Why Recover is Necessary — Not Optional!
Reminder: “No Days Off” is NOT a badge of honor.
It could be hindering your progress and harming your health.
It's been exactly a month since I was at full strength, thanks to Covid followed by another bug. It's been even longer than that since I've had a "normal" workout routine due to travel and some other things.
And that's ok.
That's normal.
When you make prioritizing your health and fitness a lifestyle, you learn how to fit it into your life and make the best of it, no matter what comes up.
Since we all go through things like illnesses and breaks from fitness, I've been sharing some of the things that helped me:
One key piece of health & fitness for EVERYONE, whether you've been training hard consistently or you're working your way back, is recovery.
Recovery includes rest days, gentle movement, sleep, eating well, and managing stress.
If you don't give yourself days off from working out...
If you don't prioritize quality sleep and nutrition...
If you don't have a plan for managing and reducing stress...
You're limiting how much progress you make and potentially setting yourself up for illness or injury.
Here's an example:
Last week was my first week teaching all my regular classes in a month. 🤯
Even though I technically did LESS activity than in a "normal" week because I'm not back to my own training, it was still a little too much for someone coming back from nearly a month of illness and little activity.
I could feel it, and my activity/heart rate tracker agreed:
THIS is why it's so important to ease back in and to take care of your body and prioritize recovery.
Another personal example:
For years, I didn't recover well. I bought into the "No Days Off" mindset. I overtrained -- teaching Zumba 4-5 days a week, plus 3 bootcamps, plus other strength days.
I prided myself on staying up too late and getting up too early. I restricted calories too severely because I didn't understand that they were actually necessary for staying healthy and building strength.
I also was frequently injured, in pain, and sick because I didn't know anything about training smart, recovering, and taking care of myself. The only thing I knew to do was hit the gym more, which is the exact opposite of what I needed!
I see this with clients often. It can look like:
Showing up for sessions or classes on very little sleep and expecting to lift heavy or do high intensity work
Doing high intensity workouts daily, even multiple times a day, without balancing it with strength, mobility, or adequate sleep or nutrition
Restricting calories severely, which makes it harder to get essential nutrients in the appropriate amounts
Putting the body under even more stress by trying to cut calories and increase exercise when there's already a lot of mental stress and overwhelm to manage
If you recognize your habits on that list, here's how to start taking care of yourself so you can feel better and get stronger, fitter, and healthier:
SLEEP -- Experts recommend 7-9 hours. Start increasing by 15 minutes a day. Make sure your bedroom temperature is cool, and give yourself time to unwind (without screens!) before bed. New parents, just do the best you can and know it'll get better eventually!
[More on Sleep]
TAKE REST DAYS -- When we exercise, we put stress on our cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems. The time and the rest in between workouts is where the real magic happens, where stress hormones lower and muscle tissue repairs and rebuilds. When we skip rest days, we're literally just breaking our bodies down, over and over. Rest days can include gentle movement, like stretching or a walk (not power yoga and strenuous hikes!) [More on rest & recovery]
EAT WELL -- Eating too little limits the amount of nutrients we get from foods, which limits our ability to repair and recover. Focusing on protein, fruits, veggies, and complex carbs is key! (Hint: If you're struggling to have the energy to get through your workouts, or just your days, make sure you're getting adequate calories, including carbohydrates!) [Need help? Register for a 1:1 nutrition consultation]
MANAGE STRESS -- Stress, whether it's the physical stress of exercise or mental/emotional stress of daily life, trauma, work, difficult situations, etc., has an impact on our bodies. If we're adding calorie restriction and extra workouts to an already stressful lifestyle, it's just going to make us feel worse (and we'll see fewer results). Whether you try therapy, meditation, setting boundaries at work or at home, or taking time to unwind (not while staring at a screen!), mental and emotional stress needs to be addressed to improve overall health and fitness. [More on the mechanics of the stress response from Mayo Clinic]
Which aspect of recovery do you struggle with most in your own life?
