Back to BASICS

New Year’s Resolutions by this time have more than likely come and gone. Some made it, most failed. It’s the nature of resolutions…and, the nature of fitness burn out. In our fast pace, easy access to everything, high demand for instant gratification lives, it is easy to lose sight of fitness being a journey. We want it now. We want the weight off now. We want the svelte look now. We want the skinny jeans now. We want off of our blood pressure, cholesterol and assorted meds now. We want more energy, less stress and better sleep NOW. What…it’s been three months or so since the year’s beginning, and you don’t look like Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt yet, and thought you would… by now ? Now it’s burnout, excuses and bailout. What’s the point?

It is part of our nature, this “nature of impatience” that brought about so many good things in our world. If it weren’t for impatience the automobile and airplane may never have come to pass, or the LP become CD become “Pandora” or the computer the gateway to the internet, which in reality have all led to a greater sense of “want it, need it, have it NOW.” We all have it within us. I can feel it at the red light, or standing in the grocery line. It’s that little part of us that screams “hurry up and get there would ya!”

At our rush to get there in fitness, one of the most important and perhaps overlooked elements of fitness is rest. Rest is important for us in the physical, as well as the mental realm of the journey. The secrets to recovery, rejuvenation and growth, revolve around our nutrition, hydration and rest, recognizing their importance, and priority, as part of the plan. The workout session sparks the physical change, but the rest and nutrition are more important in the big picture of results.

Lots of water and eating clean go a long way, as do training days of the week and “off day” placement within that week. Spacing a day or two, or even three, between sessions and keeping your workouts in a “change orientation” all are part of the answer. From time to time in my fitness journey I have crossed paths with folks that train EVERY day, but are on a plateau due to lack of change mentality, over training, and inadequate rest, yet their mind  is stuck in the gear of impatience on the “I want it NOW” highway.

The little aches and pains you may be feeling in a knee, foot, shoulder, hip, or any joint for that matter, as well as a continued level of fatigue in a muscle group, lack of results, and or a consistent sense of emotional burn out can all be signs that you are over training, not eating right and or getting ample rest to fuel recovery.

How do you beat it and stay on track?  In your workouts: Add greater rest spacing between your sessions. This will give you better rest and more than likely, a shot in the arm mentally. Change your workout. Do your existing workout in reverse order and change the order of the entire week of workouts. On Monday for example, do the workout you would normally do on Wednesday, but do that workout in reverse order. This alone can reinvigorate you.

In your daily life: Get more sleep. Study’s show we need seven to eight hours of sleep consistently, to be at our best. When you sleep, your body is in repair mode to prep you for your next day. Too little sleep, too little repair time. Say no to the over crammed day timer and find ways to create “margin” for doing less, do nothing periods in your week.

Easier said than done, I get it, but your rest is vital. When was the last time you sat on sofa and read a book or took a nap? Saying yes to everything crowds out you. Look at it this way: Scale your effort in your workouts on a scale of one to 10; 10 being super hard and one being super easy.  Now, turn that table on your eating and on your rest. Do you eat and rest with the same intensity of effort at which you train? Using this method can give you some “ah ha” moments to help you reach your rest/nutrition goals, which in turn will maximize your workout results.

As is said, “You con not out train bad eating, nor can you out train insufficient rest.” Get back to the basics of portion size, quality and frequency in your meal planning, with rest and rejuvenation included in the plan, complementing your training bounded around resistance, cardio and flexibility and get back on track. It’s May; there’s plenty of time to get big time results before summer, so rest up, fuel up and step up to the next level in tracking down your results.

Fitness Together Mission Hills offers personal training with qualified professionals by regular appointment in private suites. Exercise and nutritional programs are custom designed to fit your needs and abilities. Call 619-794-0014 for more information or to schedule a free fitness diagnostic and private training session. See what others are saying about us on Yelp and San Diego City Search.

Category: Health & Fitness, Local News