YO! GA!

DOWN, Dog!

OH, sometimes I'm so silly. :-)

The hips have been mighty sore from running - probably because of the pavement.  I've been good to make sure to have a day of non-running between days of the run/walks to rest and to "cross train"/remember to work other muscles!  Today, 30 minutes of yogic stretching was perrrrrrrfect after busying myself with household cleaning projects: bathroom, kitchen, and laundry.  I had already "warmed up" to a sweat by doing those seemingly simple house chores, so I turned on my netflix (The Tudors - season 2!) and laid out my yoga mat.  BOY oh BOY did it feel good to stretch!  Last night, I took ibuprofen to relieve the pain so that I could sleep.  After good muscle work, I have considerably less pain, now!  Yay!  I'm not often a proponent of NSAIDS or other pain medications; I would much prefer to advise stretching.  However, some evenings, I just don't feel as though I have the energy to work through 10-20 minutes of stretching.  Today's exercise proved that I ought to, though :) 

Speaking of sleep, I have slept wonderfully the last two nights - how fantastic and rare it is to be able to say such a thing!  I have been awake and full of energy for two whole days!  I sure hope that this continues.  I am a strong supporter of the encouragement and education on the importance of both restful sleep and adequate rest - for both the body and the mind.  When I am tired, I know that my outlook on everything, from small tasks to life in general, is less than enthusiastic, and it takes great will to overcome the power of the mind.  When I am well-rested in both mind and body, I am not only able to execute tasks physically with much less pain and/or awareness of the amount of energy the duty make take (i.e. cleaning the bathroom or simply taking the dog for a walk), but my mind is of much greater aptitude to enjoy even less-than-desirable chores (i.e. scrubbing the toilet)...in other words, I am better able to consider the benefit of perhaps the cleanliness after the chore or the physical activity I endure whilst taking the trash out to the dumpster.

The mind is so powerful.  Beware not only what you allow in but how you care for it!  Rest!