Don’t become a trainwreck!

~ Chocolaterunsjudy

trainwreck

Derail: to cause to run off the rails

When you think about it, derail is just a shorter word for self sabotage. And just like a train derailment, often we never see it coming.

Or do we?

Derail our running efforts
There is such a fine line between training hard and overtraining. If we listen to and respect our bodies, often we can make adjustments before we derail our efforts by blindly following a plan.

It’s so easy to cross the line, though, and sometimes, no matter how much attention we pay, we do cross over without even realizing it. I have had more than one injury that literally wasn’t there one day, but was the next.

A few signs you might be overtraining:

  • You begin to dread your workouts instead of looking forward to them
  • You feel exhausted, even after an easy effort, even with a good night’s sleep
  • Your resting heart rate is elevated (read this article for more information on RHR)
  • Insomnia
  • Feeling run down in general or getting sick more often
  • Struggling with paces that used to feel easy

Don’t let overtraining derail your goals!

We should not be waiting until trains derail, bridges collapse and people die to adequately fund our infrastructure.
–Elizatbeth Etsy

Derail our healthy eating
The short days of winter and the lack of sunshine can help derail our resolutions very quickly. Is it just me, or does it seem foolish to make resolutions to eat “healthier” on New Year’s — just when winter days have us craving carbs and it seems our bodies are just primed to hold onto all the fat it can?

One of the most important things you need to hold onto when it comes to a healthy lifestyle is your why. Why do you want to lead a healthy lifestyle? It probably seems so obvious to you on January 1st — to get healthier, to get back to a certain size, to get off medications, to feel better about yourself — there are many reasons to want to eat healthy.

If you don’t have the right why, your efforts are bound to be derailed at some point — most likely sooner rather than later. If you find yourself struggling, it’s time to delve deeper into the reasons you are eating the way you do.

When your why aligns with your actions, everything becomes easier and it’s harder to be derailed from your objectives.

Deb Runs

Tell me in the comments:

In what areas of your life to you find yourself easily derailed?

Have you had success avoiding a derailment in life?

Do you know your why — and if you do, what is it?

26 thoughts on “Don’t become a trainwreck!”

    1. I think it’s SO much easier to start a new fitness/ healthy eating habit in April or June. There’s more sun out, and we often have more time to be able to be outside. And I think there’s something about Vitamin D & sunlight that helps things too!

      I also feel ready to tackle new challenges and habits in September, even though I’m long out of the school year cycle and don’t have kids in it.

      But January is one of those times we “turn a new leaf” and really think about who we are/ how we want to live. Being exhausted— may just be that you’ve got too much on your plate! And not enough vitamin D inside of you!

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    2. It’s really the first time that I thought about the whole new year-winter-resolutions trap. OTOH, I do like that feeling of a clean slate.

      If you’re exhausted all the time, seriously, something is wrong. I’m tired most of the time, but not always exhausted!

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  4. Besides injuries that I couldn’t avoid, my running has been pretty stable. It’s in the other areas of my life – work, finances (income tax and other taxes) that has continued to mess with my life.

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      1. I think genetics has more to do with a long healthy life than diet. But it’s still a good idea to eat well as long as you still enjoy life.

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      2. Some people are lucky with genetics, but I do believe a lot can be changed through diet & exercise too — I believe it’s extremely important. It may not even seem that way — until the damage is done & it’s often too late.

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      6. Just because you live into your 90s doesn’t mean your healthy (or living well). If she’s overweight & sedentary I can almost guarantee she’s not happy. And probably limited, too.

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  6. Eating healthy is another area where I can get derailed. Whenever I visit my mom (if my family is with me) she makes all of our favorite foods and desserts. Even if I’ve been eating really healthy, all that sugar sucks me back into craving and eating junk. If it’s just me visiting, she and I eat really healthy because I request that we do. She’s a really healthy eater until she goes into grandma mode and then it’s, “I’ve got to spoil them all!”

    Thanks for linking up, Judy!

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    1. I’m Jewish. Nuff said about what happens when I visit my folks.

      Actually not so bad now that they’re in a senior community — I always bring my own food, too, because otherwise (outside of the dinning room meals), there’s nothing healthy to eat.

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  8. As a relatively new runner, I am concerned with injury as I am 53 & don’t heal like I did. My problem is I sometimes push myself because I don’t want to become an excuse maker for not exercising. Stupid I know. What I did is cut my running to running at a low heart rate for every run. I added another rest day so now I run 5 days. It seems to have helped. For me, exercising regularly is far easier than eating right. I do well, then derail. I am working on that now.

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    1. I only run 4 days a week. But I don’t have a HRM so no clue what my HR is . . . no doubt high.

      5 days is a lot for a new runner. Just be careful — sometimes your tendons/ligaments/etc just aren’t ready for it even when you feel as though you’re fine. It takes time!

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    1. I would love my workouts more often if I didn’t have to do all that other crap (housecleaning, taking care of furkids, grocery shopping, etc. etc.).

      Well, of course I do love my furkids but they are a big time suck!

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