Sound The Retreat

When traversing the Warpath, your soldiers (your muscles) can become weary from their march to Victory. Day after day, grueling conditions placed upon them can result in both physical and psychological taxes.

We are all familiar with muscular injures, resulting from poor form, poor nutrition, or even the controversial “overtraining.” These are physical conditions.

Psychological effects on your muscles are different altogether. Think of battle fatigue. It is the result of many consecutive days of fighting. Soldiers who experience battle fatigue are lucky enough to avoid injury or death, but unlucky enough to get a break from fighting.

As we live our lives, how often do our muscles receive rest from the everyday tolls placed on them? I would argue that they never do. They require liberation from their imprisonment inside your body. Even they need to become free.

Of course, the muscles are confined inside you and they are necessary for your daily activities. So a compromise is called for.

I call for a Retreat.

This is not a full scale withdrawal from the Warpath. It is a compromise between your physiology and your mind, for they are one and the same.

One method, or strategy, for the relief of your muscles is hydration.

It may sound simple enough – drink more water. But when to drink and how much to drink may vary depending on your lifestyle and current nutrition.

First, one might find the most appealing time to guzzle a liter bottle of cold water to be after exertion/exercise. Certainly, that is a time when your body may be dehydrated but only if you fail to do so appropriately beforehand.

Upon waking in the morning, you should begin hydrating. For seven-nine hours, your body has been deprived of nutrients. Water is one of those nutrient. So, even before your cup of coffee, drink a small amount of cold water – less than eight ounces, small sips – while seated.

Continue to hydrate throughout the day, more often a half-hour after meals. Do not over-drink during meals and do not use drinking water as a way to stave off boredom or hunger between meals.

As you sit and take these short deliberate breaks, you will not only provide your body with the vital nutrients that it needs, but it will allow your mind a small rest from the daily grind of work and family obligations.

Cease hydrating a few hours before bed.