on listening to your body & recovery

I've spoken previously on motivation and determination here, and I definitely feel the same. it's important to recognize that even on days when you are feeling lazy you should keep moving. and yes, pushing yourself is very important to get stronger and progress.

but along with that, it's important to listen to your body and what you actually NEED to do. this is something that I've struggled with. something I've struggled with throughout my entire workout journey, to be frank.

over the past few months, I have changed up my routine A LOT. new job, long commutes, training for multiple events, engagement, wedding planning, looking for an apartment, and it's been EXHAUSTING.

so with that, I have noticed that my training has been WAY harder. and, yes, I am pushing myself and working with new weights and pushing my pace, but I am tired ALL OF THE TIME. And that's not normal! 

I had noticed a lot of changes in my mood and appetite and motivation and in how my training was going. (So many hand tears) 

So I knew that I needed to take a break. Looking back over the past year, I hadn't taken a real break (rest for more than a day or two) in, well, almost a year. (Right around my move down to San Diego) which was not including the time in December when I was basically vomiting the entire month due to every type of illness I could manage to get (likely because I was exhausted and my immune system was compromised). 

I made the decision that after my June competition that I would take about a week off. So after my snatch set, I took the whole week off from any real lifting. Which was not easy for me; 1) because I work in fitness so I'm surrounded with people working out all day 2) I do really enjoy exercise 3) it's part of my routine and I am a creature of habit. 

 And what did I do on my rest week? 

Not a lot. Sometimes a walk. Sometimes some yoga. Sometimes a little bit of mace swinging. By the end of the week I was doing some fun flows with the kettlebell at light weights. And that's it. I didn't do anything crazy and recovered all week. 

I also didn't change up my eating habits. I ate basically the same things as I usually do as far as I could tell. 

I checked my Heart Rate Variance on an app (HRV4Training) to see where it thought I was in my recovery as well. Just to have some unbiased science in on my recovery, too. 

And by the end of the week I had more energy, my moods were in a better space, my appetite had gotten more normal.  

I just felt much better. My training all last week was back to regular strength, I haven't been waking up tired. It's been awesome. 

If you are noticing that your training is taking a hit, if you're tired all the time, if you're just wholly unmotivated for weeks at a time, if you're moody and just feeling off ~ it may be time for a break

I know there's fear of stopping when you're in a routine, but i promise it does you more good than continuing to train while you're burnt out. Take the few days off and let your body recover fully so you can actually enjoy your training. It's well worth it. 

what are: rest days

a lot of people have trouble getting started... but there is also a real issue with not taking breaks. personally, i had that issue. i would workout HARD 7 days a week... did that get me gains? did i hit my goals faster? NOPE. i over-trained, hurt myself, and kept going, and kept hurting. REST DAYS ARE SO IMPORTANT. and i say this as someone who loves training and someone who sometimes still likes to train 7 days a week. (it's hard to stop, to be honest). but i've learned that fitness should not be "all or nothing" it should be a balance. 

so here's what i know:

when you train nonstop, you never give your body time to recover. even if you are training different parts of your body, you still need to give your body a break. no rest leads to fatigue... which leads to lower quality training... which can lead to plateaus. (which is SO frustrating, as i'm sure you know). 

when you are doing resistance training you are breaking down your body tissues, you create tiny tears in your muscles. rest days allow the tissues time to heal and repair. if you don't rest, you are significantly more likely to injure yourself, overuse injuries from using your muscles too much and from working out while fatigued. you're more likely to get muscle strains, joint pains, and/or fractures. 

and when you over-train you are messing with your whole body. you'll sleep worse, which leads to a lowered immune system, and that means you are so much more likely to be sick (and that'll really mess with your training schedule). 

and if you are nonstop training you are more than likely going to burnout. if you take consistent rest days you are likely going to stay more on schedule because your body is going to be ready to do the work. 

so what should a rest day look like? 

that's gonna be different for everyone but here are the most important parts: 

- keep on track nutritionally, just because you're taking a day off training, that does not mean you should go off the rails on food. hit your macros, track your calories, or whatever you do on normal workout days. 

- STAY HYDRATED. this is true everyday, but make sure on your rest day that you are on still on your water intake even though you didn't hit the gym.

- don't be entirely stagnant. i mean, this is a rest day... but you don't need to be horizontal the entire day. stretch or foam roll for recovery. take a walk. go for a leisurely swim. you can keep moving without it being a workout day. active recovery is my personal favorite type of rest day. i'm able to keep moving which helps me stay on track. BUT make sure whatever you're doing isn't going to make you sore. 

- get your sleep! sleep is a key part of general health and for recovery from the gym. a fatigued you is not as effective as a well-rested you. that's a fact. so make sure you're taking care of yourself and getting the sleep you need every night (and especially on the rest day). 

and that's it. rest is simple. your rest day will likely look different from someone else's and it may look different from week to week depending on your work and training schedule. and that's okay, just as long as you're listening to your body and letting yourself properly recover. 

need help getting on a good training schedule? click HERE to check out doing one of my programs. 

have questions?  you can leave a comment below or check out any of my social media HERE . 

why & how i became a personal trainer

if you would have told me a few years ago that I would be a certified personal trainer I would have laughed straight in your face. 

aug. 8, 2015 ~ 5-6 months after beggining to exercise

here's the thing, i had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew it wasn't hospitality or accounting.  i started working out shortly after my i got my job in accounting.  before then I was able to pretend that since I was on my feet all day (just standing and leaning on the desk tbh) I didn't need to exercise. but once I got a desk job I had no excuses. so a few times a week i would wake up a little early and go walk and jog on the treadmill in the garage. over several months i started running more days during the week, and do longer sessions. and i started focusing on my nutrition and what i was eating more. lots of small steps. (and some definite over-training, but that's another day's discussion). but exercise definitely became something i looked forward to. I really enjoy(ed) getting to push myself every morning. I made lots of little goals, different speed goals and different distance per month goals. and once i got to hit those i could make new goals and that was exciting for me. 

sept.9,2016 ~ post workout 

and then once i was able to go to a real gym i realized there was more to life than cardio and started doing more weightlifting and kettlebell (i had started that before, but once i got into a gym i realized how much more i could do and i was able to push myself even more with different weights). and i was able to learn all sorts of new things that i never had the chance to do before. 

and that's when people really starting asking me for help in weight loss and working out. or people would come out to join me in my morning workouts. and i had a lot of fun helping people out and answering questions about how i did it but also i didn't feel totally comfortable in giving people advice because i didn't have all the answers and health and fitness is a personal journey and i didn't want to be responsible for giving someone bad/ wrong advice. 

nov. 3 2016 ~ got my study material for ACE PT exam 

and while all that was happening i was also trying to figure out what my next step was going to be, and what i wanted to do with my life. i went over a lot of different options and a lot of different ideas but kept looking at personal trainer certifications... and after talking with colt about it, i made the commitment to going for it. i realized that the gym is what i genuinely looked forward to everyday and getting to help other people figure out the gym was cool for me. and i was already doing a lot of research for me and other people so, why not have the actual certification? 

dec 2016 study session

was it easy? absolutely not. preparing for that exam took months of studying and reading and re-reading and note taking. it was so, so stressful. but thanks to many (MANY) hours of reading and studying and the un-ending support from col t i took the exam and passed it and earned my certification through ACE! 

it has been a long road to becoming a personal trainer but i feel so right about it. i already have gotten to help lots of people with their goals and i cannot wait to help so many more throughout my career! 

post-workout with awesome ladies

by the way, if you are interested in training (in person or online) send me a line!! i would love to work with you! (tiffnessfitness@gmail.com)