Do you find yourself dreading working out, when just a few months ago, you couldn’t wait to go to the gym? Maybe you’ve noticed you have more colds or a foul mood recently that can’t be explained. You could have burnout. Burnout occurs for a number of reasons, but it’s often from pushing yourself too hard, too often for an extended period. It can slow progress and even diminish the progress you’ve already made.
Pace yourself.
Whether you’re just starting a workout program or are a pro in the gym, it’s important to pace yourself. You won’t build big muscles in one session. It takes time to build muscles and burn fat. Muscles grow when they’re stressed enough to cause microtears. Those tears heal, making the muscles stronger. If you don’t give them time to heal, but continuously work them causing more tears, you won’t build muscles, but tear them down. As far as getting rid of fat. The fat didn’t develop overnight and trying to burn it off in one session is impossible, plus it can cause gallstones, just like eating too much fat can do.
Getting fitter is about working smarter.
You have to design your workout program to provide the right type of workout at the right intensity for the right number of times per week. It’s not about how much time you spend in the gym, but what you do with that time. If you’re doing an intense workout, you don’t need to workout as long as you do if you expend moderate intensity. Alternate your workout so you aren’t doing strength-building two days in a row. Give yourself a day or two of rest or use recovery exercises, like walking or riding a bike a couple of days a week.
Eat healthy and get adequate nutrition.
If you aren’t providing the right nutrients, your body won’t have the raw materials to become stronger. While you might want to cut back on calories, if you’re attempting to build muscle at the same time you want to lose weight, cut only a moderate amount from your diet, rather than go on a low calorie diet. Keep your diet clean and well-balanced, with adequate protein, carbs and healthy fats.
- When you’re working out, always make sure you stay hydrated. Drink about 8-ounces of water about a half hour before you workout and then sip on a bottle of water throughout your workout.
- Take a short break from intense exercise if you find you’re getting exhausted quickly, have a longer recovery or higher resting heart rate, are extremely moody, get sick more frequently or are losing muscle mass instead of gaining it.
- Get adequate sleep. If you’re not getting enough sleep at night, your body doesn’t have a chance to heal. Even worse, if you’re overexercising, it can cause problems getting a good night’s sleep.
- Vary your workout or include some fun type of activities. Exercise can include things you enjoy doing, like dancing, hiking or biking. It doesn’t all have to take place in a gym. Vary your workout to include these things.
For more information, contact us today at LIV Fitness