There is a crucial balance in fitness between working hard and resting your body. My workout schedule is usually 3 days of running and lifting - off day - 1 day of only running - 1 day of running and lifting - off day, or some close variation. Normally this seems to work well for me, but a month or so ago I noticed that even after rest days I couldn't push my body as hard as I felt like I should be able to, and I wasn't seeing much improvement in my lifts or in my endurance. My two weeks off the gym wasn't an intentional 'gym break', as I was travelling out of the country, but I am so thankful that I didn't have the option to hit the gym for a chunk of time.
1. I really did need the break. Before I left, my body was telling me that it needed a solid amount of time to recover but I just wasn't having it. Even when I would try to take some time off, I would find myself on the treadmill. I was worried that if I completely stopped for any sufficient amount of time I would lose my current progress, and I think that it was also a matter of pride and feeling weak for needing to spend some time out of my normal routine. Consequently, I was hitting a major plataue because my body had had enough. After being back for a couple of weeks after my time off, I am already seeing positive changes in my strength, physique, and endurance.
2. I didn't miss it as much as I thought I would. Granted, I was busy having fun during the two weeks, but I thought that I would have withdrawals without my normal runs or squats. I was happy to be back into after the break, but it's good to know that I truly enjoy spending a chunk of my day sweating like a pig and I'm not doing it because I have an addiction. I dedicate a lot of my time to my love of fitness, but I really was alright without it for a time. Sometimes it's hard to admit that fitness is not life... it's just a small part of life.
3. I hit it a little too hard once I was back to the grind. I was surprised that I could do my usual 40 minutes of cardio without much struggle, but my normal leg day was a different story. After the third set of my first lift, I could already feel the strain on my muscles, but I decided to continue with the rest of what I had planned anyways. I then felt the consequences of that decision for the next few days. Lesson here is that you can ruin your newly rested body if you aren't careful about easing back into it.
4. I am more motivated to spend time actively recovering. After coming back, I have been more intentional about stretching daily and trying to get to yoga regularly. Recognizing that I wasn't being good to my body and that I had pushed it to a breaking point makes me want to be really careful to be dedicated about a well rounded fitness plan. Hopefully spending the time to recover before I am feeling extra strain will keep me from hitting such a steep plateau in the future.
5. I set new goals. Feeling good coming back into my workouts made me motivated enough to set some future plans! I don't feel like I am just barely making into the gym each night; I feel excited and ready to do big things again! So not only did my body have time to heal, but my fitness heart had some time to re-amp itself too!
No comments:
Post a Comment