Kelly McPherson CFT, CPT, CES
As a trainer, I have seen it many times. One of my clients will have thoroughly caught the fitness bug. She is enjoying it. It feels good and she loves the way it makes her body feel and look. It is wonderful. Nothing makes me happier. There is nothing more rewarding to me than to see someone in this state. Unfortunately, I have to tell them to stop. What? Stop doing what I love and what makes me feel so good? What? Stop what is making my body healthier than it has ever been? What? Yes.
Stop!
I know. It doesn’t make any sense, but let me explain. When we work out, many things happen physiologically and I won’t bore you with the details. The short of it is that we put our bodies under stress. This is an important part of improving our health. Our bodies react to that stress by making us stronger and better able to handle that stress in the future.
The problem comes in when we don’t allow our bodies to recover. If we are constantly under stress, the body is too busy trying to function under the stress and has no resources available to heal us, adapt to the stress and make us stronger. This healing process only occurs when we are resting. Resting and recovery can mean many different things to many different people, but the essence of it is the same. We must rest in order to receive the benefits of the exercise induced stress that we have placed on our bodies. Just like a car that is never maintained, your body will begin to fall apart if you don’t rest and recover properly. Following are some ways to help your body rest and recover to its full capacity so you can make the most out of your workouts.
REST DAYS
Rest days can mean different things to different people, but essentially it is a day where you put little to no demands on your body. For me this means walking or an easy bike ride. For some this may mean no exercise at all. For some this may mean only a 3 mile easy run instead of a hard 10 mile run. Whatever your personal level of fitness is, at least one rest day a week is really important.
REST WEEKS
About one week every 4-6 weeks should be rest week. This is a week where you cut the intensity and duration of your workouts in half. No, I did not say don’t workout for the week. I said take it easier.
ALTERNATING INTENSITIES
Alternating the intensity of your workouts between hard days and easy days is another way to work hard but still get the benefits of added rest. So, maybe on Monday you went for a hard and fast run. Maybe on Tuesday, you should do an easy bike and some yoga.
NUTRITION
This is a big one. You have got to give your body the nutritional building blocks it needs to repair and heal. This means cramming as much nutrition into the limited number of calories you are allotted. This means consistently getting in a post workout recovery meal. I usually drink an easily absorbable, quickly digesting protein smoothie within 20 minutes of finishing my workout. Find something that works for you and gives your body what it needs. There are tons of options out there that taste wonderful.
SLEEP
Most of the repair of our bodies is done during sleep. If you don’t get it, you don’t repair. It’s as simple as that. Get to bed! The more exercise you are doing, the more sleep you will need, so make sure to get more as your training load increases. Ironically, sometimes if you are training too much, you will experience insomnia. If this is happening to you, try backing off the training a bit and see if the problem goes away. Do some research on ways you can improve your sleep habits. If the problem doesn’t go away, see your doctor. It is REALLY important that you get your sleep.
CHANGING IT UP
Mentally and physically, it is important to change things up from time to time. Try a different physical activity. If you are a swimmer, try skiing. If you are a Yogi, try rock climbing. You will use muscles you didn’t know you had as well as get you excited about your training again.
Take home message: Regular, consistent rest and recovery is just as important as regular and consistent workouts in attaining and maintaining a healthy and physically fit body.