Back At It
August is an odd month, in my brain. I should be in a state of utter relaxation after a holiday and feeling pleasantly psyched about the new academic year that’s just about to kick off. This is how I would feel, I think, if I hadn’t let my diet and exercise regime slip/crash/disappear… but then – it was the holidays!
Okay, so I feel pretty sluggish just now – but there’s no mystery to be unravelled. Not a burpee was done, not a press up attempted, not a bearcrawl even thought about. There was, however, a memorable burrito, a fabulous king prawn pizza and more luxury mango yoghurt than I have ever eaten before. There were coffees and croissants and cakes at every turn…
But I am back at it. I hope you are too.
With any lull in exercise, there is, what I call “The Fear”. There’s the fear of breaking into a run and feeling all of a flubber. There’s the fear of overdoing the first session back and ending up with the DOMS. There’s the fear that, if you don’t start back now, you’ll have to start back later, and then it’ll all be worse. You have to get back to class. It’s the only way.
To ease back in to the In2theWild lifestyle, my strategy was to take it easy for the first couple of classes – focus on the fact that I was outside and having fun. I cunningly skipped doing gun drills / jump lunges on lazy legs; I have made that mistake before! It was nice just to be out in the park and seeing people, hearing holiday anecdotes and resolving together to train our way back.
If you’re reading this, you are probably aware of the 8-Week Fitness Consistency Challenge that is being run from 14th August. I have taken part in a couple of these focus programmes and have found them a great way to sort out my eating, vary my training and become more motivated because of the general camaraderie.
So, if you’re feeling sluggish and have The Fear, it’s definitely time to get back to the parks and enjoy the outdoors - and our gloriously varied Scottish weather and our excellent Scottish light. I will maybe see you there.
Sandra
Rouken Glen Member
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