Forced To Slow Down And Stretch
I have a bulging disc in my lower back. Most of the time it’s fine, but every once in a while it flares up. For some reason, my back decided to flare up yesterday as I was getting up from my desk at work after sitting for a while.
Maybe I was sitting weird for too long, or maybe my back simply tightened up after my morning workout and cold shower. Whatever the case, I will have to take a few days off from my more strenuous workouts to rest my back and to stretch it out. Usually, I can get back into the swing of things in a few days.
I’ve been on a pretty good streak of working out this year. Yesterday was the 84th day of the year, and I have managed to exercise 68 days so far. This means I’ve worked out nearly 81% of the days this year. If I keep this up, I’ll workout 295 days this year.
Sometimes our bodies are telling us to slow down.
The past week or so, I have been feeling particularly tired and worn out. Perhaps, you’ve sensed this in my recent blog posts.
- Stretching requires us to stop long enough to give our bodies a break. If we go too long at an unhealthy pace, we will wear ourselves out. We have to stop long enough to give ourselves the opportunity to experience repair and restoration.
- Stretching helps us recover from the work we’ve done so far, and it prepares us for the work waiting in front of us. It’s great to look back and see the fruits of our labor, and it’s great to look ahead with anticipation of working hard. We must take time in the in-between times to recover from the past and dream about the future.
- Stretching takes time. We live in a go-go-go society. We must learn to slow down and take time to take care of ourselves.
- Stretching is worth it. Stretching almost always produces better results in the end. If we could simply remember the benefits of stretching, we would embrace it with open arms.
I’m not sure what you have been up to lately. Maybe you are like me and you have kept a maddening pace this year. And maybe you still have big hopes for what you hope to see and do during the rest of the year. Don’t forget to slow down and stretch!