One reason I came to love my fitness studio classes so much is that they get me to try things I never would try on my own and push myself harder than I would at home. That said, I am fully aware that I will regret a workout if it leads to injury, and have no shame in pulling back or modifying an exercise I think is too much for me. This week I learned I need to be just as wary of overdoing it at home.
Wary Of Overdoing It At Home
I’ve always treasured my morning workout time, but I value it now more than ever since it’s my main opportunity to move. Taking a few steps to my coffee maker isn’t the same as walking to Starbucks, and the distance from my kitchen counter to my basement office space isn’t even as far as the distance from the parking garage at work to my office there. I try to take Scooby out for a mid-afternoon potty break, but sometimes my husband beats me to it. That’s why I’m finding it harder than ever to take a rest day, and finding myself wanting to do all the workouts on the Peleton app and double up with Orangetheory At Home Workouts led by coaches live on Zoom later in the day.
Case and point–my Wednesday workouts. I had pre-loaded some upper body Peleton app workouts, but instead of deciding which one to do, went ahead and did both. Instead of finishing with a few planks on my own, I decided to try a 5 min core program, which turned out to be a solid 5 minutes of different types of crunches.
Did I mention that Coach Brandon was leading an Orangetheory At Home workout at 10 am on Zoom? I can’t resist his classes, but this preview did give me pause. Could my arms take it? 
As it turns out, the upper body exercises seemed to target different muscles than the Peleton workouts had, but the second block was the one I nearly regretted later.
I loved the box jumps–which I did on my sturdy Reebok step–but my calves and glutes were still sore on Saturday.
Another thing I overdo all the time is sitting in front of my computer. The warm-up from that Orangetheory At Home workout really hit the spot, so I saved a screenshot to refer to for computer breaks.
I’ll do the first four moves to get the blood flowing.
Weekly Run Down
I started off being smart about my workouts, went crazy on Wednesday, and then was wary of overdoing it the rest of the week.
Monday: Strength Workout
It was perfect running weather, but after running Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and cycling Sunday, I knew my legs needed a break. I did my own workout, focusing on upper body. I also dusted off my Quick Strength For Runners book and did one round of the Day 1 exercises.
Want to check it out?
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Tuesday: 5.6 Scooby miles
You already know I’m a glass-half-full person, right? I thought this patch of dandelions looked pretty as they caught the morning light.
Wednesday: Peleton + OTF Workouts
Scooby wondered what I was up to in the basement while I was doing those Peleton workouts.
Thursday: 5.5 Scooby Miles
I got up 15 min earlier with the hope of encountering fewer people on our run, but only managed to get out the door 5 min earlier. The Tuesday runners must not have been running today, so we had the sidewalks to ourselves.
My neighborhood route isn’t very scenic,
but this sunrise was pretty.
Friday: Strength Workout
I did a mash-up of Monday’s and Wednesday’s workouts, doing the upper body moves from the OTF At Home Workout and the Quick Strength For Runners Day 1 exercises again.
I did three rounds, using weights since I have them!
Saturday: 8 Scooby Miles
Inspired by Judy’s post, I decided to turn this run into a rainbow scavenger hunt. I’ll share all my pictures later, but these colorfully painted rocks at the bottom of a neighborhood driveway was my favorite sighting.
Sunday: Corepower Yoga
I’m always drawn to hip-focused yoga classes, and this was a good one except I couldn’t follow the guidance for the complex poses–eight angle pose and hurdler pose. I need more time to watch and play for eight angle pose and usually get into hurdler pose a different way. If I cared more I could have repeated those segments, but my coffee was calling.
It looks like the rain will keep us off our bikes today, so my legs will get the additional rest they probably need. 😉
Thanks to Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down link up. It’s always great for motivation and encouragement, but now it’s especially important for distance socializing. We may be physically apart, but we are in this together!
Are you risking overdoing it at home?
![The Ultimate Coffee Date](http://got2run4me.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Ultimate-Coffee-Date.png" "The Ultimate Coffee Date")
I think for most of us in the linkup we’re apt to overdo it rather than not exercise enough. 🙂
I actually do pace around my house a lot. I usually get in about 5000 steps a way (broken up during the day) that way. Not every day, of course. My Garmin reminds me when I’ve been too sedentary, not that I always mind it, of course.
That is one of the downsides of working out at home, no feedback from instructors!
I totally ignore the Garmin “move” alerts. I am trying to get up every hour, but it’s more like every 2 hours.
Sometimes I ignore the move prompts, but a lot of the time I do use them. I pace through my house a lot. The dogs have gotten used to it, but I’m not sure the husband ever will. 🙂
I would have died if had done those Wednesday workouts! I love how motivated you are and how you pull it through. I think I’m overdoing the running part – I should mix up my workouts more. At least I’ve incorporated some yoga again! 😀
I’ve always loved mixing it up, and now it’s easier to step away from my desk for an hour. 😉
Oh man, I’m sore just reading everything you did on Wednesday! I can totally understand not wanting to overdo it at home. I think I definitely went a little too hard on my Friday workout and I’m literally still feeling it today!
