The Come Back Kid - Getting Out of That Fitness Slump

An online fit gal pal of mine recently confessed that during the summer, she had placed her healthy lifestyle goals on the back-burner due to her three school age children being out of school, summer family traveling plans and lots of out of town visitors; all while working a full-time job. She wanted to get back on track but felt overwhelmed at where to begin. The busy school year was about to start, the pounds had snuck up on her and she felt she did not have the energy or the inner drive to start all over again.   

Haven’t most of us been in her shoes in one way or another? You let one good habit go and  then another. Make one dietary compromise, then another and another. Miss one workout, then another and another; and so on and so on. You get the picture. Whether the hiatus is for a couple of weeks or several years, the mental affect can be the same. But take heart! You can get back on track because a setback is a setup for a comeback. 

Here are some steps that you can take to restart the process:

Think Forward

Don’t be so hard on yourself.  Realize that achieving your healthy lifestyle goals is a lifetime journey.  Don’t look at your time off as a failure but as the past and a part of the process that gets us from A to Z. Just as raising our children or committing to our partner, there are exhilarating highs but some heartbreaking lows that make us want to wave the white flag in defeat. But just as we do not give up on those most precious relationships in our lives, we should honor our relationship within enough to embrace our imperfect selves. So, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and love yourself enough to move forward.

Think Positive

Let’s momentarily ignore the fact that numerous scientific studies indicate that positive thoughts have actual health benefits such as a longer natural lifespan, a stronger immune system and slower aging.  When it comes to recommitting to a healthier lifestyle after taking the summer or even years off, believing that is not only possible but possible for YOU is more than half of the battle. Identify and write down what you want to accomplish and why it is important to you to do so.  Begin affirming throughout each day positive thoughts and statements regarding your goals and your ability to carry them out. End your day reflecting on your progress, regardless of how large or small the strides, and encourage yourself. These positive thoughts will lead to continued positive action, which will keep adding momentum to your comeback.

Think Techie

Make getting back in stride easier by using technology to fire up your healthy lifestyle revival. Not only is it smart, especially for working fit moms, but it’s more affordable than you think. Wearable technology by brands such as Garmin, Fitbit and Apple allow you to monitor your heart rate, mileage, GPS tracking and more. Connect to a huge health and fitness conscious community for recipe ideas, a variety of workouts and plain old inspiration. If you are not shy of such a vast audience to be accountable to, post your own efforts (successes and struggles) to keep you motivated. Sharing your journey online can also positively influence someone who has decided to bounce back themselves. There are also numerous fitness apps that can lead you through workouts and track nutritional information. In other words, no more excuses.

The bottom line is that any journey has hills, valleys, mountains and crossroads that can side track us from our destination. The important thing to remember is that despite the obstacles, we can regroup and come back even stronger and wiser than before.   

Hip Flexors - The Muscle Grouping You Can't Afford to Ignore

Let's face it, improving our appearance is one of the main reasons most of us commit to exercising.  The promise of six pack abs, sexy calves, triceps that don't wave goodbye when you do, and a Brazilian booty is so appealing that we tend to ignore the support system for our more popular muscles.  These overlooked areas are the joints, ligaments and the topic of this blog, the supportive hip flexor muscle grouping. 

I learned the hard way how improper care of the hip flexors can disrupt your overall health and fitness well being. As a youth, I was attracted to high intensity sports and workouts.  This attraction only intensified as I matured and began having children.  Since I did not have much knowledge about the science of fitness and exercise, I ignored basic fitness body care such as warming up, cooling down and stretching properly.  I was lucky enough not to have any serious fitness related injury until I strained my hips and lower back simply by making my bed.  Yes, sad to say, I was only flicking the top sheet in the air like I had done a thousand times when I felt a sharp pain shoot from my hip/groin area up to my lower back.  My body seized and refused to loosen.  As I stood there yelling for help, I could feel myself growing angry at this body I had proudly whipped into shape over the years.  I had been good to it, or so I thought.

After a visit to my physician, a prescription for muscle relaxers and several miserable days of bed rest, I determined I needed to learn how I got into this situation in order to prevent the possibility of a chronic condition. I  started my quest for knowledge at my local gym and the handy dandy world wide web.  This is what I learned:

What in the World is a Hip Flexor?

Hip flexors are muscles that make up the front of the hip, helping us to bend, lift our knees and kick.  Without proper maintenance they will tighten and shorten, making it harder to perform the above mentioned tasks.  Those of us who like running and those who are sedentary either by choice or because of their profession are more susceptible, which was also my case.  Tightened hip flexors affect proper form when working out, but most importantly, they can affect your ability to walk, bend, raise your legs and maintain good balance.  Ignored flexors can also result in chronic lower back pain and risk of hip flexor strain.  Take it if from me, neither of these are any fun, especially as we age.

