather than wasting your money on a cleanse is because water does much of the functions most cleanses claim to do. Water has seven primary functions in our body:
Recommendations vary on how much to drink. I like the 1/3-1/2 ounces based on body weight recommendation because it's tailored to each individual. For example if you weight 140lbs aim for 42-70 ounces of liquid every day. If you weight 180 lbs aim for 54-90 ounces daily. If you want to lose weight aim on the higher side. The good thing is that you don't actually have to drink water to get the benefits of being hydrated. Contrary to popular belief unsweetened coffee and tea are not diuretic and actually contribute to your hydration. So does your post-WOD FitAid, Core Power, protein shake, and so do fruits and vegetables! If your preferred quaff contains carbohydrates, e.g. coconut water, beer, wine, scotch, the carbs impact your blood chemistry and don't have the same hydrating effect. It's ok to drink these beverages, but anything over 8 ounces doesn't count toward your overall hydration goal. So the next time you're tempted to buy into that cleanse system, check yourself and save some money. Focus on drinking 1/3-1/2 your body weight in ounces of water for 2 weeks and see if you feel better. My money is on the dihydrogen monoxide!  The deadlift. If you could only do one weightlifting movement for the rest of your life I advocate for the deadlift. The deadlift is simple: pick up something heavy. The deadlift is functional: pick up something heavy. The deadlift is fun: pick up something heavy! YAY! The deadlift gets its name from how the lift starts, from a dead stop. This distinguishes it from the clean, jerk or snatch which use dynamic movement and momentum to help lift the bar. There is nothing deadly or dangerous about the deadlift. The deadlift has a multitude of health benefits. It develops an incredibly strong core. It develops BONE DENSITY! Many of the women who train at our gym, including Meg who is pictured above deadlifting some heavy shit, have been warned about osteopenia or have even been diagnosed with osteoporosis. After training with us, all of the women who have been warned about bone density have reversed their condition. That's right! You can increase bone density, NO MATTER YOUR AGE, by deadlifting. Deadlifting doesn't have to be heavy to be effective. However, for most of us the deadlift is our strongest lift and we like lifting heavy shit. A great benchmark for anyone with less than a year of CrossFit training is a body weight deadlift. After that, a double bodyweight deadlift is a great goal to pursue. Deadlifting heavy, like we are doing today, drives a potent hormonal response. Tonight when you sleep your body will release human growth hormone (HGH) to help you recover. Human growth hormone will not only repair your muscles, it will also help you fight off illness. Immunity boosting and bone density increasing ? I'm ALL IN for deadlifting! I thought it would be fun to see the fittest women in the world left some very, very heavy weight at mere 15 minutes after running a grueling 7KM trail run at the 2017 CrossFit Games. Sometimes, we just need to watch something fun and motivating to get us psyched for a workout. I'm ready to lift heavy after watching this. Are you? Tell us in the comments! |
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