Rest

It was so great to sleep in this weekend. Sleep is hugely important to recovery. The body needs rest. I used to think "it's mind over matter," and it is a little bit, but there comes a point when metabolically and cellularly that the mind has no more influence. At that point, it's oxygen, water, nutrition, Kreb's cycle and a whole lot of other processes that take place to produce ATP and repair tissues. I have to allow those processes to take place without constantly asking my liver to kick out glycogen. There's "tired" and then there's "depleted." I can be depleted without being tired which is the most dangerous because I will continue to push myself while my cells and my metabolism go in to survival mode, meaning they shutdown and start storing fat. Workouts go flat and everything seems harder. Rest is good and an integral part of any training program. I don't know why I keep pushing and I don't give myself recovery time. It's hugely important.
Diet is going fine. Had some Justin's Chocolate Almond Butter yesterday which is a favorite indulgence. That and my morning coffee. Otherwise, I've been sticking to salads and protein best I can. Marek and the girls had ice cream but I think the dairy wreaks havoc on me so I declined. I keep a chocolate bar handy when I get a real hankering for something sweet. I only get a square though.
It's weird to have the studio closed this week. I did my 2 mile run this morning followed by power jumps, and my kicking routine of 25 kicks each of front kick, side kick, back kick, and roundhouse, with 5lb ankle weights. I got through Palgae 6 & 7 a couple times. We hung a set of rings in the garage and practiced our pull ups. I'm up to 3 sets of 8 (with a kip). I need to lose the kip though. This is a HUGE improvement over last year when I couldn't do one. My mastectomy side is still giving me some trouble strength-wise, but it's much better. The Push-ups are super difficult to do. Too much strain on my shoulder. I think the nerve damage from the surgery plays a big part in this. Everyday, it's a little stronger. It's always sore, so something must be getting stronger!
Stretched a long time today. Flexibility is average. The girls are helping by pushing my stretches. Hoping I can get close to the splits by September. Seems like there is soooo much to do in such a short time. Recovery is this week's goal though because when we get back, it's going to be intense.