Exercise is an important part of staying healthy and in shape, but it can also impede you making progress if you’re working out with too much intensity, frequency or when you’re not prepared for it. It’s important to know when it’s okay to push yourself and when to take a step back. Let’s explore the differences between being sore, sick, and tired, and how each can affect your workout routine.
Before we start, it is important that we understand how different forms of stress effect us and also how recovery works. Imagine your body is a bank with a starting balance of $100 (baseline). Everything and anything that you do with your body counts as a withdrawal from your bank and the only way you can deposit money back in is by not working out (recovery). So let’s say you wake up and go for a 3 mile run, that is a $30 withdrawal. You shower and eat breakfast, assuming it’s a nutritious and appropriate meal, that’s could be a deposit of $5, but it’s going to take 8-10 hours before hitting the bank. You get in your car and realize you’re going to be late, begin to get stressed, on top of that, some asshole in front of you keeps lane-switching and cutting you off even though it’s not getting him anywhere…man, this is stressful…$10 withdrawal. Yes, stress, even when not physical, can increase cortisol levels (stress hormone) which can slow down recovery. You get into the office only a few minutes late, just in time to finish up a few deliverables, but then receive a fire alarm email that a client needs something turned around by mid-day. $20 withdrawal…you get it done and finish up your day, sit in traffic again $10 withdrawal, but can’t wait to get to the gym. You finally make it to the gym, where you can’t wait to let some stress go..see where we are going with this. You get into your favorite class and absolutely crush it, your shirt is drenched and your breathing is heavy. You left it all out there, way to go $50 withdrawal. You get back home and whether it’s an email or kids that keep you up late, you have a small dinner $10 deposit and end up with less than 7-8 hours of sleep, allowing you to only deposit $40-50. Congratulations, you spent $110 yesterday and now have only got back $55-65, that is your new baseline. This is very much the realistic scenario that most people, even elite athletes experience on a regular basis. It is vital that, as someone interested in increasing performance, losing weight or trying to create a healthier lifestyle, you manage your stressors, and make sure not to cash checks your body can’t count. What happens we get to a negative balance is typically injury, sickness and/or a loss of motivation due to feeling run ragged.
Soreness is common after physical activity, but this doesn't necessarily mean that you had a good workout. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is typically marked by stiffness and tenderness in targeted muscle tissue and may not be felt until the following day after exercising, even increasing by the second. Ideally, it should begin dissipating within 48-72 hours; if not, it could be an indication of injury or overtraining. If soreness exceeds 2-3 days, the intensity of the exercise was likely too much, and intensity should be reduced when repeated the next time. This is why tracking your exercise is vital to making progress! It is best to avoid targeting these muscles until the soreness has diminished; however, it would be wise to do some active recovery targeting them (stretching, mobility). Anything too strenuous on these already recovering muscles will slow down the recovery process.
Getting sick sucks! Nobody enjoys it, even if it means you get to skip work and lay on the couch. It’s just no fun feeling crummy…but sick happens. When you feel sick or have the flu, your body is undergoing physiological changes and already working hard on its own to recover from that illness, which puts stress on your body. Therefore, it is important to remember that, while exercising is indeed important to health and longevity, exercising during this time may put unnecessary strain on your body and slow down the healing process. "The general rule is that if it is just a little sniffle and you take some medications and don't feel so sick, it's OK to work out. But if you have any bronchial tightness, it's not advisable to be working out” If you might be contagious, wear a mask when in a public space when working out as a courtesy. If it is something like the flu, best not to even bother. Do what you can, and if you can’t, don’t. Instead of pushing yourself through a workout while sick, give your body some extra rest so that you can return to regular activity faster. Sometimes exercise may actually make things worse.
We are all tired throughout the week, heck, even a long weekend may not be enough to get you back to baseline. Stressors present themselves in all different ways, and even if they aren’t physical ones, they add up. There are days to push and days to pull back. I’m not trying to discourage anyone from working out. Rather, I encourage you to take better inventory and manage the things within your control (Sleep, Nutrition and Hydration, Intensity and Recovery). If you are feeling unusually tired or fatigued throughout the day - even after getting sufficient rest - this could be an indication that your body needs more time for recovery. One of the telltale signs of fatigue is diminished grip strength, slightly inhibited coordination, and faster, more elevated than usual heart rate while performing activities. If you notice any of these signs during exercise sessions, these are the days not to push but instead to think about backing off intensity. Remember this: you will always regret the workout you shouldn’t have done versus the one you skipped. Play the long game.
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