Have you ever heard the term, “overtraining?”
In the fitness world, it means exercising too much, getting injured, fatigued and burned out. In short, moving backward rather than toward your goals. This situation is real, but I prefer to think of it as “under recovered” instead.
Recovery is the Bodysmith’s second Foundation of Health, and unfortunately, most people ignore it. This is a BIG mistake because it is vital to reaching your goals. Sleep, stress reduction and getting a little enjoyment out of life are all part of a good recovery plan.
Here are my suggestions for staying recovered:
- Sleep. Most experts agree on 7-9 hours every night. Snoozing during the night is the best way to allow your body to repair physically and psychologically. If you must sleep during the day, make your room as dark as possible and turn off electronics.
- Exercise, but not too much. A little activity every day is excellent, but we can overdo it. Vary your intense workouts with relaxing and low impact activities like walking, bike riding or stretching. Listen to your body. It knows what’s best.
- Eat supportively. Refer back to last Thursday’s email where I talked about nutrition. If what you eat isn’t supporting your goals then you are probably not going to be adequately recovered.
- Have some fun! Being social or doing things you enjoy are all part of the picture.
What are your strategies to improve your recovery and health?
– Coach Brad
