Low Wood Bay Fitness Instructor, Susie Anton, is very clear about giving our bodies time to rest between intensive training sessions. She explains why …
Sometimes we take on a frantic must-workout-every-day mind-set. We forget that one of the most important aspects of exercising effectively is giving our bodies time to recover.
There’s lots of talk about the importance of exercise and the associated health benefits. We also hear about the negative side effects of not exercising. However, we very rarely hear about why we also need to allow our bodies’ time to rest.
The Dangers
The danger of not applying this wisdom is that it could lead to ‘over training syndrome’ which is fairly common among people who want to reach their fitness goal faster. When performing excessive amounts of exercise without proper rest and recovery you will experience harmful side effects, such as
- Decreased performance
- Fatigue
- Altered hormonal states
- Poor sleeping patterns
- Reproductive disorders
- Decreased immunity to fight of illnesses
- Loss of appetite
- Mood swings
When the physiological stress is too much for the body to handle it will lead to overuse injuries like muscle strains, joint pain and even stress fractures. Resting is just as important as working out and is an equal part of the total process required to build strength, endurance, muscle.
Rest and Recover
When working out, body tissue naturally breaks down, and muscles can also sustain microscopic tears. When this happens, muscles compensate for any damage by reconstructing themselves to be stronger and bigger so they can cope better next time you work out. By not allowing recovery you are starving your muscles of the chance to grow. This can decrease muscle tone – the exact opposite of what you want!
By resting, you allow your muscles, nerves, bones, connective tissue time to rebuild. That’s why rest, along with a balanced healthy diet and quality sleep, are essential as part of a good fitness regime.
Healthy Berry Bowl from Normans
It’s this process of rest, repair and recovery that makes us fitter and stronger. Those who take it easy in between sessions of intense training see better fitness levels and better results.
Train Better, Train Wiser
Susie and the team at The Health Club at Low Wood Bay have lots more information to share with you. If you have any queries about your fitness plan or training schedule come and have a chat – they are only too happy to and help.
