One of my favourite things to repeat in the gym is:

“you’re only as strong as your weakest link” 

this segment of “Less is More” will focus on doing less.

We are always consumed with doing more, when in fact, our bodies probably need us to do less.  By doing less and taking more breaks, our bodies have more time to rest, recover, and rebuild.  This, in turn, can make us stronger.  If you are a consistent gym goer, you may have experienced this when you took a few days or weeks off of training.  Whether it was holidays or work schedules that kept you from training, you may have noticed that you came back stronger after a break.  This is a good thing.  And I’m not talking about taking a few days off and going on a bender in Vegas … but a few days of no training, while maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle habits.

LISTEN TO YOUR BODY

Your body will usually give you some warning signs that it’s time to take a little break.  You may stop seeing results in the gym, such as the inability to lift as much weight as you have been lifting.  You may fatigue quicker than usual, or just not “have it in you”.  You may also experience unusual soreness, such as getting more sore from a workout that wouldn’t normally leave you sore.  Personally, this is my body’s way of telling me to slow down, or that I’m getting sick – when I’m really sore after a fairly average workout.  This is how I know I need to listen to my body, and turn things down a notch.

Whether you’ve been crazy at work, stressed with family matters, or have been travelling, your body experiences various forms of stress: emotional, physical and mental.  Smashing our bodies at the gym or on the pavement is adding yet another form of stress, and this extra stress can sometimes be detrimental to our health.  Sometimes going for a run can help relieve the stresses of a long day at the office; however, sometimes your body just needs to rest.  Watching a movie after dinner and having an early night can be a good method of stress relief.  Adding the physical stress of a run or a gym session to the already high levels of work or family stress can send your hormones through the roof, and your body will get run down.  I will also mention that I do not suggest relaxing with alcohol (this is whole another post!).  I do recommend to increase your water intake during these rest periods, or make sure you are getting enough, as you are most likely dehydrated and your body will need it.

IT’S OKAY TO SKIP THE GYM

I’ve trained with clients for over 15 years and I see it every year: clients get overworked at their jobs, or go through stressful life events, they run themselves down, and as soon as they go on holidays or take a few days off… they get sick.  They spend their holidays suffering through illness and are barely able to get themselves healthy before they have to return to work.  Another example is the chaos of Christmas time…  how many people get sick over the Christmas holidays ?!  It’s terrible!

When you are busy, and have a million things to do and so many other external forces tugging at you, it’s okay to skip the gym.  Not for too long, but during periods of chaos.  We all have different goals and different ways to deal with stress, so listen to your body.  Maybe you don’t skip the gym, but you change HOW you train.  Spend more time on mobility and stretching, and turn the intensity down during these hectic times in your calendar.

TRAINING LESS CAN GET YOU MORE

We get so consumed with training harder, doing more, and never missing a workout… when in reality, we are probably already doing enough to reach our goals.  If we miss a day, or if we miss a few days, our bodies will bounce back and we will be just fine.  If we push too hard, we could end up with injury or illness … and that won’t help us reach our goals.  Remember, you’re only as strong as your weakest link!  Our weakest link could be our mental or emotional state, our fatigue levels, or our daily stresses hitting a max.  It’s okay to do less. 

Better Posture.  better Life.

Have you ordered your E-Book ? An important part of recovery is self-myofascial release using a foam roller and therapy ball.  Learn how with my E-Book “Foam Rolling for Posture and Performance” and get started today.