Days off and sleep...

So, the last few weeks, I've been destroying my sleep schedule on my days off. 

This has some upsides:  it feels like I'm off three days instead of two, and I can train more, and have more time for fun stuff too!  And I think I end up sleeping more hours--  sleep is starting to be pretty rough, because I've been training a liiiiittle too much and pretty much any way I try to sleep is painful (today, I needed two kinds of painkillers and IcyHot to sleep 3 straight hours--  then woke up in pain from sleeping awkwardly, in pain.  on taking  more painkillers, I got a couple more in late afternoon).  But then I have no sleep schedule going back Saturday night, and I have to completely readjust.  I don't mind the readjusting, but I can't afford to oversleep and miss training before work.  Training after working, when you do manual labor, is basically a no-go--  if I don't completely skip it i'll have a terrible workout anyways.

I'll probably let my sleep schedule stay destroyed this week, all week, so I can see my little sister as much as I can before she flies out next weekend, and hopefully fit in all my training. 

I did a LOT of foam rolling today; it took the edge off.
Things currently acutely painful:  my left achilles tendon, my left calf, the left side deep in my shoulder/neck area, my forearms and flexors.  My right knee's swelling is going down from running the 7 miles the other morning; my lower back thing is almost at 100%; rotational flexibility for my upper back isn't too bad.  The neck/shoulder thing is creeping me out, because when I do headrolls i can feel/hear something slightly grind, like I'm a goddamn zombie. 

More ibuprofen, and off to Subway then work...  at least it's an easy day, I have a coworker on Saturdays.

Relativity

Me before HIIT drills:  "Maybe I will double-up workouts today!!  Woo!  Let's go!  Woo!!"
Me after HIIT drills:  "...  or maybe I'll just stretch and work on handstands or something."


Every time.
That is all. 

Dear New Coworker, Plz don't quit. I'm tired of training people. Love, Stephanie.

I'm in a small department at work; we're allocated 1.5 stockers per day. We aren't budgeted for overtime, so I have to have a coworker for my days off (and so we can do other tasks on days when there are two of us).  Which means, basically, my new coworker got to throw trucks on his own the last two days, since we get trucks every day.  That's two weeks in--  pretty sharp learning curve. 

Things which make a stocker "good" at stocking in my department:

• Physical fitness- core strength, basic endurance, and agility. 
• Being detail oriented, basically to a OCD level.
• Flexibility-  adjusting on the fly to late trucks, big trucks, and daily shifts in product mix; able to prioritize well.
• Dexterity-  for the hundreds of tiny things on pushers and pegs.  (AKA, tenured stockers are better.  You don't get this any other way really.)
• Not being an asshole- because I hate dealing with little girls.

Things which I think my manager hires based on:

• Good work ethic
• Friendly, will not creep me out, good learner who takes instruction well.
• Someone who can lift the things we have to lift--  either a dude or a strong chick.
• Passing their drug test.

Yeah.

New guy has it rough.  He's obviously doing as well as a new person could, and staying upbeat and stuff.  But the fact is, developing dexterity and Learning Where Thousands Of Items Go takes awhile.  NO ONE could be at 100% speed in two weeks.

I hope he doesn't get scared off.  Mostly cuz then I'd be at 5 coworkers in a year.  And I LOVE meeting new people, but they should all be hired in grocery, so I don't have to train them.  They also should all be hot guys.  I'm just saying. 

subthreshold days...

I'm getting back into gymnastic work.  This is one of my favorite training methods, because it involves so many aspects of fitness:  balance, agility, momentum, core/upper/lower strength and power, and flexibility.  It's also unbelievably fun, and a great solo-training style.  In this post I'm just gonna run down my basic subthreshold-level workout mix.  It's very "on-the-fly," because I train in varied circumstances--  depletion, length, location (available equipment and surfacing) and which I feel like training vary day-to-day. 

There are three parts to this workout style:  prep/warmup, training, and postwork. 


The preparation and warmup is first.  I'll do the foam-roller and a few asanas to warm up.  I mostly focus on my back with the foam roller (because of my job- i lose rotational flexibility verrry rapidly from tightness if I don't do this a couple days a week).  Whatever is sore from my last few days, I'll focus on also--  if I did power work, it'll be IT bands; if I ran hills it'll be shins and calves; if I was doing sporty stuff or cross-training it's usually forearms and shoulders and tri's; regular running will have me focusing on glutes and calves.  If I feel like training at the park, I'll walk or jog there.  My stretching/warmup will vary between 15-40 minutes.  Sometimes I'll go up to an hour, but most of that time is foam-rolling, which is like massage for your body, great for recovery.  I do a minimal amount of static stretching at this point...  If I overdo static stretching, then I'll be overly sore the next day.  If I underdo static stretching, I won't be flexible enough to do anything in the second segment of the workout.  Throughout the "training" section of the workout, I'll take brief sections to restretch out my legs as needed.  I really like yoga poses like standing splits, triangle, and runner stretches through the workout as needed to loosen hamstrings.  You can't do any gymnastic work without leg flexibility, so gymnastic training is a good motivator not to blow off stretching. 

