intensity burnout

K

kariev

Cathlete
After reading the adrenal fatigue post it got me thinking about how i have been feeling lately. I've had insomnia, mild depression, i'm lacking energy but I continue to push. I've taken rest weeks and all but I always feel this way so I'm beginning to think I may be suffering from adrenal fatigue as well and i'm going to make an appointment with my doctor. Besides that, i'm really starting to dread cathe workouts:( I love her to death but each new workout makes you push harder or go longer which i know is what improves fitness but I just don't want to push like that anymore. In the same breathe im afraid to cut back on intensity because all i keep reading is that intensity is most important in fitness so it has warped my thinking to believe that if it isn't intense it doesn't count as a workout. Anyone else experiencing the dread factor? For me it really kicked in when STS came out.
 
I am so sorry you are going through a tough time right now. And, yes, I have those times, too! I think every single person goes through up and downs with workouts and everything else.
You do not have to be insane with every workout! I know, we order insanity, get sts and now we feel like we have to be the forever fitness guru and working to be on the cover of fit magazine every single day. Our expectations are too high for ourselves. For instance, my uncle is an ironman triathlete...in training he will train up to 8 hours a day. But, when it is not training season, you would think he a middle-aged suburban woman who just discovered the benefits of walking!? ha What I am saying is, he gets paid to beat his body most months, but he also gets pad to rest. They really use periodization and we should, too.

Allow your body to rest and recover. That includes your mind, too. You will be back because a body in motion really does stay in motion - I would add that it WANTS to stay in motion.
Take a rest and join later!!!
j
 
Kariev, I love what Jennfit had to say! It is so true we keep trying to push harder and longer and end up getting burned out. If you keep pushing when you don't want to you are just going to hurt yourself and/or really just crashing all together. Listen to your body, lighten up for a while, go harder only when you feel like it.

I really think it's like the eating , if we don't eat perfectly we think we've screwed up and just get disgusted. In the same way if we are pushing ourselves to near exhaustion we think we haven't work hard enough. And like the book Intuitive Eating eating what you want, I think you need to workout at the intensity that feels good to your body at each given day, trust your body it knows what you need. There are days I am ready to go all out and other day I feel like doing nothing, on the days I feel like doing nothing, I do something fun and easy and say today's workout was just about moving not progressing and I walk away feeling accomplished.


PS: Thanks for the rec on the book, I am loving it!
 
I used to feel like I was cheating if I didn't do the workouts exactly like Cathe produced them. Now, I modify my workout to what is good for me. Some days I do the whole workout, some days I do 8 inch risers, some days I do half of an Imax for 30 minutes rather than the whole thing. I just did 6 weeks of intense workouts 3 times per week with weights every other day. Now, I am doing 3 days of 20 min Hiit on the treadmill with weights every other day. I swithched because progress stopped. Now, it is good again.

I am no expert, but it seems counterproductive to work out at your highest intesnsity evey day. I think the body responds better to a mix each week. Maybe try to do one short intensity, one long intensity and one regular intensity workout for your cardio each week for a couple weeks and see how you feel.

My problem is all about the food.

Melissa
 
Hey Kariev

I also wanted to thank you for the Intuitive Eating recommendation. The info really makes so much sense and I have little a-ha moments all the time with it.

First I think that you should definitely talk to your doctor to make sure there is not another underlying issue. Otherwise maybe it is time to change things up. Do some completely different types of workouts for a while? See what you really WANT to do. Sometimes I feel like if I am not super intense now for a workout that I am not working hard enough, but I keep having to tell myself that super intense is okay for shorter workouts but if you go long you have to take it down a notch.

Good luck!
Heather
 
I felt like that also after completing STS and then CLX--that was back in Sept. I started doing a lot of Ellen Barrett and then P57 and BarMethod and felt much better. I walked with Leslie and did some of Cathe's intermediate step DVDS or modified. I am now back to strength training full body 1X a week and feel much better. I have decided to concentrate on consistency rather than intensity. You cannot keep that intensity up long term without getting burnt out or injured. I didn't gain any weight or lose any strength. My cardio endurance has lessened but really so what I am not training for any competitions. I am also eating less for whatever reason and really am not so tired. I look forward to these "softer" workouts and have definitely gained in flexibility. My arms and thighs are thinner and my clothes fit better. So right now my motto is Consistency not intensity and it seems to be working for me. Hope you feel better soon. And whatever else No Guilt about tuning it back.
 
First off, your welcome about the intuitive eating book. I've been doing so well and no more binges. Its a really strange feeling listening to my natural hunger cues and learning how to feel them. I've loved the experience. Now that I got the eating part down I guess its time for me to learn how to intuitively exercise. I need to listen to my natural body rythms and respect them. Thanks for all the tips:)
 
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