SILVA: Being fit helps in recovery

I suffered an injury recently that set me back in my training for next month's San Jose Rock and Roll Half-Marathon.

While running on a treadmill at my gym, my shoe came untied.

I paused the treadmill, stepped on the edge of the treadmill and quickly bent over to tie it. And just like that … OUCH!

A muscle in my lower back spasmed. I tried running it off, but that only made it worse. I had to stop only 10 minutes into my workout and head home in agony and frustration.

I was in a lot of pain the rest of the day — sitting at work was difficult at best. I worked the muscle over as much as I could, but there was no getting the knot out … it was a rough day.

The next day, a co-worker joked, "that's what you get for being in shape."

And that comment, while funny, got me thinking that maybe the truth was that because I was in shape, the injury wasn't as bad as it could've been. Had I not been in shape, I might've had to visit the doctor and been forced to take painkillers. Instead, I was over the injury in a few days … and back on my training schedule.

So, yes, I injured myself during a workout. That's one of the risks of pushing your body. But I also recovered much more quickly from that injury because I'm in shape.

That's why I cross-train and lift weights in addition to my running — to make my body stronger all the way around.

There's one thing that often gets in the way of our fitness: life. You know — kids, work, appointments, stress. And that can make training for a race, or simply exercising to stay fit, challenging.

That's why it's so important to manage stress, eat properly and get enough sleep.

It's amazing what a bad night's sleep — and who doesn't have those on occasion? — can do to your energy level. I always seem to struggle on my workout when I haven't had a good night's sleep.

Our hectic lives often put a crimp in our fitness. There are kids' soccer games and school events and birthday parties … it goes on and on. There's simply no way of getting around missing a workout here and there.

That's just life.

It's important for us to deal with our busy lives while still having time to exercise.

We need to carve out time in our day for improving our health and fitness, even if it means missing something else. Take a brisk walk, head to the gym for an hour … we have to do something to improve our fitness.

Looking for my Workout of the Month column and video for September? It's coming soon.

Reach Jim Silva at jsilva@modbee.com. On Twitter: @mission26point2