Next, I go into training for the day.  I always have goals I'm going for in mind--  longer and shorter term goals.  Right now, my short-term goal is one-handed handstands (for two seconds!  i'm not some hardcore person!) off powerstands or parallel bars, depending where I'm training.  My longer-term goal right now is to get consistent front walkovers with both legs able to lead.  (I have more longer term goals-  redeveloping back flexibility and tricep/shoulder/forearm strength, and specific stupid human tricks.)  Whatever the goals are at the time, though, I concentrate on basics.  I'll throw handstands, cartwheels, roundoffs, bridges, attempt kicking over and going into and out of bridges from standing, rolls out of falls, rolls from handstands and focus on center of gravity and momentum.  I do some off the floor, some off powerstands, sometimes I work off these bars at one of the parks near here (they have a great set, all different kinds), sometimes I work in the sand court at the other park near here, I use walls or chairs or trees to assist a lot, I vary the leading leg, etc etc.  I'm focusing on momentum and center of gravity in these; the second leg off the floor is your Source of Power in most gymnastic work, and I'm focusing on control of the momentum I get from that. Other things I might do will depend where I am-  if I have a narrow vertical bar, I'll try human flag stretching; if I'm at the park with the legit bars I'll practice vaults.  This will be between twenty minutes up to an hour and a half, depending how depleted I am at the time.  Once I'm completely warm, I'll throw a few walkovers or do vaults.  Once I start falling out of them excessively/uncontrollably or unable to vault with power, I'm done. I'll go back to a few basics to cool out and call it a day.

Postwork is mellow, I'll walk home.  Or take a break, then run later.  Or whatever. 

The Art of Letting Go

I headed out for my long workout for the week this morning around 5.  My days of the week are weird this week, so this is when I could do it without having to be in the sunlight.  My ipod's at 20% power, cuz I forgot to charge it.  And I'm going for (gradual, not steep!) hills.  It's not going so hot, I'm having to take more slowdowns than I had hoped for.  And THEN, in the last mile, my shoe's plastic backing finally had worn to the point of catching on my foot.  The last half mile, I took off my shoes and walked in sockfeet, like a champion who loves the feel of shoes on their hands on a breezy summer morning.   (Not barefoot, cuz there is glass.  And I only pick glass out of my feet ONCE before I learn.  Ok, well, four or five times.  The point is, I learned while ago.  Although I still forget from time to time.)

Basically, it didn't go exactly how I planned it.  In lots of ways.

Except that, you know, I went out and DID it, and gave it all I had.  So it's really just about a perfect workout. 

Onward! 

Fitness and having a life

One challenge in maintaining a fitness routine while working fulltime is still having a social life.

I'm sure you've seen it before--  had a friend start a fitness/diet program, and then you didn't see them for six months til they quit.  Why?  They no longer would go to happy hour, go downtown, or get breakfast with your crew.  And if you ask them why they quit, they'll tell you it's cuz they didn't like not having a life.  Others, the more persistent and dedicated, accept not having a life as a sacrifice for their health and fitness goals, and hardknuckle it for a really long time. 

Which is totally wack.  Both cases.  Wack.  I know there were times where I was doing fitness in place of a social life ("sorry babe, I can't go with you.  i need to go running, I only just lifted this morning."), and it's a difficult place to get out of--  because you see your goals get closer as you train more and more, and you get tunnel vision going. 

Thing is, most of us aren't professional athletes--  it's not like we have millions resting on some accomplishment.  So, fitness for us is about the journey, not the destination.  About making your life more fun and more upbeat and easier, add depth to your life.  Not cut relationships out.  Even when we are training for a specific event and it's something of a priority, it still should leave space for your friends and family. 

Maybe not in the same ways as before.  Maybe now you get one drink instead of drinking all night.  Maybe you get the 400-calorie-entree with grilled chicken at the Olive Garden, or just order coffee cuz you already ate.  Maybe now you just play pool now, and you don't go to the afterafterparty.  Maybe you get a training partner (which has never worked for me for long, but i DO have a friend I constantly talk to about training/nutrition/fitness).  Maybe you stay for volleyball for a couple hours, but you go home afterwards to rest so you can put in your miles in the morning.  Oh, hey, that's what I just did!  And my run is starting in about fifteen minutes, so I gotta ...  run....  now.  c:

Working 3rd shift manual labor and nutrition for physique.

