Day 13: Saturday
Yesterday we talked about the importance of repetition- which we are continuing with today. If you are in calendar B or C, you will be continuing to work on foam rolling. And if you are in Calendar A, you will be working on your first workout routine!
Today I want to talk about two things- first, I want to talk more about repetition and its role in flare-up recovery & prevention, and second, I want to talk for a minute about the workout videos themselves.
We touched on repetition a little bit yesterday, but I wanted to go a little deeper today. You see, when we exercise in a more traditional manner, we don’t always go through repetition as much as we should. And that’s because of this no pain no gain model of fitness. We often get it in our heads that we should be doing more, so we push our bodies harder than we should. And really all that does is put us in harms way. If we push too hard too quickly, our bodies stress levels shoot up. And we all know by now that this puts us at risk of a flare-up. Now, I recognize that it might not be the most satisfying thing to repeat exercises over and over again. But perhaps this is the challenge that you really need- to get your mind and body in alignment. For many people, this is the hardest part of Autoimmune Strong- to let your body lead instead of your mind. But this is the essential component of flare-up prevention and recovery. When we practice practice practice before pushing to the next level, we give our body that true time to adapt- so that when we do make the jump to the next level, we are ready, and it doesn’t create such a stressful, jarring jolt to the system.
Now- as far as the workouts go, I will say this. The workouts are meant to increase the challenge of the program. The workouts strong a bunch of exercises back to back, and they go at a slightly faster pace. Be mindful- if you feel you are not ready for this, there is no shame in that. Be real with yourself and make a choice that suits your body. Repeat days or weeks or take extra rest days if you feel that’s what your body needs. Autoimmune Strong is designed to be a self-paced program- so I encourage you to use it that way.
Practice Day Five: Stretch/Workout 1 (A) or Muscles (B/C)
Accountability: Tell me- is the calendar going too fast for you? Too slow? Just right? I want to know!