On the Bench

Benched. Credit: Sheyla Ruiz, Flickr

I’m not used to sitting out, but a couple of recent (but minor) injuries have me taking it easy. For a while, I was dealing with the jaw, and now I’m having some issues with my diaphragm (which explains why I was having such a tough time keeping my breathing under control in my last race, at least). So, I’m benched.

I’m not completely sedentary—I’ve got the okay to do lower-impact activities, so swimming, walking, even jogging if I keep it really light (which, you know, twist my arm). It truly hasn’t been too bad, other than the fact that I feel like I’m slipping out of my routine.

You know, not long ago I was writing about making a more concentrated effort to mix up my workouts, and I’d really been holding myself to that. At least once a week I was either attending a circuit-training class or creating a boot camp of my own at home. It was still hard, but it was becoming more and more manageable. And now, after a couple of weeks away, I know it’s going to be just like starting over.

But isn’t that how it goes? At least, for me it is. I do really well with my workouts or my training or with super clean eating, and then something happens—an injury, a vacation, an overbooked work schedule—and before I know it, I’m back where I was a couple of months ago, and the things that were hard back then are challenging once again.

I refuse to get too upset about it, though. I’m going to focus more on what I can do, so I’m going to get in more swimming, more yoga, more relaxed walks with the dogs. I’m going to enjoy it, and, when it comes time to start again, I’m going to remember that, although those workouts always kick my butt in the beginning, I’m the one kicking some butt in a few weeks.

How do you handle being benched? How do you keep from getting frustrated? —Kristen