Ashley

Working out is important, but rest and recovery is just as important. Relentlessly pushing ourselves and over-stressing our bodies can lead to burnout and result in serious injury and setbacks. As Ashletes, you are ELITE athletes, I expect you dedicate just as must time to recovery as you do to training… if not more. Allowing your body ample time to rest and restore is a VITAL part of your training and will ensure that our subsequent workouts are productive. Outside of my injuries from my car accident, one of the main reasons why I’m able to do so much (or be “meta human” as some of you like to say) is that I do actually set aside time to care for my body and allow it to recover from the daily cray that I put it through. So what should you be doing to help your recovery? Here’s my top 10!

1. Rest. You should incorporate AT LEAST ONE rest day per week. Let me define rest day: a day where you actually do NO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (unless you count sex as a physical activity lol). This means: No cardio, no workout, no freestyling, no balance work, nothing active. Just R-E-S-T.

2. H2O. You must stay hydrated. Drink water, lots and lots of water.

3. SOAK. DIY at home with a Hot bath soak. I suggest adding a little epsom salt, baking soda and lavender oil. Or bath bombs if you prefer! This mineral soak will help you relax and can ease sore achy muscles. OR a spa day can be great too and you don’t even have to break the bank. Just hit up Groupon and get a pass to Spa Castle. The various saunas and the jets in the outdoor pools are amazeballs.

4. Sleep. Our bodies repair and recover during sleep. Be sure to get plenty of sleep.

5. Get your roll on. Foam roll, peanut, lacrosse/trigger point ball: these work to loosen and relaxe muscles, improve moment and range of motion, improve blood flow and flush out toxins. When it comes to the balls, they target more specific areas of the body, applying more pressure on the muscle tissue in the process.

6. Stretch. Utilize a mixture of lite stretching 15-20 min and deep stretch sessions 30+ min. This will help keep you loose, flexy and mobile.

7. Topical pain relief and bruising ointments like: Bio freeze, Icy Hot, Arnica gel (Pain relief and bruising), Tiger Balm.

8. KILL THE PAIN! If needed (and you’re not anti-pills) Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can help. Try Ibuprofen, such as Advil or Motrin OR Naproxen, such as Aleve or Naprosyn.

9. Hands-on Adjustments (Massage & Chiropractic). Massages: I suggest working with a professional massage therapist. They can help work out knots and stiffness while allowing your body to relax. I recommended at least once every 30-60 days. If you don’t have a massage therapist then I can loan you mine. She’s amazing and she’s family with the aches and pains of aerialists. Chiropractor visits: Adjustments can make a huge difference. You don’t need to go weekly, maybe once every 60-90 days.

10. Hot/cold therapy. Heat helps soothe stiff joints and relax muscles. Cold helps numb sharp pain and reduce swelling, inflammation and muscle spasm/cramping.

When you think about health, our physical is where our thoughts immediately go to. Often overlooked but equally important is our mental and emotional health. These two things have a HUGE impact on our physical health and our ability to not only perform physically, but just to get up and attempt to make it through the day. When our mental and emotional health is poor, it negatively impacts the other areas of our life. As women (especially those of color) this is something that we don’t talk about publicly and we often hide or push by the wayside. Recently, this topic has come up multiple times and in multiple ways, making it apparent that it’s time to speak up and bring attention to it.

Although I am getting better at it. I too am guilty of not taking time to deal with my mental and emotional stress. Back when I was in corporate America, I was under so much stress and pressure that my emotional, mental and physical health were ALL in the negative. I was being pressed to be the best at work, being pulled in multiple directions, studying for my MBA and just trying to not suck at life. As a result, I was spending $100 on 4 migraine pills multiple times a month just to get to the point of average functionality. It took leaving that world to help me realize the importance of my overall health and well-being and to put me first. I know what you’re thinking: I don’t have time or I don’t have a choice…I HAVE to do x,y,z and I can wait. Well let me tell you, this is the WRONG approach. You can’t wait, nor should you have to. YOU are the most important thing in your life and when you’re not operating at your best, everything else in your life will suffer. And trust me when I say, you don’t want to hit the meltdown point before seeing help and YOU TIME.

It’s not just me, it may be you or someone around you. A dear friend of mine just recently went through a breakdown and was brave enough to share her story, which I am now sharing with you in hopes that it will spread awareness and self-review to see where your mental and emotional health stand.

