Active Recovery and 'Swimming anyone'?

Since I have decided to make this week a 'recovery week', I figured to just do my TEAM Weight Loss workouts and otherwise do nothing else (until I leave for Space Camp on Thursday).

On Monday, I went to my cardio workout, even though my left thigh was still 'barking' at me. So I got there at 6AM and met up with my trainer who said, "I didn't expect to see you today." I said I figured that if I just brought my speed down on the treadmill, I could at least do all the upper body aspects of the routine. You know, that whole 'active recovery' thing. So she allowed it.

I set the treadmill to a slow 2.5mph speed and went through the 55 minute workout. I did NOT do any of the incline work though. As it turned out, it was good that I went. After about 10 minutes, my quad muscle and hamstring warmed up and relaxed a bit, and it felt good to be 'moving'. Later on that night, I spent some time with the good ole foam roller and by the time I went to bed, the leg was feeling much better. Not fully recovered, but better.

Swimming anyone?

On Tuesday, I decided to make a change (which might end up becoming a permanent addition to my workout regimen). My initial reason for the change was to find a way to add some 'Jacuzzi Time' to my schedule (I have been going to the club since January and I think I have enjoyed the jacuzzi spa maybe five times -- WTH?). So I figured it would be helpful for me AND my muscles for some pampering, right?

So I show up and get in the water. Ohhhhh was it heavenly! And hot -- just the way I like it! As I sat there with the jets beating my quad and hamstring into submission, I kept looking at the lap pool right in front of me, along with a timing clock ticking off the minutes. I felt a little "lazy" just sitting there. I thought, "What if I switch between relaxing and swimming?" Swimming is a good cardio workout; it uses different muscles than running; and it isn't "jarring" on the body and joints. And, the cold water will flush out my open pores too!

So I sat in the jacuzzi for 10 minutes, then got out and entered the lap pool (where 31 laps equals a mile in distance). I walked six laps and swam four laps. And that took 10 minutes. So back in the jacuzzi for 10 more minutes, and then another set of 10 laps in the pool.

Forty minutes passed and I was done! Twenty minutes of nice relaxing jacuzzi action, and twenty minutes of cold water pool laps. At the end, I felt very good indeed! The legs felt good, and I got a little bit of a workout to boot!

So I think I am going to figure out how to make this a regular cross-training activity in my week. Or, join one of the water cardio workout programs at the club (they meet at 8PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays). Either way, there will definitely be some jacuzzi time once the workout is done. Sweet!

Who knows? If I get my swimming endurance higher, that would bring me one step closer to considering a triathlon in the future. I am sure my trainer Meghan would love that! (I am not a big fan of biking at this point though).

LifeTime Fitness publishes my journey

My trainer once told me that I should share my journey towards better health and fitness. She said others might find inspiration and affirmation of their own struggles and goals, knowing that a couch potato like me could make progress. (Okay, she didn't use the term 'couch potato'. That is my term for myself)

There is something about shared experiences that people find meaningful. It is a way to show that you are not alone; that there are others who have similar life challenges. And we can support each other to make the choices necessary to change our lives -- and the lives of others -- for the better.

That is partly the reason for his Blog, and the reason I publish my own fitness and weight loss efforts on my FaceBook page. It keeps me accountable to my own goals, and allows me to share my successes and struggles with my friends and family. It makes it 'real' for me. And hopefully, it gives others hope and encouragement to make similar journeys.

So I decided to follow my trainer's suggestion and submit a short article to LifeTime about my journey for their consideration. This morning, I received notification that they published it! I got a similar notification from Polar USA (the maker of my sport watch). I am pretty excited about that!

If you want to take a gander at the LifeTime article, you can find it here. When the Polar article is released, I will post the link to it as well.