Play Hooky from your Workout...

 

Ever get that feeling where you just don't feel like working out? Be honest, it's ok, we won't take it personal! Hey, it happens to all of us at one point or another. One of our Core Values is "We Demand of Ourselves What We Ask of Our Members". Simply stated, when we remind all of you awesome members to take a recovery day or two (or three), we have to ask the same thing of ourselves. There are still trainers in this day and age that workout 6-7 days per week and hardly ever take a day off. We can strongly let you all know that your coaches here ENJOY recovery days, relish them as a matter of fact, and don't generally workout more than 4 days per week. Sounds crazy, right? Well, we know and have seen firsthand what happens to the body when it is under constant stress (and yes, exercise is a "stressor"), and is not allowed to recover from the previous workout. Pain and achiness sets in, you might feel a bit more "cranky" with your spouse or partner, and you overindulge in foods that may not be part of your normal diet. That's why we don't expect you all to be here 6 days a week and have even encouraged some of you to not do two days in row--we rarely do that ourselves, so why should you? 

More importantly, we encourage all of you to try other activities that may be out of your comfort zone in place of a strength workout or class. How about a nice walk or bike ride around the Berkeley Marina or a round of golf with a friend? Better yet, try taking 1 whole week off of training, classes, or anything for that matter. In the fitness world we call that "deloading", and is generally done for 1-2 weeks during a training cycle, in order to allow the body (and more specifically, muscles, tendons, and ligaments) to recover from a large amount of consistent activity. Most of us have been training consistently for years, and here's the deal:

Your body cannot recover in just one day! Furthermore, you don't get stronger from exercise--you get stronger from recovering from exercise!!!

If you have any questions or are confused by this concept, please let us know! Remember, we are a teaching gym and want all of you to understand and be comfortable with the ideas and information we give you. 

So, to wrap this up, we encourage you to play a little hooky from your workout every now and then, don't feel guilty about it, and realize that you are doing your body a favor by backing off the weights for a day or two. Secondly, try to revisit an activity that you either haven't done in a while or find a new one to try if you can make it work in your schedule. If there is any way we can help you, please let us know--we are always listening and available for advice! Good luck everyone!