Dee’s Story:
I’m typically not one to share super personal stuff here but this is VERY important, and something not enough of us take seriously: O U R M E N T A L H E A L T H.
My mental health is seriously compromised at this time. I’ve always considered myself to be reasonably strong, but with the stress of my mother being near the end of her life and being the only family resource/advocate when dealing with the rehab hospital and hospice team on top of my own health issues, injuries, and work, it has all become too much, and unfortunately it manifested itself in a physical attack against my body and well being. I saw my PCP yesterday (Dr. Johari, whom I am VERY grateful for, if your in the Murphy area she is exceptional). I have been taken out of work until AT LEAST Monday, and have been diagnosed with general anxiety disorder, and depression. I am now on meds to help manage this, and to help me sleep since that isn’t a thing anymore either, until some of these stressors are alleviated.
Did I need to put all of my business on here, and do half of y’all care? Probably not… but too many adults that should know better don’t take mental health/mental illness seriously in this country. For a lot of people it starts with things similar to what I’m dealing with now or losing another family member/husband/wife/lover/significant other/CHILD, or going through divorce, or adultry, or addiction, or gender identity crisis, or coming out of the closet, or losing your job, or …. the list goes on forever! We all have shit we are dealing with, but we all deal with it differently, and SOMETIMES… we can’t handle it alone… AND THATS OK! I couldn’t! I felt myself slipping into a black hole of hopelessness, anger, worthlessness, fear, and the feeling of not being good enough, or strong enough, pretty enough, available enough… and I’ve been stuck there. 😔

Thankfully, I have the most amazing people in my life: my family, friends that I consider family, co-workers that treat me like family, and vice versa (my employer has been amazing thru all of this), and an amazing, supportive, and loving pole/aerial family that recognized this change in me and SPOKE UP! I needed to hear it, because even though I knew I needed help, I felt that I was just being an attention seeking drama queen, and kept telling myself to be stronger and suck it up. I’m not asking for attention here people, If you take anything at all away from this post, let it be this: We all need a little help sometimes, and there’s nothing wrong with asking for it.

– Dee B.

Ladies, you don’t have to be superwoman. You cannot give your best to anyone if you do not take care of yourself first. You have to find that balance with your mental, physical and emotional health. You are allowed to take mental health days. You are allowed to cry. You are allowed to have ME TIME. There is nothing wrong with being human. Know that self care can make all the difference in maintaining a well-balanced life. One practice that I was doing regularly before my accident was keeping my phone on silent until after my am cardio session. ANY and ALL business was put on hold until I did something for me each day. Even with family, if it wasn’t an emergency then I wasn’t responding until after my ME Time. I was able to focus on me and reflect on the day ahead and it was the best downtime. Making this my workout time allowed me to knock out two birds with one stone.

So what are things that you can do?
• Alone time. Unplug from social media, technology and life. Find a quiet place where you can focus on you and do whatever you want to do. Maybe it’s reading, sleeping, foam rolling, Netflixing..whatever. Something that’s just you and just about you.
• Workout. Go to the gym and get your sweat on or take that cycling, kickboxing, aerial yoga, barre or yoga class that you’ve been thinking about.
• Meditation. If you don’t know how to meditate there are plenty of apps you can download on your phone to guide you through the process.
• Relaxing bubble bath. Add epsom salt and lavender essential oils to help the relaxation process.
• Do a little mini-declutter session. Its funny how cleaning up and clearing out a physical space can impact your mentally and emotionally, leaving you feeling lighter and free. Whether its a closet, your clothes drawer, kitchen cabinets or the garage, find a space that you can clean. And even better if you find gently used items to donate that can also make you feel better.
• Treat yourself with a beauty day. Go to the spa, get a manicure or pedicure. Or if you want to be bold get a new hair style.
• Talking with someone. It doesn’t have to be a doctor or therapist, just someone you trust. You’d probably be surprised at how many women you know that have or are currently going through the same thing.

Understand that these things aren’t a one-time deal. Self-care is ongoing and should be a regular part of your life. Just as going to work, your beauty/skin/hair routine, gassing up your car and cleaning your house.

