The importance of rest and recovery

[DaisyKeymaster]

This week, we’ve been moving to a new house here in the town where we live in Virginia. (Our lease was up at the old place and the landlord wants to sell – I didn’t want people wandering through my house all the time so we opted to move.)

We did a lot of the move ourselves and hired movers to do the heavy stuff like furniture and book boxes. I have been pretty lazy the past couple of years. I work online, so sit at the computer all day. I walk the dogs and that’s been about it.

Y’all, hauling hundreds of 20+ pound boxes up and down stairs for a week just about killed me. Last night, every joint in my body was screaming in agony. And of course, I was thinking, “I need to write about this.”

During a real SHTF moment, you ARE going to be working much harder than you are physically accustomed to. You ARE going to push yourself beyond your ordinary limits. Rest and recovery will be important because, in a longer-term situation, the next day, you’ll be doing it all over again. I looked up in some old bodybuilding books ideas for speeding up muscle recovery. Not all of these will be possible if the power is out, but let’s brainstorm other recovery ideas. (I may use your idea and username in the article.)

1) Ice on aching joints
2) Hot bath for muscle recovery
3) Elevating your feet to reduce swelling
4) Rest – lay down and actually let your body rejuvenate
5) Easy exercise – gentle walking, swimming
6) Stretching – yoga or other stretches can loosen up tight muscles
7) Ice bath if you’ve really been injured – this can help make bruising less serious but it is not for the weak of heart
8) Sleep

Other ideas?

[Anonymous]

I don’t have anything to add that you don’t have listed but yesterday I went to the city with my oldest and we WALKED for miles. Years ago this would have not been an issue, walking 5 miles round trip loaded with groceries on my back and in a stroller would have been a normal day.

Yesterday, not so much. Now my eczema flares up something fierce when I get hot. I get whelps, blisters, the works. It takes weeks to recover. I have light green eyes that amplify the sunlight and all the reflections that come with it from glass, white concrete, etc. That gives me horrible headaches, even with sunglasses and an UV blocking umbrella. Those make me want to hide in a closet. I’m much more of an indoor person now.

Yesterday after went walked a very long way in one direction, then walked back in the other direction I was faced with having to walk up the stairs at the library or take the elevator. I embraced my age and gladly took the elevator cause I would have never made it past the first flight of stairs to get to the main floor at the library LOL.

I am about as stubborn as they come and I will keep going and going even past what I know is my limit. Yesterday, however, showed me beyond a doubt just how out of shape I really am.

I used to walk on the treadmill to keep my endurance up and I really need to get back to that and maybe work in some weights to help build my muscle back up. I honestly don’t want to say cardio, but my lung capacity stinks when I have to move fast for any length of time. I have never been a runner, more like a happy turtle 🙂 If I gotta run there better be a darn good reason.

[DaisyKeymaster]

I’m also not much of a runner.

I did get up and walk the dog at a slow pace today to try and keep my poor aching joints from freezing up.

[Anonymous]

Hope we both feel better tomorrow 🙂 I’m trying to figure out how my ribs can hurt from walking LOL

[OldMt WomanParticipant]

OW! I can feel that. Good list, Daisy. You speak as one with experience with pain. Good luck with the new home.

Those of us who have rural mini-emergencies all the time know how they can be so very strenuous…beyond normal. Don’t know about urban, but rural wacko events always seem to always require a lot of manual labor. From fixing fences to vetting the stupid horse who managed to get caught up in that fence. Gah.

We had severe flooding X2 this past summer and in these steeeep mts..aieee! I was out during the weather with shovel to prevent the flooding from coming into our back door. During the event…did I NOTICE the deadly lighting [up here we ARE the storm] or being soaking wet despite rainwear/boots or how much weight of soggy-granite-sand I was hefting repeatedly to rebuild a blown-out mini diversion ditch? No. But certainly I noticed it later. As usual.

I’d like to say that prevention of overusing our [aging in my case] bodies is the best idea…but we all know it doesn’t always work that way. As much as possible, we set up for the least amount of manual labor in our daily routine. Just making everything count efficiently. Then when extraordinary things occur, the usual stuff is still doable. …that’s the theory. lol

We’ve had a year and a half of non-stop family medical issues that throw efficiency and routine right out the window. Well, break out the Epsom salt baths and all the other things that Daisy mentioned above.

Be sure to have stronger than usual pain relievers. Use only as needed but pain wears you down and slows healing.

