DOMS got me like....

Gosh, it's been a rough couple of weeks! I got sick, then my daughter (who has a tree climbing obsession) fell out of a tree and had to get stitches in her leg. Then she got an infection. Then my oldest had her wisdom teeth out. I feel like all I've been doing is running to doctors and playing nurse. All while barely being able to move. And I'm seriously not kidding or exaggerating this one!

DOMS - delayed onset muscle soreness. Weight lifters know this term well.

Last week, I decided to pick up weight lifting again. It was once a passion of mine and I had great results with it. I feel like I am finally in a stable place in my marriage where it can be handled and my motivation is high, so I'm going for it.

When you lift after having not done so for a while, you get sore. Really, REALLY sore! And more often than not, it's worse the second day after. Just when you don't think it can't get any worse.....

I did a split this week that looked like this:
M: Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps
T: Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves, Abs
W: Chest, Back (and taught an hour long cardio class)
Th: supposed to be Quads and Calves but I had kids to tend to at home and don't think my legs could have done anything anyway!!

So I am intending on making up Quad day either Saturday or Sunday. Today I am still unbelievably sore, and it's not just one body part....it's ALL of them! AND, I am supposed to teach again tonight. Lord help me!!

I've been through this before. I know the drill. It's bad, really bad in the beginning. But you body gets used to it and soreness is less and less. You will still be sore but it won't be quite as debilitating. I can understand why people try weightlifting and don't stick with it. Who wants to be in this kind of pain (self inflicted) all the time?! Honestly, I don't know HOW I ever did this before without giving up. But I didn't. And I'm not about to now!!

I already feel better about myself. Even though I hurt. I feel smaller, I feel like I can SEE difference. And I know that is probably just in my head, but I don't care. It's about how you feel, and if I'm feeling good, it's working!

Because taking care of your body is NOT just about vanity! It's about a feeling of overall well being. Sure, I want to have a tight lean body, but what gets me through the day is health.

So, soreness. What can we do about it?

Well, there is ice. But I would have to be in a tub, my entire body under ice. And THAT is NOT going to happen. Next!

There is massage. Uh, when the dog's tail brushing up against my thigh sends me through the roof, pretty sure a massage will kill me. Next!

Aspirin, ibuprofen, etc. Tried it. Doesn't really help. Next!

Active rest is a good one. Mainly it consists of low impact aerobics. So a nice relaxing walk to keep the muscles loose. Even yoga/stretching can feel good on sore muscles. Even though it hurts to move and all you want to do is sit, that can actually cause it to be worse. So keep moving.

And finally, rest. It is going to take between 3-7 days to fully recover, depending on how badly you tore up your muscles. In my case....BAD. And although the soreness does tend to decrease over the weeks as you get stronger and your body acclimates itself to the new stress you are putting it through, if you want to continue to make progress and hit new personal lifting goals, you will need to pass that limit and you will be sore. Again and again. But it's a good pain. It reminds you that you did something good for your body. And even though you shredded your muscles in the gym, while you rest, they are rebuilding themselves even stronger than they were before. Which is how you are able to continue to increase your weights! It's a good thing.

Stay strong. Keep moving. You can do this!