Let’s talk about when and what to eat before a workout…because FOOD matters. That pre-workout meal is what Fuels your fitness and is essential if you want to get the most out of your workouts. The workouts I’m talking about are non-cardio based workouts that involve lifting weights and/or bodyweight. (Pre-cardio food intake can different vastly). Eating before your workout is important because that food turns into fuel allowing you the energy, stamina and focus you need to perform better.

What to Eat:
You’ll want to fuel your body with an easily digested carbohydrate such as fruit and yogurt, toast and peanut butter, oatmeal, a protein bar or protein shake. You can also add some good fats like avocado, almond butter, nuts or seeds. Sometimes I even like to do a veggie omelet. Just be sure not to eat too much or it can leave you feeling sluggish and heavy.

When to Eat:
Try to get in your meal around 60 to 90 minutes before your session, You don’t want to take in your meals too closely to when you start your weight training workout, but I do recommend experimenting with the types of food and the timing of your pre and post workout meals to discover what works best for you.

Eating after your workout is just as important as eating before your workout, as you need to feed your muscles and replenish your system. Eat a small snack consisting of protein and easily digested carbohydrates within about an hour of training and then your next meal an hour or two later.

Just as important as your food is your water intake. Hydration is essential! As women, we should be consuming 91-95 oz/day (approx. 12 cups). I like to start the day and end the day by just chugging 16oz…talk about a way to jumpstart the system and flush things out. You should also increase your water intake before your workout, continue consuming water throughout your workout and give yourself a water boost after your workout. BTW, this image has very little to do with the post other than it’s a hot guy drinking water which I hope inspires you to drink more water too! lol.

I said all of that to say: DRINK PLENTY OF WATER. You lose a lot of water during your workout because we sweat it out and dehydration can lead to decreased performance, amongst other things. The following chart lists recommendations from the American Dietetic Association, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine’s Fluid Replacement Guidelines (1):

If you are attending ANY of my classes, especially ASSLT, then you should absolutely be sure to follow my suggestions above to ensure that you have properly fueled yourself for the fitness beatdown you will encounter!

One of the biggest arguments I hear from women about getting in shape (specifically hiring a trainer and making healthier food choices) is “it’s too expensive”. I’ve come to realize however, that it’s not the money that most are referring to (whether or not they realize it), it’s the time investment. The cost of time that it takes to achieve results is more than most are willing to invest – despite it being the best investment one can ever make. I’ve seen a multitude of cost breakdowns, infographics and other charts that aim to disprove this excuse by showing cost comparisons for fast food and alcohol vs. healthier food options. While correct data-wise, I feel that these types of visual proof are not focused on the real issue, which is the cost of time.

In our current world of technology focused on shortcuts, easy-access and instant gratification, the idea of having to work towards a healthier life and body is a much stronger turn off then dealing with daily the side effects (tight clothes, uncomfortable readjusting, chronic back/knee/neck pain, increased healthcare/medication costs, body deterioration, more sick days…just to name a few) of an unhealthy life/body…that is until you face a major medical or life crisis which forces you to confront your lifestyle habits and make a change. It’s sad that it so often takes an event or diagnosis so detrimental to ignite change. Especially when just a few adjustments in our daily habits and choices could make a HUGE difference.

While this affects all sexes, I chose to focus in on women, mostly because I can speak from personal experience. As women, I feel that we put more emphasis and money into our hair, lash extensions, nails and shape-wear – hell, I did. Not because we don’t care about our bodies, but rather, because these bandaids are “easier” and offer almost instant gratification. I mean really, we spend more on cosmetic bandaids than it would cost to high a trainer and eat healthier. Hundreds to thousands of dollars are spent monthly on cosmetic enhancements and let’s not even get into things like botox, fillers, waxing, tanning etc. Now, I’m not saying some of these things aren’t important. I’m saying that they are equally “expensive” and simply offer quicker results with less discomfort. The discomfort required for change and the time it takes to see results is a turn off and discourages women from reaching their fit potential. Bodywork is a long-term commitment requiring a lifestyle change if you want to maintain it. And there are no true shortcuts, as shortcuts lead to quick endings and constant restarts. For example, things like weaves and fake nails are shortcuts to long healthy hair and nails.

So how does one break through this mental barrier? What I tell myself and my Ashletes is to change the way we look at the costs associated with training, clean eating and healthier living. Look at payments for training, massage, etc as investments into yourself, your body and your future. So it’s not that you pay a trainer $300/month for training, rather it’s that you invest $300/month into your health and wellness, so that your body can function and perform optimally and last you for many years to come.

