I posted this in another area but thought I would see if I could get more input in this one.
I have been walking/working out since 10/03/12. 1 mile a day for 1 week, 2 miles a day for 2 weeks, 3 miles a day for 1 week and since 10/28/12 I have been walking 5 miles a day. I use weights (started with 2 pound and am using 3 currently). I also have been throwing in step aerobics, I try to walk down my road at least 1/2 a mile but more like a mile or two every few days, Wii workouts, Wii fit stuff, and am trying to figure out how to set up a rotation of arms, back, chest, legs, butt and ab workouts and figure out how to stretch and get more flexible (I am probably going to use the Wii workouts for those). In 39 days of this I have only taken one day off where I did no exercise at all.
I am tired. I feel a slight soreness in my legs when I move them certain ways, more soreness in other directions and they just feel generally fatigued. Should I take 1 day a week off of exercise? Do I keep going like this and the soreness will eventually go away? I know I am not supposed to do say heavy arm weights 2 days in a row so the muscle has time to rest and heal but do I need to let my legs rest like that as well? I will admit I am a tiny bit (yeah right, more like a whole lotta bit) obsessive about things so the thought of not walking/working out kind of makes me nervous.
When I don't do anything at all I feel so lazy, that I am not doing enough as it is so how dare I take a day off, that I have not taken a day off gorging and pigging out so how can I take a day off of trying to be healthier? I always feel like I should me doing more, more, more and eating less and less and less (I try to eat enough each day and I am trying to pay more attention to the value of the food, not just the calories).
Sorry this kind of ran away from my initial question.
What do I do? Rest? Not rest? I really want to do this right this time, for the last time. I know I will always have to exercise and watch what I eat so I am prepared for that. I just don't know the answer to this.
I think obsessive preoccupation with health and fitness carries the risk that you'll snap and swing the other way, i.e., completely let go. Moderation doesn't come naturally to a lot of us, but I think it's a better way to roll in the long run.
I suggest you build your entire eating and fitness regimen around the question: "Can I see myself comfortably and happily doing this for the rest of my life?" You may find that a lot of things fall into place when you take this approach.
I agree with freelancemomma. A sensible, sustainable eating and exercise plan would likely be far more effective. I don't see how *anyone* could keep up with what you are doing and not be a tired, exhausted wreck.
For me, I find that one day off a week (for now, it will be more in the future) is absolutely essential. I rest on Sundays. And when I say I rest? I stay in my pajamas all day long! LOL! I don't do a thing. I also eat the same amount of calories I'd eat on a workout day on Sunday. And by Monday morning, my body is recuperated, thinner, and ready to work for the upcoming week. I say take a day off to rest. I believe it does a body good. Also, after I've gone, say, 9 weeks with consistent exercise (that includes my one day off a week), I then take a whole week off from exercise. Rejuvenation and healing takes place during the rest period for me.
Last edited by angieand2girls; 11-12-2012 at 08:28 AM.
i take two rest days a week from running...saturday and sunday...but by "rest" i mean i run all the errands on saturday, pay the bills, get the groceries, clean the house and do the laundry...on sunday i spend more time sitting down reading or looking through cookbooks...we also have various social things on the weekends
i also have been trying to listen to my body more, really get in tune with it...and some days lately i've gotten on the treadmill to run and my body says "no" and my legs are so exhausted and i just spend an hour going for a fast walk instead
i also took a dance fitness class similar to zumba on sundays for the last two weeks and found that it made me SUPER sore and struggling to complete my running....so i actually quit going this weekend and allowed myself that second day of rest
I rest and recover on the weekend, in addition to having two heavy days and three light days of exercise per week (when I'm not on the pregnancy schedule, which I get much more fatigued during and thus can't do as much).
I won't say you're overdoing it, as I don't know your specifics, but if you went from couch slug to that schedule I'd say it is too much and to dial it back a bit until you're working out but not wiped out.
Thanks! I am going to lower my intensity for a while, I did a little less effort today, still enough to make my my heart rate go up and sweat a lot, but not as much as I was doing. I am trying to look at it as a life style change, not a diet. I am worried about burning out and quitting but worried about not doing enough at the same time. I think I might use Wednesday as a day off since it is my weigh in day.
you NEED to rest. weight loss is about what you eat, not how much you work out- working out is about toning, but when you spend too much time working out, you expand too much energy (calories) you're body goes "yeah, NO" and you rebound.
this fact is dependant on how much water you drink on a daily basis, but for me, i see my lowest scale weights after a day off, because i essentially spend the entire day sweating out excess water weight.
I think 2 days of rest per week is good, at least one. I usually workout hard with strength training and spinning for a total of 4 (sometimes 5) days a week and then walk 1 hour 15 min one to 2 days a week. My plan usually gives me 2 rest days a week. It seems to help muscle recovery and really helps my joints to feel good.
I'm tired but what do I do?
