I thought I’d do a post on something that I’m too often guilty of- overtraining. Yes people, there is such a thing. You know those rest and recovery days athlete’s normally factor in? Yeah, they’re not doing it because they are weak or they can’t hack it (have you seen the amazing things they are capable of- not to mention how aesthetically pleasing they are! ha). They’re doing it because they’re smart and they see training/exercise/fitness in their long term goals, not just for the short term. I very well know the repercussions of over training, eventually you’ll body will force you to stop- through injury or illness. And this might not be ‘pop a few pills and feel better’ type of injury- this could be something serious that will alter your future workouts/trainings forever. But lets not let it get to that hay? And instead work with our bodies. (Have I scared you enough! BOO).

Often people guilty of this have ED, exercise addictions, self confidence/esteem issues or something thereabouts. But overtraining isn’t just evident for these people. Anyone can be guilty of it. Following the notion of overtraining, talking about overtraining has been done, many times before. What I want to zone in on is the why we over train? Do we do it so we can say ‘Oh yeah, I work out 7 days a week’. Or do we endlessly exercise in the hope to reach the ideal ‘skinny’ that is unattainable, because no matter how small you get it’ll never be good enough in your mind. Or is the sweat, endorphins and physical high we experience afterwards  too good to give up as it distracts us from the anxiety and unhappiness we deal with on a daily basis? These are just a few explanations that you may or may not be able to relate to. I know personally, I can.

Ever since something clicked over in my head and I got a little scare with my knee I’ve been factoring in rest days once a week. And you know what? It feels amazing, and I know my body is thankful for it. {Oddly enough, usually the day after a rest day I’m sorer..why does this happen?} Anyways back on track- recovery/rest days are an ESSENTIAL part of any training program, exercise regime or workout sessions. Lets get one thing straight: Rest and recovery days ARE NOT the same thing as missing/skipping a workout. You’re not backing out, being a wuss or losing your ‘fit’ status by taking a rest day. What you are doing is listening to your body, strengthening it and repairing your muscles! If we want our bodies to perform to their best during the training/workout we need to listen to them when they want something from us.

But let’s be honest here, it’s not just the physical fatigue you experience when overtraining. There’s the psychological stuff too, which we all know is the tough business. It’s totally natural to feel guilty when factoring in rest days. I know.. because I’ve been there. It will be tough the first few times you ‘take a day off’ but trust me when I say it gets easier. It also makes dealing with unexpected interruptions (LIFE) that alter your exercise/workout a lot easier to adjust to! Like anything, you’ll get use to it and you’ll actually begin to enjoy those days (believe it). I know for me rest days mean I can work some extra hours (more $$$), spend more time with the boy, family and friends, or do something different.

It’s one of lifes’ funny little twists. You know, like when you stop restricting food items and then the whole ‘halo’ goes and you don’t even feel like it anymore! Well this is exactly the same. You think you’re gaining weight, losing fitness or missing out on workout gains by not working out- when actually you’re doing your body MORE good by taking a recovery day and MORE harm by over-exercising. If you take those recovery days in the short term (weekly basis- 1 to 2 days is recommended) you’ll see more perks when you end up going back to the training/gym/workouts. Reverse psychology has never worked better

**I am not a professional so please consult your Doctor or GP before making any changes. I’m just talking from experience and my prior knowledge.**

Are you guilty of over training? What is your favourite recovery day activity/thing/event to do?