When it comes to food most times healthier food options cost the same, if not substantially less than the current junk we consume daily. Again, the hangup is about the time and effort required for food prep and planning. It does take time to prep meals and develop a streamlined system that works for your individual schedule. It takes planning to make sure you have food prepared or access to healthier food options that match your health and fitness goals. When we don’t set aside the proper time and planning, that’s where we find ourselves over-indulging during happy hour or running through a drive through.

At the end of the day, it really doesn’t cost more money to change our bodies and fitness. It can even save you some serious money in the long run. The cost is time, consistency and dedication.

This year, I’m all about sharing the benefits of building strong, flexy, healthy bodies and helping people that are ready for their journey. Part of that mission is to debunk two widely reoccurring myths that I’m asked about almost daily.

First: You do NOT have to chose between flexibility or muscle. You CAN HAVE BOTH. Those that say you have to be skinny to be flexible or that the ideal flexibility instructor is tall, thin and without too much muscle is not only ridiculous but untrue. (True story, sadly a prominent non-us flexibility coach actually wrote that in a blog) And this lie is only further perpetuated by the media we encounter daily on social media. I find this highly discouraging and excluding. I AM walking proof that this is just not the case (my size and shape has also lead to me being discriminated against and prejudged as an instructor, I’ll talk more about that in a follow up blog post) The point is: I am muscular and bendy as fuck. And I happily embrace my muscles and every curve on my bendy body. I embrace my strength, size and FlexAbility! Think I’m an anomaly? Look at any just about gymnast, those especially at the collegiate and Olympic levels are bendy, muscular and always tend to have bodacious booties!

Second: Flexibility is NOT just for the skinny, frail and pale Instagram model type. Flexibility is for ANYONE that has the DESIRE to have it and the WILL to work for it. You CAN be flexible at any size AND any age. it’s not just for the young, skinny or the non-bodybuilders. You can create a balanced Flexy and Fit body.

Third: Women shouldn’t fear getting bulky, manly or hulk-like just from lifting weights. You have to do some serious steroids, lift some heavy ass weights regularly and eat a diet that supports that type of gain. The truth is, the bodies and curves most women want ARE BUILT with lifting moderate weight and by the working the very muscles were scared to grow. You have to shape your body and that’s done with lifting. Cardio alone and diet alone won’t do it. PS: stronger muscles will actually help improve your flexibility… That being said, if Flexibility & Fitness is on your wishlist give me a shout.

2019 is finally here and my wall is full of goal posts (pun intended lol). Everyone is habitually sharing their goals and resolutions, while cheerfully optimistic about what this new year will bring. I feel like goal  setting New Year’s resolutions is a socially-conscious, obligatory tradition.

In reality, New Year’s, holidays, birthdays, they all really just give us an excuse to do something or put something off until a certain date. The truth is we have 365 days every year to do the things that we say that we are going to do as our New Year’s resolutions, so there is really no reason to put it off. Don’t get me wrong, I too am happy to be alive and see a new year of opportunities. However, I guess I have a slightly unconventional approach and perspective. I am slowly realizing that it’s (life) not about new goals, rather it’s about continuous growth, elevating and moving towards the next phases and stages of my existing goals. So instead of making a list of New Year’s resolutions, I’m focused on growth, or as I like to call it: relentless continuous improvement (RCI).

Each year I’ve been growing and building, and I see life as a continuation of that process. Learning from my mistakes and success to hopefully live a life of even less mistakes and more success each year. I appreciate the idea that the idea of a fresh start, which can re-energize and refreshed your momentum… and maybe that’s really what it’s about. But, if that’s the case then I want to focus on just utilizing the marking of this new year as a tool to revitalize and energize me to make progress and do what I know I need to get done regardless of what part of the year I am in. EVERYDAY IS A DAY TO GET SHIT DONE.

I choose to be focused on growth and results, always and IN ALL WAYS. I am simplifying this new chapter in my life. I’m simply making an ongoing, living list of shit that I need to get done and or stay away from in 2019. And through these daily ongoing actions and choices, I hope to continue my quest to be the best and happiest version of me that I can be while positively impacting those around me.