Rest – Part 3

Your body will actually talk to you and tell you when it has had too much.  Listen to what your body is telling you.  A good sign of over training is constant sickness (colds, headaches), chronic fatigue, insomnia, stiff joints, muscle aches and constant soreness. It is good for everyone, once in a while, to take a week off from the gym or whatever your hardcore training routine maybe and catch up on your Z’s.  Another reason to rest is that overtime our bodies naturally will adapt to any kind of training. After a good week of rest, not only will you give your body a good time to recover and feel rejuvenated,  but it will shock your metabolism just enough to improve results.  Adaptation is a natural occurrence so rest and keep your body constantly guessing.

Not only do our bodies adapt to exercise but they also adapt to diet. If you are a healthy eater that is always on a strict and clean diet, it is good to change it up once in awhile. If you have achieved you fitness goals 100%, it is good to sometimes eat whatever. This doesn’t mean you should gorge yourself on ice cream, cake, and pizza. Once a week, you can have a cheat meal that you have been craving. Or, if you have been very strict for a long duration of time, it may be good to take a whole week off from your diet. Just let yourself have some of the things you really enjoy and don’t worry about gaining weight or getting out of shape. Often times, too much deprivation can create obsession. You want to have balance in every aspect of your life. Your health would be a great place to start!