So I have to admit it, or re-admit it if you know me well, that I pretty much stink at taking things slowly.
Prime example A: Last Friday morning, I woke up, fainted, and proceeded to hit my face on our kitchen table. Awesome. Luckily, A. was literally just in the process of heading out the door and heard the crash and my ensuing swear. So Friday morning ended up being really fun. I hit my nose and mouth on the way down, so we immediately iced and dealt with the blood (from my nose). We found a local dentist and were able to get fit in before they officially opened and schedule an appointment with my doctor for later in the day. Things look okay, but I'm still sore and just have to keep an eye out for any color changes on a few of my front teeth. I made the mistake of going for a walk/run (mostly walking) after 10 a.m. on Thursday that was both too late and too long of a solo walk for me. I really tried to hydrated the rest of the day but then probably didn't eat enough sustenance for dinner as a result.
Lessons/rules from this experience?
1. Hydrate like crazy. I am already really hydrating a lot, but we had a few days last week that were particularly hot and I think they may have got the best of me.
2. Only go for fitness walks/runs early or late, as in first thing in the morning or in the evening. Hawaiian sun is genuinely brighter and more intense and can really do a number on you, especially if you are already sun sensitive. Exception to this rule is overcast/rainy days, when you can feel free to run/walk whenever.
3. Move slower, especially with transitions, from laying to sitting and sitting to standing. I move too quickly, no surprise. But my circulation and body movements don't always seems to be in harmony of speed, hence the fainting or more typically lightheaded/dizziness.
So while, I feel a sort of "sun-shame", wanting to take advantage of this beautiful environment and get out there and be active, I'm still working on tempering myself. We've decided that I'll start using one of the base gyms during the day, so I don't have to worry about the sun factor (and where I'm geographically located) during a walk. Also, I'm awkwardly but very consciously (or trying to) considering my movements because I have a tendency to bump into things anyways. And while I'm dying inside to whip around our apartment and get everything spiffied up, organized, and put away just the way I want it...it's not going to happen overnight. I have to respect my body and back off on those times when it tells me to do so. Because really, I'm not into making these Friday events a continued weekly occurrence, nor is my husband. I even went against my own wishes and have taken a few days off from my handstand challenge, so we could make sure that I didn't have any more fainting surprises over the weekend. All in all, taking it slow is just going to be something I need to continually remind myself about, check in with, and be honest in doing. It makes me no less of an athlete or yogini for doing so, just a more thoughtful one.
Prime example A: Last Friday morning, I woke up, fainted, and proceeded to hit my face on our kitchen table. Awesome. Luckily, A. was literally just in the process of heading out the door and heard the crash and my ensuing swear. So Friday morning ended up being really fun. I hit my nose and mouth on the way down, so we immediately iced and dealt with the blood (from my nose). We found a local dentist and were able to get fit in before they officially opened and schedule an appointment with my doctor for later in the day. Things look okay, but I'm still sore and just have to keep an eye out for any color changes on a few of my front teeth. I made the mistake of going for a walk/run (mostly walking) after 10 a.m. on Thursday that was both too late and too long of a solo walk for me. I really tried to hydrated the rest of the day but then probably didn't eat enough sustenance for dinner as a result.
Lessons/rules from this experience?
1. Hydrate like crazy. I am already really hydrating a lot, but we had a few days last week that were particularly hot and I think they may have got the best of me.
2. Only go for fitness walks/runs early or late, as in first thing in the morning or in the evening. Hawaiian sun is genuinely brighter and more intense and can really do a number on you, especially if you are already sun sensitive. Exception to this rule is overcast/rainy days, when you can feel free to run/walk whenever.
3. Move slower, especially with transitions, from laying to sitting and sitting to standing. I move too quickly, no surprise. But my circulation and body movements don't always seems to be in harmony of speed, hence the fainting or more typically lightheaded/dizziness.
So while, I feel a sort of "sun-shame", wanting to take advantage of this beautiful environment and get out there and be active, I'm still working on tempering myself. We've decided that I'll start using one of the base gyms during the day, so I don't have to worry about the sun factor (and where I'm geographically located) during a walk. Also, I'm awkwardly but very consciously (or trying to) considering my movements because I have a tendency to bump into things anyways. And while I'm dying inside to whip around our apartment and get everything spiffied up, organized, and put away just the way I want it...it's not going to happen overnight. I have to respect my body and back off on those times when it tells me to do so. Because really, I'm not into making these Friday events a continued weekly occurrence, nor is my husband. I even went against my own wishes and have taken a few days off from my handstand challenge, so we could make sure that I didn't have any more fainting surprises over the weekend. All in all, taking it slow is just going to be something I need to continually remind myself about, check in with, and be honest in doing. It makes me no less of an athlete or yogini for doing so, just a more thoughtful one.
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