Should I power through?

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3/1/12 2:00 P

You won't undo your progress by taking a rest day; you don't even have to stop exercising completely. On days when I'm very sore, I will go for a light walk just to keep my body moving. It's slow enough that my muscles can heal, while still keeping me in an exercising habit.

Remember that the pain you're feeling is because of microscopic tears in your muscles. If you DON'T let them heal, this can lead to their breakdown. HOwever, if you rest and let them heal... you will be literally making them stronger.

You absolutely can hurt yourself by doing too much, too fast, not to mention the risk of burnout. Remember that your body needs fuel to run.. with the kind of exercising you're doing, you're likely eating too few. Active people need more than sedentary people, and while 1200 calories might be fine for someone sitting in front of a computer all day, it's not for you, who's up and moving as much as you are.

You can enter your fitness goals in the fitness tracker here, and it will help Sparkpeople generate a healthy calorie level for you to eat and still lose weight.

Try this article, it will help you understand WHY you need to eat more. High performance people need high performance food. :) www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_art
icles.asp?id=627&page=3

Posts: 12,539
3/1/12 3:13 A

No backlash.

And having go to exercising regularly, I understand how you would not want to fall off the wagon.

But your body is giving you some signals that you are doing too much too soon.

It may help to think of this as a "recovery day", rather than "being lazy". Some people do some very light cardio (eg. walking for 15-20 minutes) to stay active, while still giving their body a rest from more intense cardio. Giving your body a chance to catch up actually helps it perform better in the long term.

For most people, losing weight is 80% nutrition, and just 20% exercise. As long as you continue to eat healthy, you are not going to gain weight from taking a recovery day.

M@L

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2/29/12 8:29 P

by over exercising, under eating, you'll do more damage to your overall long term health than you will by taking a rest day once a week.

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2/29/12 7:59 P

I really do appreciate the advice. Here's where the backlash may start. I have built up quite a track record of bad habits. Eating what I want when I want, drinking beer when I want and as much as I want, being completely lazy, etc., etc., etc. My wake-up call was walking past a mirror one day and not recognizing the person looking back at me. My skin was bad, my belly made me look 6 months pregnant, my hair looked thin and mousy, and I looked like a stranger to myself. I don't know what took me so long to see what was right in front of me, or how I allowed myself to get to that point, but it scared the crap out of me. There and then I made a commitment to myself to treat myself better. The problem is, I'm not exactly sure how to do that. My gut instinct was "fast and furious." I've looked back at my food journal over the last 10 days and I see that I'm eating healthy, but I'm actually only consuming about 1200 calories. That's not intentional, just what it averages out to be. I'm not putting crap into my body, I gave up salt for Lent, and I'm very mindful of what I'm eating. I'm just wondering if I'm doing myself a disservice by doing too much too fast. I don't want to undo all the effort I've made (I'm down an inch after 10 days, but I REFUSE to step on a scale) but I don't want to sabotage myself before I get where I want to go.

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2/29/12 7:30 P

I think you are being excessive in your workouts. Both of those DVDs are cardio which is the least import exercise modality for fat loss contrary to the current myth. The mini weights used in the one will not build strength or increase muscularity contrary to the claims made by Jillian so the workout is cardio. If you want to go to two a days then add a strength training session three days a week as a second workout and do only one cardio workout on the non strength training days.

Five or at max 6 days a week is all you want to workout, I have my clients do 5 then pick up some form of active recreation the other two days. Nutrition (diet) takes the fat off not exercise, exercise improves your ability to do physical things and be healthy.

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2/29/12 7:22 P

I like to plan "active things" that aren't exercise, but just general activity on my rest days. So, long walks, slow bike rides, ice skating...I prefer to do that on my rest day (though I won't say no on the other days!)

2 a days, 7 x a day isn't realistic. I train with amateur and pro MMA fighters....the month leading up to a fight, they will train 3-4 hours a day, 6-7 times a week, except for the last week..so really, for only 3-4 weeks.. Even then, they work up to it...they will start by going more during the week..then doing a couple 2 a days..until their body can sustain that amount of activity without injury (which does happen!). HOWEVER...after the fights...they back down! They go back to taking 1 or 2 rest days, as well as only training once (maybe twice if it's two different disciplines) a day.....and even then, the training is less about getting in great shape cardio wise, and more about technique.

my point is, even though some professional athletes may have to train and train for an event, that is only for 2-3 events a year, not for an event every 6 weeks. That amount of training isn't feasible even for them, much less for us who are just trying to stay fit!!

I personally train 6 (maybe 5 on some weeks) days a week, with one day that I can either do something active or I slug around. Even my workouts throughout the week are different in lengths/intensity.....if I went hard for a long time every single day I would be worn out!!

Take a breather, and enjoy the fruits of your labor...and hit that next day as hard as you can, with all your new energy!

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2/29/12 7:02 P

Wow I got tired just reading what you do....I would do only one of the videos.

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2/29/12 5:32 P

Most experts would recommend a rest day every week or so.

It lets your body catch up on all those little repair jobs, and ultimately helps your body perform better.

Even G-d rested on the seventh day.

Just don't let a rest day become a rest 3-4 days.

M@L

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2/29/12 5:19 P

When I was much younger I had a wise older man say to me, "Micheal, make haste slowly." It seemed very difficult to do back then, but now gradual progress is the order of the day, that and listening to my body.

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2/29/12 3:14 P

Thanks everyone! I was kind of feeling that was the case, but I didn't know if I really needed a break, or if I was subconsciously looking for an excuse. I appreciate the feedback!

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2/29/12 3:02 P

It's also always ok to take a rest day! Rest days are very important to allow your muscles time to recover and rebuild.

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2/29/12 2:58 P

Sounds like you need a break! Enjoy that rest day!

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2/29/12 2:46 P

Your body is telling you to slow down. The previous poster has given you some good advice.

Coach Jen

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2/29/12 2:44 P

I would cut back. Two a days are a lot to be starting out with, not to mention, I think it's unsustainable. Are you really going to workout twice a day for the rest of your life? I would possibly alternate days between the two.

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2/29/12 2:32 P

I have been working out diligently for 10 days straight. I do Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred in the morning and Biggest Loser Cardio Max later in the day. Some days I bike as well. I've been feeling good, and I can tell I'm getting stronger. Now I'm feeling some soreness in my thighs and lower back, and my legs are beginning to feel like jello. I'm absolutely exhausted. So, should I just power through and keep going, or is my body telling me to calm it down a little? I am so committed to reaching my goals. I don't want to negate the hard work I've already put in, but I don't want to hurt myself either.