Okay so you have a goal, whether that be to get in the best shape of your life, bikini beach ready, an event, a competition, etc. You start to pick up your training routine in hopes to reach your goals! You cut way down on your calories and carbs and are really watching what you are putting into your mouth. You turn up your training program from zero to hero. You use to go to the gym 3-4 times a week and now you are going everyday and if you get a day off you are lucky. If you do get that lucky day off, you feel guilty so you don’t take it completely off, you still do something, whether it be abs, calves, or some form of cardio. You get into a roll and you want to reach your goals ASAP, actually yesterday! You are on a mission and you are told that you have to keep pushing even when you absolutely can’t push anymore! You simply cannot miss a day because that is going to “set you back” from achieving your results. More is better… more more more. In pain, fight it, In tears, Wipe them, Feel like you are going to literally die, fight it, feel like your body just can’t give anymore, oh get over it! You cannot take a day off or rest your body because you feel guilty and like the time you are wasting resting is time you could be working out harder, doing cardio or doing something to reach your goals and get you there quicker! You get sick but you work through it, vitamin C and emergen-C in water. You are not going to let anything stop you! You are seeing result and you love it! You want more more more!
Remember, there is a difference between mentally being tired and physically being tired. Are you just having a bad day and not wanting to go to the gym or are you physically exhausted and NEED the time off. Really take the time to listen to your body and figure out where you are coming from, is it mental or physical, there is a difference!
You have to listen to your body because if you reject it if decide to ignore it, it will work against you!!
So now you have seen results for the past several weeks and all the sudden you have been going strong and suddenly you are not seeing results, you are super tired, you are frustrated and you don’t know what is going on! Your frustration causes stress and cortisol levels to rise, you are loosing sleep getting mad at anyone and everyone because you are flat out tired!! Is this normal, is this what it takes, am I suppose to feel like my body cannot move anymore!??? There are times when yes, if you are in an extreme diet this is the case but if it continues day in and day out, that is not okay! You will definitely have your ups and downs but your downs will not be the only thing you face. You will have good days and bad, high energy days and low energy days. If you find yourself only having low energy bad days, there is something going on! What is is?? Could you be over training? No, this is what all champions do, they fight this, they break through, they keep pushing to be the best they can be no matter what!!
Sweat, tears, pain, agony, — you just do it!
So you hit that plateau and still don’t quite understand! You are doing everything you have been doing all along but your body isn’t responding as it should. You are doing hours of cardio and training for at least an hour, everyday. You just don’t get it, why is my body not budging!! This makes no sense!! Okay so you push through, get to your goal as best you can. You made it, the road was hard and you struggled but you did it…. The show is amazing and you are excited. Excited for your victory but also excited to just be done and be able to take a break…
So you go to a normal lifestyle program where you are doing 1/2 the cardio and training, eating healthy but balanced and what the heck, you start feeling better, full of energy, workouts are phenomenal, cardio is HIT and you are loving it, and your body is looking amazing! You actually feel and look better than when you were in pain and pushing through with endless hours of cardio, tears, sweat, pain and doubts. What the heck is this all about!??? You don’t get it, you are eating healthy but by far not as strict as you were, following a regimented Gina Style lifestyle program, doing a regimented Gina Style lifestyle cardio program, taking time to rest and recover and you look and feel better than when you were doing everything at FULL speed. What is up with this! You know what is up with that, your body is loving you and thanking you for treating it like a temple! Your body can only endure so much before it starts to go into survival mode and protect itself! You are doing so much but not getting anywhere…
People think more is better and when you are in that full speed ahead contest or goal mode, you have to do what everyone else is doing and that is just what you do, 2 hours of cardio, intense training, no rest, no carbs, no fats, low calories, but NO this is not what your body wants from you and in turn will be the first to tell you to STOP. If you don’t listen you can be in for trouble!!
Champions are not made by ignoring your body, mind and heart but rather made by working with your body, understanding your body and treating it like a temple.
Remember, this is not a sprint but a marathon. We need to pace ourselves so we make it to the end! 🙂
Think about those times you are doing much less and reaching your goals, can you relate??
Over training can cause serious long term health problems and not to mention physical but mental too!
Be sure you take a moment to really feel yourself out and grasp your program, how it is making you feel and if you are getting enough rest!
