Do you find yourself feeling like you aren’t doing enough exercise?

Or maybe that if you take one or two rest days, you won’t see results as quickly?

Aren’t we supposed to be moving as much as possible, all the time, to get better results?

Not necessarily!

Exercise, like vitamins, provides us with the most benefit in the right doses – even though it’s something our body needs, too much or too little can be deleterious to our health.

Yes, it’s important that we are creating enough stimulus to challenge our muscles, bones and system in order to make improvements in our fitness, but this doesn’t mean we have to pound our body down with our training, or exercise as much as possible.

If you are not following a progressive program (like our twelve month “Your Best Year Yet” series here), constantly pushing your body during your workouts, and not allowing for enough recovery time, you may be sabotaging your ability to progress.

How? Inadequate recovery, too much of one type of exercise(s) can potentially lead to overtraining, excess wear and tear on our system and joints and possible injury or setbacks that make staying consistent with a progressive, balanced plan much more challenging.

 

Recovery and longevity go hand in hand, and knowing when to rest can make the difference between quitting and being able to stay consistent for the long term.

Plus, think about how little you want to move around during your day when your body is feeling super sore or fatigued.

Without enough recovery, you may be moving less throughout the remaining hours of your day, which doesn’t help your health either.

 

How do you know if you are ‘recovered’?

One of the easiest ways to determine if you need more recovery time is to simply check in with your energy and capacity – are you feeling run down, exhausted, or unable to perform at your usual level?

Does your current weight load suddenly feel too heavy during a repeated workout?

Or do those intervals you were able to do well previously feel much more challenging?

Sometimes we don’t just need to recover from our workouts, we may need time to recover from life in general! If you have been going through a stressful period at work, home or otherwise, adding in a week (or two) of some gentle recovery work may be just what your system needs to replenish and reset.

Focus your recovery efforts on fueling your body well with nutrition, hydration, sleep (as much as possible since so much can affect our sleep!), and other stress-relieving activities (such as breath work, journaling, massage, etc. – check out all of our self-care options here for help with this!).

 

What is the right amount of recovery?

Finding the right dose or effort and recovery will depend highly on your body and your needs, and even what you are dealing with in your life overall right now.

 

If you are just starting, or returning to exercise or strength training after a long hiatus, for instance, you may find your muscles need more time to recover in between your lifting days (our lower intensity, steady state L.I.S.S. and Recovery series options here are great staying in motion while allowing your muscles time to recover).

Hormonal changes that can occur during your cycle and in peri menopause may cause more fatigue, aches, and pains, for example, so you may need to add in more rest days or lighter effort sessions in between harder days to fully recover your energy.

You may also be going through stress in other areas of your life, which may be depleting your energy, sleep, or nutrition. You may want to focus on more replenishing movement until you feel better able to handle more physical effort.

 

Finally, it’s important to note that If you are consistently extremely sore for days after your sessions, it may be time to change the volume or intensity of your training.

Adding too much weight too quickly, and advancing before mastering basic form and alignment during exercises won’t be resolved with more recovery if it is something you need to address within your workout plan to avoid injury and overuse.

Next time you are feeling depleted, instead of trying to power through your regular workout plan, give yourself the gift of rest and recovery (without guilt or feeling like you need to do ‘more’), knowing it may be just what your body needs to stay strong and full of energy and on track with your workout plan.

Or, if you aren’t feeling like you need a complete recovery, but are still a little low on energy or strength, try a de-load week or session(s) while still following your program. Give yourself permission to complete the session(s) at a ‘de-load’ of about 50% of your usual effort (or weight).

You may find that honoring your body with these adjustments helps you come back stronger and more capable than before (and could potentially help you prevent a setback due to injury or overtraining).

You’ll see recovery session suggestions included with your “Your Best Year Yet” rotation (including our RETREAT WEEK here), and we have an entire collection of options available for you here in your library that you can choose from at any time. Not a member yet? Come join us for our 7-day trial and see if the program is the right fit for you.

“All Access Pass” members, this series included with your membership at no additional cost here.