Rest Day hangover

[Rignold]

So, yesterday, quite spontaneously, I had a full rest day. Not as in an active rest day. Not as in, went for a long walk with the dog and played dodgeball with the kids in the park, even. A complete rest day. So much so that after making breakfast for the troops, I went back to bed and read a book (about myo-fascial release techniques - it was ony a rest from physical training) until 12.30! Then sat in the sunshine and watched the kids playing and rounded off the afternoon with another heavy reading session on the sofa of Dog and had an early night. I did not wear a single piece of activewear all day.

Woke up this morning feeling as if I had been out on an all-weekend bender. Aching everywhere, muscle, joint and bone. Dehydrated, chalk-mouthed, bleary eyed. head thumping, just wanted to pull the duvet back over my head and sleep.

had 400m runs with burpees and thrusters as warmup and I was hands on knees after each of the runs, barely had the strength to lift the empty bar even before putting weights on it and actually had to rush out and toss my cookies after the 3rd set of burpees. Every ached so much and my mobility was absolutely shocking.

Fortunately I had the support of my coach and fellow masochists, who gave me absolutely zero sympathy and merciless mickey-taking, and the restorative powers of endless sets of squats worked their magic and I feel much better now.

[misswobble Graduate]

You've made a rod for your own back now. No more lazy Sundays for you. Clearly they don't suit you.

[aligra Graduate]

"dehydrated, chalk-mouthed, bleary eyed ...." rings a distant bell. Have you checked for empty tequila bottles under the furniture? Just trying to help

[Rignold in reply to aligra]

Not for 81 days now.

[aligra Graduate in reply to Rignold]

Excellent. Well done!

[boptillyoudrop49 Graduate]

I don't think I could live your life, it reminds me of army recruit scenes in films. Wonder what knocked you out so much - just having a day off? Are you coming down with something?

[JaySeeSkinny Graduate]

Oh well that's alright then, you were obviously being lazy on Sunday and have been suitably punished. The body is a strange thing - but I'm not surprised you feel like that sometimes, the things you put yourself through!

[Irishprincess Graduate]

Your poor body. There it was just looking for a rest and look what you did to it 😤

[LisaRose74]

It's like if I decide to have a takeaway now since starting with healthy eating, just can't hack it. Feel dreadful the day after so just don't bother now (apart from the KFC Friday - minor blip). Who knew our bodies could become so sensitive!

[Rignold]

I forgot to say. I even ate a piece of toast! Approx 35g of processed carbohydrate!

It was delicious though, and a bit of a leptin spike once a week is a good thing. Have wrestled my macros back on track today though. Hello ketones.

[boptillyoudrop49 Graduate in reply to Rignold]

Could have been the toast. I had some rye crispbreads the other day - intestines went beserk, gas, headaches, very tired. Body just hates wheat now but I still occasionally feel like having some.

[poppypug Graduate]

Do you not ever eat toast Rig ? What do you have for your breakfast normally ? xxx

[Rignold in reply to poppypug]

I am very fond of toast but have moved away from eating any processed carbs - bread, pasta and simple carbs in general. I am also pretty low carb overall - <20% of my taotal, and that is pretty much all green veg.

I have experimented with a ketogenic diet a couple of times but it takes a bit of thought when also cooking normal meals for kids etc. This time it has been going really well though. There is always a couple of weeks of transition which are hard work - they call it the 'low carb fog', and you do feel very thick headed and lethargic and all that for a while while the body shifts away from using cheap easy carbs as it fuel source to using fat supplies, but after that it's super energy time.

For first breakfast I just have water, fish oil and some lemon juice, plus a preworkout shake of protein powder, BCAAs, creatine etc . Second breakfast: eggs and green veg in some form - spinach egg foo yung or poched eggs on a bed of spinach or some steamed fish and cottage cheese with some legumes - I usually have a container of mixed mung beans, black beans, chickpeas etc in the fridge. And more fish oil. uually a second pot of coffee too.

[poppypug Graduate in reply to Rignold]

Sounds like youre very committed Rig, all the planning and hard work takes some dedication . Well done ! xx

[aligra Graduate in reply to Rignold]

I would so love to move over more bhto your way of eating, and if you´re allowed strong coffee, well, what´s not to like? I too have to cook at least once a day for the family so have to buy bread, rice, meat etc. Any book/website recommendations? The fish oil - can´t you just eat oily fish a few times a week? I´ll google that.

[Rignold in reply to aligra]

Yes to the last: as long as you are getting your EPAs from somewhere, and eating oily fish for real is ibvs the ideal scenario. I just find it difficult to factor enough oily fish into my diet often enough: we eat salmon, trout and sometimes tuna perhaps 3 times a fortnight, and I eat tinned fish for lunches and snacks a few more times, but I find it easier to take the fish oil capsules 3 times a day to ensure I am getting enough. I'm a year off 50 and doing hundreds of squat based exercises a day it feel like I'm kneeling on ground glass if I don't keep up the fish oil.

Bookwise - I would recommend any of the top selling Paleo book. Loren Cordain's Paleo for Athletes is very good. Michelle Tam's website and recipe book Nom Nom Paleo is great for everyday stuff and child-friendly stuff (so much so that I had to buy a second copy of the book when my daughter stole the first one). I don't follow a strict Paleo diet, I should hasten to add (I perticulalry ignore the anti-legumes bit), but it is a fairly good basis from which to start. In essen ce it always come sback to the Glassman thing:

"Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat."

Most of the time it is fine. It is not a particularly restrictive diet in flavour terms. I do occasionally have odd moments though. i get nasal hallucinations - i wake up in the middle of the night convinced i can smell fresh baked bread. The other day I was cooking a langoustine risotto and a bluebbery and blackcurrant sort-of-steamed-sponge-pudding for my children's supper and I was suddenly overcome with an almost overwhelming urge just to eat it. All of it. the texture of the risotto.... aaarrgghhh!

But I resisted. Although my steamed salmon and broccoli had lost a lot of its lustre.

[aligra Graduate in reply to Rignold]

Thanks Rignold for this. Glassman sounds good enough to me, so will carry on trying to avoid carbs as in bread, pasta etc as I don´t intend to get too serious about it. How you stopped eating the kids´supper, I don´t know. I would have given in, no doubt about that. Will definitely take a look at Michelle Tam´s stuff, and will get some fish oil.

[jt24 Graduate]

The biggest question Rig- are you man or robot?!