I haven’t done an OTF at home workout in about 2 weeks. I am going to try to do a few this week since I don’t want to abandon them completely.
It’s hard to resist when it’s the highlight of your day!
Well I am probably the last person to give advice about over doing it. I am definitely exercising more than I was. I am enjoying trying new types of workouts right now. Smart to pull back when you feel you may be over doing it. Have a great week ahead! Thanks for linking up
As long as we keep a good mix of hard and easy, we should be ok, right?
Oh mercy for sure there are definitely workouts that we all have regretted. I appreciate the spirit behind that and “never miss a Monday” but I also appreciate that a smart person knows “when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em”. I need to work that OT warmup into my work day. The only downside to my WFH life is that I don’t have a standing desk anymore (yes I can stand anytime I want but I haven’t figured out a convenient way to raise 2 monitors).
So true on the standing desk! I can stand and work at the kitchen counter, but only from my laptop.
Oh my goodness that Wednesday line-up would have left me sore for sure! I think being so focused on giving my hip the time it needs to heal has helped to keep me from doing “too much” – ultimately the key is to always listen to your body, right?
I’m impressed with how smart you are being. I do listen if I’m injured. It’s harder to hold back when I’m not even if I know the exercise or routine is pushing my limits.
It is amazing how fewer steps I get in when working from home. I have to make an effort to take a walk at lunch and run or walk after work.
I usually have conference calls around lunch time. I take Scooby out mid-afternoon, but that’s just long enough to clear the Garmin “move” ring that’s been building up for hours. 😛
Some days I can’t gt out and some days it is not at lunch time but at least once a day, I do walk or run.
Who me, overdo it? lol. I have to pull back a lot, especially on my runs lately. I feel good and the legs just want to go. This week is a dial back week and I will behave myself!
Nice work!
Hah! I will check on your behavior in your weekly wrap post. My legs feel tired when I’m walking Scooby, but I don’t have a chance to notice when we’re running (except on long runs of course).
Happy hips sound great. I wish they were something that would just come on Prime. Gorgeous sunrise!
You know, I used to hate doing yoga, and still have to talk myself into it, but now I enjoy the process as well as the result.
All those workouts look intense…but fun 😉 I’m needing to add in some new moves for my HIIT workouts, and I forget about Spidermans and box jumps. Ummm, overdoing it? I kinda was guilty early last week, but I kept things easy-peasy on Thursday and Friday, and today as well. Great week for you!!
The box jumps are intense but so empowering!
I’ve definitely had weeks where I came close to overdoing it with the running lately. But then I usually find myself naturally backing off a bit. Great job this week!
It’s good if you have a natural balance. I have to resist doing all the classes and save some days to do my own thing.
As a coach, overdoing it is an issue I see often. That and the other end of the spectrum where people disappear. Remember you won’t get the benefits of the workouts if you don’t allow your body to recover properly. I’ll get off my soapbox now. I adore Scooby’s expressive ears!
I do need to remember that recovery/rest is part of the process. Usually my studio class schedule keeps things varied, but I need to be more mindful of that at home.
Great job! I think it’s definitely easy these days to overdo it with so many options for fitness apps. The good thing is that our body always lets us know when we’ve gone too far – we just have to listen to it!
The listening can be the hard part, but with easy options like stretching and yoga programs, at least I can still do “something”
It’s so easy to push too hard right now. I think we have so many options and, in some cases, time to fill or anxiety to burn off, and so we go for it. Because of my injury, I have to be extra careful and I hate it. I just want to do all the things.
Hang in there and be safe!
Yes, my workout time is one time I’m not worrying about the virus or the economy and all those other things.
Totally understand pushing too hard…my run streak is on day 44! I never thought the quarantine would go on so long, though I guess I don’t know what I thought.
I find it much easier to push myself to the RIGHT amount at classes than on my own.
Give your body the recovery it needs, as hard as it is!
That’s an impressive run streak! Do you have a goal or are you just going to keep going?
I feel like my husband and I have both been working out like crazy these days! I’m so glad I got my elliptical recently because it’s a great low impact option instead of me running every day. I crave my morning sweat sessions too! [and I am now looking up that 5 min core class for later today. LOL!!]
I have not been on our elliptical in ages. I should give it a whirl!
Good reminder about not overdoing it at home! I’ve been overdoing sitting at my “desk” as well. My desk is just the kitchen table at the moment. I’ve been trying to remind myself to get up and walk around periodically. I’ve also set up a make shift standing desk using some boxes.
I’m shocked at how long I can sit at my computer without moving. It’s not a skill I’m proud of!