Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Molly's 3 Ways to Recover Each Day

Stretch!  My hips and hamstrings are really tight, so I stretch these out every morning. It just takes 5 minutes. I do a quick figure 4 on both sides, a 30s pigeon on both sides, stretch out my quads, then stand up and just try to touch my toes. I have a pretty bad back injury, and if I stretch out every morning, I usually go pain free for the rest of the day! 

Water, Water, Water... I feel like any type of fitness list includes water, but there's a good reason for it. When I'm well hydrated, I feel really good, not sluggish. Shout out to Hydroflask for keeping my water cold all day! According to NASM, how much we actually need to drink is very individualized and depends on many factors. Generally, the recommended fluid intake for men is 125-130 oz/day (approx. 16 cups) and 91-95 oz/day (approx. 12 cups) for women. Fluids from all food and beverage sources count towards these amounts. Typically about 20% will come from foods (especially fruits and vegetables) and the other 80% from beverages.

Do Something You Enjoy... Recovery isn't just about recovering your body, but I think its also for your mind. If you go to work everyday, go to the gym, head home and make dinner before going to bed, you're going to burn out. Make sure you throw in something that you really, truly enjoy. For me, I love getting outside, even if its just a walk around the block after dinner or taking a book outside. 

Molly's Story:
My recovery story started in September of 2015. I was out training for my third marathon when I felt a slight twinge in my back. Thinking nothing of it, I finished my long run and went on with my day. The next day, I hopped on my bike, and could barely sit from the pain...but not knowing any better, I rode on my merry way. Later that day, I was doing a few box jumps, and stepping down from one, my foot hit the ground and the entire left side of my body lit up. I had never felt such pain before.

Thinking it would go away with a little bit of rest, I stayed away from the doctor and put my trust in heating pads and Advil. Fast forward a few days and the muscle spasms and pain had gotten worse. I finally caved, went to see my doctor, had a few tests run on me, and was told I had a bulging disc between my L4/L5 vertebrae. I went through the whole gamut of rest, PT and pain killers with nothing working. 

A few months later, I started teaching barre classes. I was doing barre almost every day, and slowly but surely, my pain started to fade. I was able to get off the pain meds and my sciatic pain almost completely disappeared. Amy, ENRGi's owner, had a similar injury, and we chatted about adding stretching into my daily routine, something that helped her.  A few months later, after daily stretching and strengthening my core through barre, I was able to head outside for a run (definitely thought my running days were over)! 

Throughout all of this, I've learned that recovery is a process. I used to go for long training runs and never stretch, leave classes before the cool downs were over, but I've learned what my body needs. Of course, there have been times when I've been feeling too good and I've re-injured myself (unfortunately jump lunges are not my friend), but I have a good grasp now on what I can and cannot do. As much as I would love to do a burpee or a box jump, I know those just aren't in the cards for me anymore...and I'm ok with that. To me, recovery is about learning to listen to my body, and it took me a while, but I think I finally understand what its saying.

If you'd like to contact Molly to inquire about her recovery journey, classes, and/or personal training, email info@enrgifitness.com and we will connect you. 
 


Member Spotlight - March 2017, Liz M.



Liz has been an ENRGi member since early 2016. Not only has she tried almost every class, but you can catch her working out morning, noon, and night. Need a class suggestion? Liz has you covered!

What motivates you to workout?
My full time gym buddy, Nikkie. You guys making this such a fun place to get tortured everyday. And all the pizza I eat.

What are your favorite classes at ENRGi?
Literally all of them. I started listing them and I realized I was listing all of them. This is a great place for someone with workout ADD. No class is boring and I really appreciate how much thought you guys put in making every workout exciting... and sometimes a little mean. Hayden made everyone do 27 burpees on my birthday when I lied and said I was 27.

How do you recover post workout?
Those early morning days I usually go to work and sleep under my desk. Don't tell my boss.

What is your guilty pleasure? 
I don't feel that guilty about it, but right now my husband and I have two TVs set up in our living-room so we can play simultaneous Zelda. 

What is your favorite quote?
"Are you gonna finish those fries?" -me