My Mortal Enemy - Insomnia

I have somehow developed insomnia.  I did not realize it at first because it was gradual and quite frankly, impending sleepless nights was the furthest thing from my mind.  But it happened.  Bit by bit I was spending more time tossing, turning, sighing and staring endlessly at the ceiling of my bedroom.  This of course drove my husband with two jobs crazy, so I moved my theatrics to the living room couch.

During my time awake, when I wasn't putting abnormal wear and tear on my living room furniture, I reflected on why I couldn't connect with the deep abyss I called my "coma".  Was it the fact that I decided to leave the work force after 15 successful years in business management?  I left because of the stress and my life flashing before my eyes, so surely that wasn't the reason.  Maybe it was my diet change?  Did I have an anxiety I was refusing to acknowledge?  My husband has a thunderous snore which I adjusted to years ago and besides, now I was on the couch. Whatever it was, I knew something definitely had to be done since during the day I was no earthly good to anyone.  I could not remember the simplest things and half of the time I looked like I had been attacked by the neighborhood alley cat.   Not to mention I was beyond cranky and people in my inner circle avoided me like the plague.

A friend of mine suggested that I see a physician and perhaps get a referral to a mental health professional.  In my mind, I suggested that she get a referral to a mental health professional, but I knew that was the insomnia talking so I kept it to myself.  Upon seeing the physician, he immediately suggests a prescription for Trazadone, which is a controlled substance sleep aid. I thought it odd that the only thing I had to do was tell him I could not sleep.  No questions asked nor alternative solutions offered.  I was uneasy about taking anything narcotic, especially since my Mother died of an overdose of prescription medication that her physician wrote unnecessary refills for, which by the way subsequently changed my life. I began to see insomnia as my Darth Vadar, desiring to take my sanity, my family, my health, my vitality and my life.  So it had to go. 

Here are some steps I took to combat my mortal enemy.

Did my research

One day my oldest daughter got a blister on her lip and somehow diagnosed herself with a deadly cancer based on her findings on the world wide web.  Let's face it, we have a plethora of information at our fingertips and I am a heavy proponent of not self diagnosing, but in all things, moderation if the key.  I got basic information on the Internet that pointed me in the right direction.

Talked to a reputable physician

I never really had a physician I could call home because we could never afford the family medical coverage.  I asked around for a reputable one that dealt with over the age of 40 women's issues which is a whole other blog in itself.  As it turns out, I was premenopausal, hormonal and everything that comes with that!  I felt much better after this initial visit, despite the news, and walked out of her office with some solid instruction and a new lease on life.

Visited a mental health professional

This was the last thing I wanted to do but it was the first thing my physician told me to do. Instead of tearing up my lease on life, I did what the doctor ordered and found one.  As it turns out, I did have anxiety and unresolved issues from the past.  My mother's untimely death, my lack of traditional employment, some rather bad choices I've made and so on and so on.  But the one that really surprised me the most was anxiety over my soon to be empty nest.  I thought I would be throwing a luau when that my last child graduated, but apparently not so.  Never underestimate what your psyche tries to withhold from you because your sleep life will tell the tale. So because of all that, along with the premenopausal stuff, I conceded that I had some issues that needed to be dealt with.

Took up Yoga

I've always been athletic and love to work out to this day.  But I leaned toward that intense HIIT, Shaun T, drenching with sweat, can't speak but exhilarating workouts.  Since yoga was on my prescription list, I tried it and fell in love.  Don't get me wrong, I still hype up my workouts, but I don't know where I formed the impression that yoga was not athletic because it is tremendously so.  The most important aspect for me is that, done correctly, it involves breathing and mindfulness or meditation which is priceless to mental and physical well being.

Found a natural alternative

My bottle of Trazadone still sits in the medicine cabinet.  I don't know why, but it just does.  However, I chose to take Melatonin, which is the natural hormone your body secrets, helping you to maintain your wake cycle.  Basically enabling you sleep like normal humans should.  I found that normal for me was at least 6 hours per day.  Science says some folks balk at Melatonin because you can buy it at Walgreens without a prescription and it does not put most people in La La Land, but it works for me.

I embraced this stage of my life

After implementing these changes and some others, in my life, there are still some occasional nights I have difficulty sleeping.  Instead of wrestling with it, I get up and be thankful for life, everyone and everything I have. I meditate or read something insightful or pair my husband's and son's sock's.  I just embrace the moment as a time I was meant to be awake and like clockwork I eventually fall back asleep.....most times.  But regardless,  I am back in the arms of my snoring, strong husband and my couch may last another 2 years.  I bet my mortal enemy really thinks that sucks.