Slowing it down: learning how to take a break
There's something extremely rewarding about coming back from a workout exhausted and dripping with sweat.
You feel accomplished and strong, and the positive endorphin kick makes it all worthwhile.
I tend to only workout for half an hour at a time, but I make sure that half an hour counts. I really like high-intensity interval training (HIIT) which gets your heart rate up and muscles working.
However, since taking on Kayla Itsines BBG programme for the third time this summer, I've not only realised the importance of mixing it up, but also the need to take a break every once in a while and give my body time to recover.
Kayla's BBG programme has three to four HIIT sessions per week, each 28 minutes and working on a different part of the body. On Monday it's legs, Wednesday arms, Friday abs, and an optional full-body workout at the weekend. It is high-intensity, and the exercises are usually body-weight or small weights with high reps. In the past, I have worked out twice a day everyday of the week, with no rest day. I figure that as I am only working out for 30 minutes at a time, twice a day is the same as a standard 1 hour workout. I like one of my sessions to be more cardio-based (for example going for a run or a long cycle) and one more strength based (like a HIIT workout or weights in the gym).
This summer, I have found this routine more difficult to maintain. Some days, dragging myself out of bed in the morning to go for a run really does feel like a struggle when my legs are still aching from a HIIT session the day before. For this reason, I've been mixing it up and am encouraged by the results.
Now, if I do an intensive cardio session- like a fast run or long bike ride, that's me done for the day. If I've done a lot of exercise the day before and my muscles are still aching, I take the next day off and let my body recover. Taking the day off doesn't necessarily mean lying in bed all day watching Netflix (although that was the case last weekend after I raced my Dad up one of the local hills on the bike- 700m climb- my legs were destroyed). On some of my 'rest' days I go for a chilled hike, or cycle down to the local pool for a swim. I find that giving my body these breaks from intensive exercise actually enhances my performance on the days that I am working out, as my muscles have had a chance to recover.
I know that this is nothing new. Most workout programmes (including BBG) recommend days for rest, recovery and rehabilitation. However, from my own experience, I have found that is very easy to get carried away and think that doing more will make you fitter and stronger. When I started seeing results, I figured that the more I did, the faster they would come, but in reality I just ended up overdoing it and feeling tired constantly. I'd frequently have frustrating workouts where I felt like I was making no progress and I could feel my exhausted body resisting the exercises. Sometimes it just isn't worth pushing through the pain. Giving yourself a lie in and a lazy day might make all the difference. Don't get me wrong, I like to workout not just to get fit, but because it helps me clear my mind and de-stress and this is part of the reason I do it so regularly. Nevertheless, since balancing the types of exercise I do and listening more to my body, I have definitely not been worse off.
If, like I was, you're feeling constantly tired, unenthused and frustrated during your workouts, take the next day off and see if it helps. Switch up your daily run for a hike in the hills, skip leg day for some yoga, miss spinning class for some well-deserved time in bed with Netflix. You're not going to lose all your progress in one day, and you might even find that having that one day to rest works wonders for your body when you next decide to hit the gym.