It is totally normal to think, this is what it takes, this is what champions do, this is what it is suppose to feel like, etc. but know that rest is just as important as your cardio and diet! You have to have all three otherwise your may be not reaching your true potential!
Hey, This article is very important… and true, I experienced this the last two days and just had to sit down and not train. I feel great today!!
So glad I rested . I literally could not move on wed. Had to lay down and I never to that to busy with life, kids etc. So with two days of rest and fueled with healthy bites… I have completed all cardio this a.m. and have eaten my 1 meal. Yeah… Today will be a great day … I can feel it!
That’s my girl! Starting you day out with the right outlook and attitude! Glad you feel amazing and are ready to go. Yes, as a mother, wife, etc. you really have to be sure you are balancing out everything that is FOR sure. You have to have energy to do your motherly/wifey duties so rest is key so you can be on for you but also for them! I can feel it to, friday is here and it is going to be a great day! 🙂
*sigh* thanks Gina.
That first paragraph is literally the voices in my head ALL THE TIME. Don’t stop Eryn……somewhere some other girl is NOT tired and she is DOING MORE THAN YOU! If you don’t keep going she will beat you! You are a champion…..blah blah blah.
Sometimes this voice is my greatest strength……other times this voice is my worst enemy. I really struggle with this so I appreciate you making me feel that I am not alone.
Sometimes I guess we all need to take that step back like you talked about at the beginning of the week, and re-asses where to leap next. I think a little gut check is in order every couple of days, ya know?
Hopefully I will get to the point where I can take an off day and NOT feel guilty as heck though 🙁 haha…..
xo eryn
“Champions are not made by ignoring your body, mind and heart but rather made by working with your body, understanding your body and treating it like a temple” That is one powerful statement Gina…
Thank you for this post… I can relate to everything you said. Look at the week I just had… hmm! This is an eye opener and I’m so happy to have finally seen the light now. Many will go all their lives chasing their tales, frustrated and overtrained without seeing the expected results!
Glad you all can relate and grasp that we all face similar thoughts, processes, battles and situations!
Just remember, as you are comparing yourself to others… Everyone has their own story, their own program, their own goals, their own limitations, set backs, etc. You CANNOT compare yourself because we ALL have our own stories to tell!
It is so normal to have this voice and to learn how to cope with it and not get the best of you. NO you are NOT alone!
Re acessing each week, each day is a great place to start. Really take the time to sit back and think for a moment where you are at mentally and physically and how thing are going. I suggest you journal so you can start to learn what is mental and what is physical, learn trends, things that may be routine, etc. We get so stuck in the moment that we forget to really sit back and just be, think, breath and be in touch with our selves. It is so normal and common to get on auto pilot that we forget to breath and feel.
All in time, guiltless off days will come!!
Glad to be able to shed a little light from a different perspective ladies! Claudine, I know you can relate! You said it,
“Many will go all their lives chasing their tales, frustrated and over trained without seeing the expected results!”
Eryn think about that statement, what if that girl you are looking at and comparing yourself is that girl… yet she is over trained and chasing chasing chasing, not taking time off yet you are comparing yourself to her. Something to think about… hugs!
Well, if this article isn’t timely, I don’t know what is. This morning I dragged myself out of bed and headed to the gym for some fasted cardio. I didn’t last long on the treadmill. I think my body started out whispering, then talking, then yelling and finally ended with some screaming. That’s when I got off the treadmill, did some much needed stretching and mental regrouping. Luckily for me I am definitely NOT someone that feels bad or guilty when I take time off. I got over that sometime in my 30s. When your body is yelling at you, you really have to listen. This much I now know. So I’m going to take a couple of days to rest up this li’l ol’ body and I’ll be back in action soon. Thanks for this great article Gina!
Glad this came at the right time!! Good for you!! Sounds like you know when to call it a day!! Okay so you got up, you made it there, you are going strong and hear the scream… that is how you know it is your body not mind, why… because if it was your mind, you wouldn’t of made it to the gym, maybe not out of bed and while you were plugging along … unless your body was screaming at you, you would of powered through because you made it that far, right??? Once you get going, you usually can power through! Glad to hear you are understanding the difference between well needed and deserved Rest time!! I am sure that the mental regrouping clarified that your body was one big body ache and it wasn’t your mind screaming at you! Glad you took a few moments to dig to find out where that scream was coming from, Erin!! With May right around the corner, with the weekend rest, you can start off the first part of the month with a bang! 🙂 xo