Back to Fitness Basics

New Year's resolutions, by this time, have, more than likely, come and gone. Some made it, most have failed. It's the nature of resolutions and the nature of fitness burnout.

In our fast-paced, easy access to everything, high-demand for instant gratification lives, it is easy to lose sight that fitness is a journey. We want it all now: The weight off, the svelte look and the skinny jeans, right now. We want off of our blood pressure, cholesterol and assorted meds - we want more energy, less stress, more/ better sex and more/better sleep - now.

It's been three months or so, since 2015 began and you don't look like Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt yet? You thought you would... by yesterday?

Now it's burnout, excuses and bailouts... and you find yourself asking, "What's the point?"

It is part of our makeup, the "nature of impatience" brought about many good things in our world. If it weren't for impatience, the electric automobile and video phone may never have come to pass, or an LP becoming a CD, becoming Pandora... or the computer becoming the gateway to the internet. In reality, all are factors that have led to a greater sense of "want it, need it, gotta have it, now." We all suffer from it. You can sense it at the red light, or standing in the grocery line - that little part of us that screams "Hurry up and get there already, would ya?"

In our rush to "get there" during fitness, one of the most overlooked elements and perhaps most important, tossed by the wayside, is the element of rest. Rest is important for us, in the physical, as well as the mental realm of the journey. The secret to recovery, rejuvenation and growth, revolve around rest, nutrition, hydration and the ability to recognize their importance and priority, as part of the plan. The workout session sparks the physical change, but, rest and nutrition, are even more important in the big picture when it pertains to results. Lots of water and eating cleanly go a long way, as do training days of the week and "off day" placement within each 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.

I have crossed paths with folks that train every day, who are stuck on a plateau. It is usually due to a "lack of change mentality," over-training, lackadaisical nutrition and inadequate rest. On the "I want it now" highway, their mind is stuck in the gear of impatience. Lack of results, or those little aches and pains you may be feeling in a knee, foot, shoulder, hip or any joint for that matter, persistent fatigue in a muscle group, coupled with a consistent sense of emotional burnout, can all be signs that you are over training, not eating right and not getting ample rest to fuel recovery.

How to do it better and stay on track?

FOR YOUR WORKOUTS:

Include more rest between your sessions. This will offer your body better recovery time and more than likely, a shot in the arm, mentally.

Change your workout. Do existing workouts in reverse and change the order of the entire weekly routine for your workouts. For example, do the work- out you would normally do on Wednesday for your Monday routine and do that day's workout in reverse order. This alone can reinvigorate.

IN YOUR DAILY LIFE:
Get more sleep. Studies show we need seven to eight hours of consistent sleep, to be at our best. When you sleep, your body goes into repair mode, so it can prepare you for the next day. Too little sleep, equals too little repair and recovery time.

Say "no" to the over-crammed day timer. Find ways to create a "margin" for "do less, do nothing" periods in your week. I get it, it's easier said than done, but rest is vital.

When was the last time you sat down and read a book, or took a nap? Saying "yes" to everything, crowds out vital "you" time.

Look at it this way. Scale your workout efforts from one to ten, ten being super-hard and one being super-easy. Use that same model for your eating habits and with your rest periods. Do you eat and rest your body with a similar intensity of effort? Using this method, to help you establish better constructs for your rest/nutrition efforts, will in turn maximize your workout results.

Working out stimulates change, nutrition supports the change and rest insures that change.

You cannot out-train bad eating habits, nor can you out-train insufficient rest. Get back to the basics of meal planning, portion size, quality and frequency. Include rest and rejuvenation in your plan. Complement both by training, bound around resistance, cardio and flexibility and you will get back on track. It's April -- there is plenty of time to get big time results before summer. So rest up, fuel up and step it up to the next level, when tracking down 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.