Skip to main content

Permission to enjoy your downtime.


Are you enjoying the downtime?


    I remember when I was the assist Athletic Trainer at the high school I'm at now. I was wired all the time and on the days I worked, I would run around like a chicken with its head cut off. I always felt the need to be doing something. There were times when the training room was quite and my boss at the time would sit back and tell me, "Enjoy the downtime because you don't get much of it." . At the time I was 24 and couldn't imagine just sitting and doing nothing, but now I fully understand what she was saying.


     In this super fast world it is easy to be 100% busy from the second you wake up until you go to bed. Between social media, work, kids, relationships, etc... our lives are jammed back at all times. We all just want a breather every now and then. The irony of this is that when we have the free moment for a breather we automatically pack it with something else to do or we feel guilty for doing nothing with the free time.


    I have had many conversations with myself, and one that I have had a lot lately is telling myself to enjoy the downtime. Whenever a person cancels an appointment or there are no kids in my training room, I try to just sit and do nothing. I wouldn't call it meditation; I'd just call it emptiness.  I just veg out for a short period of time. This may sounds easy but for me it's one of the hardest things to do and I know I'm not alone in feeling this way. Getting you mind to be quite is such a chore, but it is necessary.

            Here is a permission slip from you good friends at FLO allowing you to take some time and enjoy the downtime.  

                                    Dear Self, You have worked hard and you need some time to enjoy the peace and quite. This note is to allow you 10 mintues a day or more for you to just be. Let go of your worries, let go of all the thoughts in your mind, they will be there when you get back. For now just sit in silence and enjoy the downtime!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Taking the NEXT STEP

Taking the NEXT STEP!! Im sure we have all reached a  point in our lives where we know its time to take that next step, next level, begin the next chapter in our life. It is by far  one of the scariest times for all of us. The point where we realize everything we have ever done has led us to THIS! This is our moment to shine and like Eminem says, " You only get one shot, do not miss your chance blow. Opportunity comes once in a life.".  The one scary thing is, you know after THIS moment, nothing will ever be the same.  Once you cross THIS line, you can not go back.  THIS is it and the pressure is on. They say, "Pressure bust pipes, but It can also make diamonds.", only you can decide what it does to you.  We all get to THIS moment, but few rise to the occasion. Few feel the fear and keep walking forward.  You can either step into greatness or step back into comfort.  Many will choose to step down and let THIS moment pass them by. Once they do that, the rest of t...
6 comments
Read more

Quad & Hip Flexor Mobility & Flexibility

Why is it important to include mobility work for the quads and hip flexors? Tight muscles in the anterior compartment of the leg can cause a number of problems, two of which I will discuss in this blog. 1.     Tight quadriceps and hip flexors can put you at an increased risk for a hamstring injury. When people say that a muscle is “tight,” they are essentially saying that the muscle is chronically shortened. Without getting too much into the anatomical specifics, when the hip flexors are “tight,” or shortened, they pull on the lumbar spine. This pull on the lumbar spine increases the curve of the lumbar spine (excessive lordosis) and in turn causes an anterior pelvic tilt.  When the pelvis tilts anteriorly, the hamstrings (attached to the ischial tuberosity) can become excessively stretched/lengthened, which can lead to a strain. Therefore, by keeping the hip flexors and quadriceps at proper length, we can keep our ...
3 comments
Read more

TOP 2 Mistakes most young fitness pros make with their programming

TOP 2 Mistakes most young fitness pros make with their programming                   After 3 years of running a mentor program for fitness pros, 6 years of being an adjunct professor at a college for Athletic Training majors, 6 years of being a preceptor for 3 colleges Athletic Training programs, and 16 years in the fitness industry; I have seen my fair share of programming.   There are many mistakes that beginner fitness pros make, as they should because they are new, and with this blog I would like to talk about the top 2 that I see all the time. 1)       Planes of Motion.   I cannot stress enough how important it is the train your athletes/clients in ALL three planes of motion. When I give my college students an assignment to write a program for an athlete, I always get the same exercises ; squat, bench press, leg press, shoulder press, clean, sit ups. ...
3 comments
Read more