REST TO BE MY BEST
I've finally done it! Believe it or not, I really have learned to let my body rest and reset. As many of you know, I'm extremely tough on myself. Typically a so-called "rest day" to me was doing a "short" 4-5 mile run instead of longer or more intense cardio combine with weight training. Over the past two months, I've forced myself to allow my body to really rest in the true sense. By that I mean, actually taking a day off here and there, sleeping a little later, and even getting in an occasional nap when time allowed. I've been listening to my body rather than sticking to my strict routine. This goes for both exercise and diet. On my rest days I make sure to feed my body what I feel it needs to recover. Not chocolate cake of course, but healthy protein, fats and veggies. In some cases it means eating more than I would have otherwise. So, what did I expect to happen? I expected to gain a pound or two from eliminating some of my intense cardio. I expected my body to recover, especially my hip where I have some issues from time to time. And I expected to be in a bad mood the days I didn't work as hard as I'd like because I was so used to the amazing feeling my workouts leave me with. Here's the thing... I WAS WRONG! My hip has been feeling much better, BUT I actually lost a pound or two, I have been in a great mood AND I'm realizing that I made myself numb. What I was doing by pounding away at my body was just beating it up and slowing down my metabolism. Now that I'm allowing my body to recover, I feel a good and intense muscle soreness after hitting each body part. Areas that haven't been sore in a long time, are now sore after I work them. I'm no longer numb to the pain I put my body through. My body is now able to respond to the stimulus I create and hopefully continue to improve. My metabolism and my digestion is recovering in a noticeable way, which allows me to be more relaxed. The lesson here is that rest is extremely important. I've always preached it, but never really practiced it the correct way. Now I have my own proof that rest is key to reaching the next level. This doesn't mean you should quit training, eat what you feel like and expect results. My workouts are just as intense as ever. When it's time to work, it's time to work. But now I've learned, when it's time to rest, it's time to really rest. So, if you're anything like I was and don't know how to take a day off, teach yourself how to rest. If you take your rest and kick butt the days you train, keep it up. If you rest too much, pick up the intensity of your workouts so you can improve. Whatever category you fall into, find a way to rest, recover, reset and push yourself to the next level. CRUSH TIME!
I've finally done it! Believe it or not, I really have learned to let my body rest and reset. As many of you know, I'm extremely tough on myself. Typically a so-called "rest day" to me was doing a "short" 4-5 mile run instead of longer or more intense cardio combine with weight training. Over the past two months, I've forced myself to allow my body to really rest in the true sense. By that I mean, actually taking a day off here and there, sleeping a little later, and even getting in an occasional nap when time allowed. I've been listening to my body rather than sticking to my strict routine. This goes for both exercise and diet. On my rest days I make sure to feed my body what I feel it needs to recover. Not chocolate cake of course, but healthy protein, fats and veggies. In some cases it means eating more than I would have otherwise. So, what did I expect to happen? I expected to gain a pound or two from eliminating some of my intense cardio. I expected my body to recover, especially my hip where I have some issues from time to time. And I expected to be in a bad mood the days I didn't work as hard as I'd like because I was so used to the amazing feeling my workouts leave me with. Here's the thing... I WAS WRONG! My hip has been feeling much better, BUT I actually lost a pound or two, I have been in a great mood AND I'm realizing that I made myself numb. What I was doing by pounding away at my body was just beating it up and slowing down my metabolism. Now that I'm allowing my body to recover, I feel a good and intense muscle soreness after hitting each body part. Areas that haven't been sore in a long time, are now sore after I work them. I'm no longer numb to the pain I put my body through. My body is now able to respond to the stimulus I create and hopefully continue to improve. My metabolism and my digestion is recovering in a noticeable way, which allows me to be more relaxed. The lesson here is that rest is extremely important. I've always preached it, but never really practiced it the correct way. Now I have my own proof that rest is key to reaching the next level. This doesn't mean you should quit training, eat what you feel like and expect results. My workouts are just as intense as ever. When it's time to work, it's time to work. But now I've learned, when it's time to rest, it's time to really rest. So, if you're anything like I was and don't know how to take a day off, teach yourself how to rest. If you take your rest and kick butt the days you train, keep it up. If you rest too much, pick up the intensity of your workouts so you can improve. Whatever category you fall into, find a way to rest, recover, reset and push yourself to the next level. CRUSH TIME!
"Rest is good after the work is done"
NOVEMBER MUSIC
"Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes... including you."
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