Bringing Back The Rest Week - In Relentless Pursuit of Excellence

I was out of commission for 7 weeks and even still I'm not sitting exactly right yet at nearly 9 weeks post injury. Breaking my tailbone was quite the experience, but at the end of the day, it was SUCH a blessing! Well, the time off was, the broken bone part; not so much. ;) Back in, oh, 2003-2006 Beachbody and their celebrity trainers Tony Horton and Debbie Siebers used to promote "the rest week"; the week after completing a program to rest and reset the body so you dont burn out or get injured. You were encouraged to take a week off before even taking your AFTER photographs, and getting outside to put your fitness to use (bike riding, taking a walk, going for a hike, rock wall climbing). I dont know how or why, but somewhere along the lines we stopped talking about the rest week, and consequently people stopped taking them. People started feeling guilty about time off and of course, more people continued working out through injuries and possible injuries not wanting to miss a day for fear of I dont know what. I guess fear of going backwards, falling off program, being viewed as not really being committed - all things that have, I think, set us back as a community.And so.....I'm bringin' it back! :) I'm telling you, after 10 years of home fitness programs, participating in new workout series, running fit club, running a marathon & several half marathons, leading a test group, training people out of my home, and in their homes, appearing on QVC several times in a 24 hour period, month after month, year after year, it took its toll. Falling off my horse was a blessing thinly disguised to me. I needed the time off and I realized it quickly. It was a wake up call to say "BE STILL". :) And so I was. Oh at first I tried a few workouts with weights, but my tailbone, at the base of my core, would throb and ache and I couldnt sleep that night without prescription strength Advil. No, this rest time was going to be a FULL REST. (are you reading this thinking "oh I could NEVER do that!!"? if so, keep reading) I was going to listen to my body, listen to my doctor, and ignore the voice in my head (which sounds suspiciously like Tony Horton sometimes ;)) that told me I needed to find *some way* to work out and just HEAL.Because I was taking the time off my body was naturally less hungry, so I ate less, though still healthy. I enjoyed the foods of the holidays but didnt overdo, so my weight went down (loss of muscle) and maybe put on a little bit of body fat but not enough that it showed up in the way my clothes fit. I was injured on Nov. 15 so this was through all the holidays. I say this not to brag (shudder at the thought) but to show that IT CAN BE DONE. :) And without bitterness, or grumpiness. :) It was A NICE BREAK for my body and for my mind. I suddenly had an hour more a day, and I enjoyed books and movies and healing the slow, unrushed way. :) It was heavenly!And then......I was ready to move. I dont know what day, or what it was that suddenly clicked, but I was ready to move again. Looked forward to it, like a kid waiting for a birthday party or special event. I missed how I felt after a workout and how my body feels when I'm whooped post workout, and yes, even the sore. As the tailbone continued to heal and the anticipation grew, my first workout back at it approached. :) I opened my Private Challenge Group on Facebook (I invited other people into my comeback!) and the participants started commenting on the programs they were picking and how they were waiting for Day One. :) My people. My program. My plan. :) The perfect trifecta. :)I will go back to coaching my friends and teammates to take a week off at the close of one program and before starting another. :) I have found it to be the PERFECT way to maintain focus and commitment and love of "the game". :) When does YOUR rest week start? :)I'm back with a vengeance; well rested, and always.....In Relentless Pursuit of Excellence,TRACI :)