Overtraining or Under Resting?

You know, many people come to see me because they’re feeling tired, they’re going slower, or they’re holding on to fat stores that they’d rather let go. And I know that feeling!

They seem to be doing all the right things – eating healthily and getting out to train, but somehow everything just seems so much harder than it used to. Especially women. That weird stage when they hit peri-menopause, which can be up to 10 years before menopause proper.

It can be hugely frustrating.

Life is a balance. Yin and yang and all that. When I taught Body Balance in health clubs, it was interesting the amount of people that left before the relaxation section, saying they just didn’t have time – they had to go set up their Body Pump station, or rush off to whatever chores were awaiting them. When really that 5 minutes of relaxation or guided meditation would have really helped to balance out the stress hormones that exercising increases.

I think people can struggle to strike a good balance. And that’s not surprising when you think about the speed of life these days. Being available to the office from early in the morning to late at night. How many times have you checked your work email at 9 o’clock at night? Or first thing in the morning, before you even have a cup of tea?

It takes a lot to keep creating stress hormones. They do their job, and once used, they do need neutralising so our bodies can go back to normal. But if we don’t give them an outlet, then what? If you’re feeling tired, sluggish, and out of sorts, and your mojo has left the building (hand in hand with your libido!), that’s often your body trying to tell you something. And if you’re not listening, it will eventually make you listen. If you’re constantly injured, or constantly ill, that’s your body asking you to pay attention.

You can help to strike a better balance in several ways. First, and most importantly, take a rest day. And I do mean rest. Not a quiet day with weight training instead of a long cardio session. Truly a rest day. Do nothing strenuous. You can improve your flexibility with dynamic stretches, and if you go to a yoga class, make sure it’s a gentle, stretchy class, not a sweaty, grunty class. Have a sauna. Read a book. Catch up on sleep.

Make sure that you eat enough food to support your days of training. Keep fatigue at bay by following a 2 days hard, one day easy pattern. Vary your training.

Stress hormones are mostly created by your adrenal glands, which sit on your kidneys. They love vitamin C – so plenty of veggies and fruits, and especially leafy greens. Lots of water. And salt. Don’t skimp the good stuff if you want to support your adrenals. Use unrefined salt like sea salt or Himalayan. We’re not talking Saxa here.

Add in some healthy fats from avocados, coconut oil, oily fish like salmon, mackerel or tuna. Good amounts of protein – fish, dairy, meat, pulses and nuts are all good sources. Fats are essential for good health.

Adrenals don’t love alcohol or caffeine, so make sure you don’t go overboard with these. It’s so easy to rely on caffeine for an extra perk, (pardon the pun) or use alcohol as a relaxant in the evenings.

And while we’re talking about avoidance – give the added sugar and white flour a miss (bye bye jam tarts!), as these are like throwing petrol on the fire of inflammation. You might consider giving up all gluten containing foods too, which includes most grains, as it can irritate the gut lining and increase inflammation.

Train well, eat well and rest well. The recipe for successful training.