Of the non-aspirin products: Know that you can alternate taking Tylenol [Acetaminophen] with EITHER Aleve [naproxen] OR Nuprin [Ibuprofen]. But don’t combine or alternate Naproxen products with Ibuprofen products since both process thru the kidneys. Acetaminophen products process thru the liver. It’s simply to help the body not to overtax any one organ during a period of bad pain. Check with medical person for how often that alternating schedule is recommended.

As always, be cautious of aspirin due to blood-thinning qualities. Like…you don’t want to increase blood flow to a bad bruise. Probably do not take if you’re on blood thinners…but you’d know that, right?

Make sure you eat right…even if you’re so fatigued that you can’t feel hunger. Feed the body to heal. Being stocked up eliminates the need to run in to the grocery. Commercially canned soups taste awful if you home-make them usually. But unless you have them home-canned, have some commercial tins available for heavy exhaustion days.

Make sure you remember in the blur of fatigue…or shock if the incident is traumatic [H. Micheal, etc] to take your regular medications and/or herbal-nutritional supplements. Same reason as above.

A comment on sleep. I haven’t slept right since childhood. Found out I’ve always had an underlying disease that contributes to low serotonin levels…and a lot of other not-nice things. I FINALLY gave up…cuz I don’t DO chemicals unless I have little choice. Tried ALL the herbal/nutritional products with very little success. Hmph, I began to take a chemical sleep aid. I’m at one-half of low dose. Wheeeeeew! It has made a huge difference for me. If you NEED it cuz you’re too hyped up, injured, whatever from something going on…have a sleep aid handy so the choice to take it is available. One that does not knock you out so deeply that you can’t wake and function in your emergency situation.

Stimulants: If you’re not a coffee drinker [I’m not!] then you might need to find…and test…a different type of mild stimulant. Some emergencies must be endured for a time. And we must be coherent/sensible to make choices. Find one that will work for you. Pack it in your EDC [every day carry] or BOB…along with your sleep aid if that’s what it takes to function during an immediate emergency or rough time.

Of course this is not a normal pattern to follow. Be careful if you tend to LIKE assistance in hyping up and zonking out. You know what I mean. This would be temporary!

As always, this is not medical advice since I’m not a doc. Please do your own research and verify that this old brain of mine has not mixed something up. {I’m not kidding}
OldMtWoman

• This reply was modified 11 months ago by  OldMt Woman.
• This reply was modified 11 months ago by  OldMt Woman.

[DaisyKeymaster]

Fantastic advice, Old Mt. Woman.

Oh, do I recall the days of the homestead. Running out in the middle of the night because something breached the chicken coop and then FIXING the stupid coop in the pouring rain at 3 am. Good times. (Not.) There was also that super hot day when the well pump stopped working and we had to water 3 goats, an LGD, 47 chickens, and 2 barn cats by lugging water up the hill to them. Phew.

Sometimes it just can’t be helped.

I’m pushing 50 pretty hard, and years of sports have done a lot of damage to my joints. There are some days when you notice it more than others, that’s for sure.

[Valerie StonecypherParticipant]

Daisy, hope you’re all moved in and recovered from the ordeal of moving. (Does anyone really LIKE moving?)

I was thinking about your list of recovery ideas yesterday and can’t emphasize enough the importance of #4:

Rest – lay down and actually let your body rejuvenate

In my younger years, this would have been heresy to me, as I considered it a sign of weakness (literally and figuratively) to not be active every single day. As late as my early sixties a few years ago, I power-walked solo all day long on a big circle of rural roads with only a day pack and my trusty walking stick for any aggressive dogs, and I was pleased to work out the mileage when I got back: 18 miles. I was up the next day, exercising and going about my daily activities.

Day before yesterday, I did six miles, three of which were loaded down with a pack of at least 20 pounds of groceries, and I was dragging when I got back. Annoyed, I refused to acknowledge it and continued being active with chores the rest of the day.

Age catches up with all of us! Yesterday was the first day I can remember when I wasn’t ill that I didn’t — and couldn’t — do a damn thing but lay on the bed and rest. Even getting up to go to the bathroom made me feel weak. I was really out of it. And today it still lingers, but I did two miles at a pace I once would have sneered at.

I am hoping to age like a fine wine but will settle for the level of a great IPA. 🙂

P.S. I once read in an old book: “Sleep knits up the raveled sleeve of care.” So getting enough sleep sure helps, too.

[Peppy PParticipant]

Ah, a topic near and dear to my heart.  As a personal trainer and health and wellness coach I can’t emphasize enough the importance of rest and recovery.   Excellent list of suggestions.  The old idea of no pain no gain is really just bs.

[Author]

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