Sometimes You Need Perserverence, Sometimes Rest
Sometimes it pays to take a break from lifting.
I mentioned a few days ago that I’d be taking a break because my elbow was sore. Well, my elbow and my wrist were both sore and I felt that taking a break would help it. Well, a few days later, I have to report that both are feeling much better. This is despite my setting up a practice golf net on my back deck and still playing softball on Tuesday (we won twice!).
One thing I have learned that is taking a break helps. I was always the type to try to power through adversity. If things hurt or were hard, that just meant I wasn’t working hard enough. If I kept fighting through, eventually it’ll get better and things will go back to normal or even improve. That’s the case for some things in your body, but it’s not for others.
When you are running and you hit that wall, you need to power through. That wall is when your body runs out of sugars and carbohydrates and starts consuming fat. That changeover is difficult but long distance runners overcome it and are able to push through. That’s where you need perseverance.
My elbow was sore because I strained it the wrong way. There was no powering through that and luckily I recognized it. I was disappointed that I couldn’t continue the 100 push up challenge but I think the break will do me good. I’ll start from the first week again, repeating it, and see what happens.
Another benefit of rest is that I really miss going to Body Pump. For the last few weeks it was becoming routine, almost boring (despite changing routines), but I’m looking forward to next week.
