1. Cool down. Cooling down (not stopping completely) is crucial after exercise. Continuing to move around at a very low intensity for 5 to 10 minutes after a workout helps remove lactic acid from our muscles and may reduce muscle stiffness. If you have been running, slow it down, then walk for 5 minutes. Don’t do what I did the other day and run to your car immediately after your long run without appropriately cooling down (I was late to getting #6 to a practice and couldn’t stay for a cool down – I really felt the stiffness almost immediately and was sore for a good 24 hours). [Read more…]
Nine Ways to Recover Well After a Workout
September 14, 2011 by 1 Comment
To Exercise or To Sleep…That is the Question!
March 6, 2011 by Leave a Comment
To Exercise or to Sleep….that is the question!! We might as well face it: we can’t do it all. There are no “extra” hours in the day just waiting for us to use for sleep and exercise. I am often faced with the dilemma: sleep or workout? Now in my 40’s, I face this more than I did in my 20’s or 30’s, when it seemed “I could do it all”! I find that the answer has a lot to do with trying to keep balance in my life. We can usually sense when our bodies are sleep deprived. As a mother of nine, and with one child still under the age of two, I can honestly say that I have been sleep deprived for about 20 years! [Read more…]
A Power Nap is Pretty Powerful
March 3, 2011 by Leave a Comment
I can’t remember anything else on the list. Just #5.
It read, Take a cat nap everyday. At the time I thought it was a quaint and old-fashioned idea. But not a very practical one. Once my older kids weren’t napping anymore, I figured I had to give mine up as well. The list was given to me by a friend. It was 5 Things Busy Moms Need to do Everyday. Having forgotten the other four long ago, I now understand the wisdom in #5!
Whether our work is at home with kids, or out of the home, a daily cat nap is invaluable. I try to steal one at least three days a week! Ideally, I should be doing it everyday. I am totally amazed at the difference in how I feel after I close my eyes and really try to rest (in quiet) for 20 minutes. A power nap is like a free version of 5-Hour Energy.
Here are just a few of the rewards of a 10-20 minute cat nap: improved brain functioning, renewed energy, and looking and feeling better. Closing your eyes for a power nap is more difficult to do if your work is at an office, but it is not impossible. Sleeping is not the goal. Just closing your eyes and trying to relax for at least 10 to 15 minutes is all you have to do to reap the benefits of a power nap. There is nothing old-fashioned about that! I would argue, in fact, that we need a daily nap in today’s world more than ever before!
Follow Us