Warning:  This is going to be really boring, unless you just are really interested in what Stephanie eats, and how she tries to eat healthyish working nights.  Which basically is an interesting topic for everyone!!  Anyways, here we go... 




"Fitness nutrition" is a broad category.  Clean eating, low carb, adequate protein, hydration, macro/micronutrient supplementation, macro balances...  It's complex even before you get to TEF and carb cycling.  Those of us who've done fitness for awhile figure out a way to eat that works for us.  Some athletes follow a daily diet, others have go-to foods, others fly by the seat of their pants.  After awhile, you learn the effects of certain style of eating upon performance, and naturally gravitate towards certain patterns that work for you.

For myself, I figured out what foods worked best before I did manual labor.  My staples were lean protein and fruit/vegetables at every meal, and a daily small amount of complex carbs and avocados/flax/olive oil.  I stayed away from dairy and wheat mostly, except the bread from Subway--  one of my favorite "cheat" foods has always been sandwiches. 

Working manual labor makes nutrition a new game.  Constant carb/calorie depletion, the nightshift atmosphere and lifestyle, and the difficulty of eating at work become new factors.

Carb and calorie needs are higher working manual labor.  The first hours breaking down the truck are the most intense, then stocking/blocking/clearing the floor are moderately intense.  If I'm lucky enough to have a coworker, there's "easy" work, like throwing candy.  The first few months working manual labor, I didn't adjust my diet much at all.  After all, I was eating pretty typically for fitness performance.  By the end of my shifts, I was often working slow from depletion.  My manager would often buy me and my coworkers sodas and sausage biscuits.  I preferred diet soda (actually i'd have preferred water or powerade zero's, but i was trying to be more Normal), and would usually eat the biscuit and not the sausage.  My coworker would get annoyed at me, saying that the sugar from Real Soda would give me energy and I'd burn it all anyways.  He was probably right, but at hour 7 of a 9 hour shift I wasn't comfortable eating straight sugar. 

The nightshift atmosphere and lifestyle is another factor, as well.  On our breaks, usually the fun people to talk to are outside.  Usually, they are smoking, drinking energy drinks or other forms of caffeine.  Nowhere, and I do mean NOWHERE, is open at night to buy food.  If I didn't bring something with me, I can't go anywhere except the 24-hour CVS or wendy's to pick up something.  My go-to "meals" at work for a long time were the bottled Isopure drinks--  40 g protein at 160 calories-- and zero-carb Monster drinks, which I'd buy when the store was closing.  This was "weird" of me, because most of nightcrew doesn't eat at work.  On my days off, I'm still running a nocturnal schedule, so the scenario isn't much different, except that my house usually is stocked with healthy foods.  The lifestyle's a little different on days off when you work nightshift, too.  If you go out to happy hour, you're having drinks for, essentially, breakfast.  If you go downtown, you're having drinks for lunch.  About half of socializing involves drinking, and anyone who does fitness finds ways to work around this while still having a life.  (Part of "still having a life" includes getting new friends who barely drink, and are fitnessy people.  Like, I might be going to trampoline-world tomorrow.  I have some LEGIT friends.)

Finally, there's the physical-exertion limitation.  Some people have iron stomachs, and can eat a burger and then go throw freight five minutes later.  I'm guessing these are the people who can eat anything under the sun while cycling or running endurance and have no gastric distress.  Others of us don't have this gift, and have to eat very slowly on our longer breaks, eat only liquid calories, or eat only before and after work. This makes timing meals a little more complicated.  I found I can eat a smallish meal on my 30-minute lunch, but that's pretty much it for solid food I can tolerate at work.  And anything I have to eat  before work has to be an hour beforehand for anything smallish, preferrably two hours beforehand. 

What works for me?  I eat before work once or twice, once again at work, and once again afterwards.  These are basically always smoothies (almondmilk, fruit, and whey), sandwiches from subway, or salad/veggie + protein + carb/fruit.  The calories end up way lower than expected with my activity level, but then every couple days I'll eat more carbs (in super healthy forms, like candy, tons of straight juice, or crackers...  I'm working on this) and it seems to balance out.  I still am working on getting calories in more consistently and on not spending painful amounts of money on food, which would be way easier if HEB would give me free pineapple.  I'm just saying.

Note To Self: Momentum in tumbling and tricking must go predominately FORWARD, not down.

Or I will end up on the floor.  I know this.  It is basic physics.

Training power moves, even for a very short period, when i'm depleted, is apparently a no-go.  I'll alter it next time. 

Final training score this morning...  Floor:  26.  Me:  2. 


Sidenote:  I quite enjoy throwing myself at the ground in all manners, so this was a really fun training session, if not terrible effective.