Take A Break!!!

We all get to a point sometime, whether it be with nutrition and diet, training, work, school, etc., when you just get "burned out."  Most people can't just take a break from work and school, so thankfully we have vacation time and school holidays and breaks throughout the year. Hooray!  But when it comes to your diet and training regimen, it is compeletly up to you to decide when the appropriate time is to take a break.  If you take breaks for too long or too often, then you will hinder any success you've made thus far, but if you never give yourself a break,  then you risk the effects of hitting plateaus often or even worse, overtraining. 

This is when listening to your body comes in handy.  I've recently had to deal with this myself.  I trained like a professional athlete for months, then gave myself one little week off when it was over.  After that I got right back into my training.  Well that was a stupid idea.  I didn't listen to my body and I just spent the last two months training despite the fact that my body was screaming "NO!" to me, and it's gotten to the point where I don't really even want to go to the gym right now.  Yep, me not going to the gym...gasp!  On top of that, my back and neck (which haven't bothered me for over a year) are killing me!

Now that I've decided to LISTEN to my body, I'm taking a break.  This doesn't mean I'm sitting on my sofa all day eating Doritos.  What it means is that if I wake up and don't feel like going to the gym, then that's ok.  I wake up early 5-7 days a week and get in a good solid 30+ minutes of cardio, then if I feel like dropping by the gym later for some weights, then I go for it.  But if I don't, then I don't sweat it. 

Now I don't know if you've caught onto this yet, but part of my writing this is to convince MYSELF that it's OKAY to take a break every once in awhile.  How long will this last?  I'm not sure. Probably a week, maybe two. maybe more.  But I'm listening to my body now, and I know I'll be back in the gym in no time.  I am planning to take a yoga class or two during the week because I can maintain some of my hard earned muscle, and it will be good for recovery as well.  I am an active gal, so I make sure to at least get in my 30min cardio, even if it's just a walk. :)

Here are some things to think about if you think you might be in need of a little break:

- How long has it been since you took a break besides the usual 1-2 day recovery?
   -If it's been longer than 6 months, you may consider a break.

- How are your workouts going?  Are you still sore the next day?  Is your motivation up?
   -If you are dreading the gym, lack motivation, and aren't sore, you either need to consider changing up your routine, or taking a break.

- How is your progress towards your goals?
   -If you've set goals (like you should!) but have stopped seeing any results, you be at a plateau.  If your motivation is still high, then switch things up a bit: frequency, intensity, duration, type - any can be adjusted.  And double check your diet.  If you are not motivated, then maybe it's time for a quick break.

-  How do you FEEL?
    -If you are getting sick often, are always tired, lethargic, irritable, frequent headaches, then you should consider taking a break.

There are times when you should push through and just do your training.  There have been countless times that I haven't wanted to go to the gym, but was so happy after I did the workout - those are the workouts that give you results.  But there is a very fine line between persistance, and too much.  Listen to your body!  Trust me, it's not the easiest thing to do - especially if you are even half as hard-headed as me, but give it a try.  Don't let your stubbornness keep you out longer than you'd like.  Train hard, play harder, and rest often. :)