Getting Burned Out?
As we get into the summer months, it is always a trend to spend a little less time in the gym. It's so easy to throw in the towel and head to the lake or meet up with friends and hit the pool. These types of things are absolutely necessary in order to keep your sanity but you need to be cautious of completely fallilng off the wagon as it relates to your health and fitness. No matter how long you have worked out, your body will QUICKLY adjust back to being sedentary if you give it a taste of how great that feeling is. Let me clarify….it isn't a great feeling for you, but your body will fool you into thinking that lazyness is exactly what you need. When you stop being active, your body will become more fatigued which means you will most likely spend an increased amount of time lounging around doing things that don't require much activity. Newsflash: When do you find that you tend to eat the most amount of food you probably don't need…..? At night time as you are sitting on the coach watching a little TV and unwinding from the day. This is because it is one of the few times throughout the day where you are relaxed and not in “work-mode”. Now imagine that you double this amount of time throughout the day where you are inactive and “resting” (“resting” is also read as “LAZY”)….what do you think this translates into with eating? I would imagine that if you double the time you are sedentary throughout the day, you are going to double the amount of food you eat throughout that period of time. Everyday you spend doing less and less, it becomes exponentially more difficult to kickstart your fitness routine back up again. On top of this, what took 4 months to fit into the clothes that you had dreamed of finally getting into, it will take about 2 weeks before your busting out of the seams of those things
Again, everyone goes through periods of time where they are less motivated to do certain things, there is nothing wrong with that. You just have to be aware of these “ruts” and have a plan for them so they don't de-rail everything you have worked so hard to achieve. Some simple things that can help you get through a time like this:
1. Instead of trying to come to the box 4+ times/week, try two weeks where you just come 2-3x/week and spend the extra time away from the box doing another hobby that you enjoy. Most times, you will end up missing your additional workouts and come back a few weeks later refreshed and ready to add back your additional days. During the time you spend away from the box, you will need to be a little more conscious of what you are eating…less workouts = less calories burned which means you don't need as much food as you would normally if you were working out 4+/week.
2. Switch things up a little bit. Come in to class at a different time. Maybe even skip the group class and hit CF Endurance twice one week and take the week off from Group workouts.
3. I think a last resort could be to take an entire week off from the box. This can be dangerous because it will be VERY easy for this 1 week to turn into 2,3, or even a month off. Let me tell you, if you take a month away from Vitality, the amount of pain and suffering you will go through to get back acclimated to the workouts and the heat will NOT be worth however much fun you had during your month away:) If you choose this option, after that week is over, you need to make getting back in the gym on the following Monday an absolute priority. The first day may be mentally tough to get back into it, but once your back, you will most likely have a renewed excitement to get after the workouts.
At the end of the day, you need to be aware that it is totally alright to enjoy your summer and have as much fun as humanly possible. My only advice is to just remember to take care of yourself at the same time. The endgame of this whole CrossFit movement is improved quality of life, not to have a 8-pack to show off at the beach. The goal is to be able to have as much fun this summer in your 30s and 40s as you will have in your 70s and 80s. Don't sacrifice your health now so that you spend the rest of your days trying to un-do what you did to yourself in your prime years.
There are people out there that are always looking for a quick fix. You all know how I feel about those types of people and I won't get into that again. However, don't let me catch you sitting in one of these at work or we will have a problem:) As always, if there is anyone out there that tells you they can improve your health and overall fitness and it will do so with little to no discomfort or suffering…..they are lying to you. It is hard work to be fit. Look around next time your out and about, we are the minority. If it was easy, we wouldn't be the most disgustingly obese country in the world.