You skate. You lift. You stretch. (I hope!) But are you skipping the most important part of your training?
If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I’m training for a marathon. Fortunately, I already incorporate cross-training into my life with yoga and skating, so at least I’ve got a good balance of activity and types of movement.
The tough part? I’m having to learn about the most important part of training: rest and recovery. Sound familiar?
Even though in theory I know that I need to rest, the reality has been setting in more and more as I increase my mileage. And in the derby world, I know that rest and recovery are two major aspects of training that are often ignored. I keep seeing challenges to do some activity every damn day, whether it’s yoga, skating, or strength training.
It’s awesome to work hard and kick ass. And it’s also awesome to not run your body into the ground.
One of my teachers started the instagram hashtag #yogaeverythirdday. I like that idea of not overdoing it, and I’d like to get you on board! Your muscles and your systems need some R&R; that’s when your muscles regenerate and get stronger.
I challenge you to take better care of yourself this next month and next year, whether it’s by incorporating different types of movement into your routine, making sure you stretch after every practice, getting a massage (just not right before a bout!), or incorporating some of my videos or a gentle yoga class into your training routine once every week or two.
It doesn’t need to be something every day, but y’all: it needs to be something.