No Exercise For 1 Week: Place Your Bets

So. It seems my body is falling apart, piece by piece. It started two weeks ago with a sprained lower back muscle, moved into bicipital tendonitis in my right shoulder, progressed to a rolled left ankle with accompanying shin pain, and has morphed into a bruised muscle on the opposite side of my back, side stitch, and muscle spasm in my left arm. 

To say the least, something isn't right. Today's 10-mile run cemented that fact when I was practically unable to bend over to pick up Gatorade at the water stop, had to keep my body in straight alignment with zero twisting so as not to cause back spasms, and still had such a strong sensation of a bruised rib that I almost quit the run halfway through. 

I may be thick, but I can take the hint.

I'm not happy about it, but I think what I need to do is take a week off to reset my body. I've taken a day off here and there--even 2 days in a row last week--but each time I go back to my exercise routine, something else "breaks." I think--and my good friend who has 20 years behind her as personal trainer agrees--I need a longer break. So (deep breath) I am going to try very, very hard this week not to exercise. 

All joking aside, it's going to be incredibly difficult. The week hasn't even started and I'm already planning ways to cheat. "I'll just do a quick little 24-minute dvd video here at home instead of my hour weightlifting class at the gym." "I'll do 3 slow easy miles, just to keep the legs alive." "I'll spend the week doing yoga." 

No. No. NO. You all need to hold me accountable. Kick me out of the gym if you see me, kidnap me in your car if you see me jogging on the streets. Bash me on Facebook if I post something about doing a sit-up. NO EXERCISE FOR 1 WEEK. 

The idea is to allow myself time to heal so I can get back to the exercise I enjoy. One week won't kill me. I won't lose all muscle tone. It won't be like starting over. Even if I gain a few pounds, they should come off easy enough when I pick the exercise back up in a week. 

Right? Right?? 

On the bright side, I am going to have SO much extra time on my hands. Close to 2 hours a day when you factor in workout time and driving/showering time associated with working out. I need to focus on work this week anyway, so it's an ideal match, all in alignment. 

Sigh. But that kettle ball sure looks tempting... ;)

Cheers,

Dena