Don't Push It

We've all been there. That little drive inside of us that screams "You can do more!" or the image of a person you admire that pushes you to press on no matter how tired or weak you may feel. There are so many people who believe that if they train for hours on end, no matter how exhausted & weak they become, they will achieve their physical goals faster as opposed to taking it easy and working out with a carefully crafted scheduled plan. The mindset of it all is less time, faster results, happier self image. WRONG!

By continually training yourself to exhaustion, you won't achieve the desired look or results you are aiming to reach. You are actually working against yourself forcing your body to reject the response you are looking for from your workouts. Cardio, Strength Training, Yoga, Ab training, HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), Pilates & more should always be done on alternating days. The point isn't to plateau when you workout, which is why these routines are to be done on different days. Mixing up your routines will actually increase your body's ability to positively respond to each workout you do everyday. Giving your body a chance to actually recognize where its being worked out will build the muscle you want, increase the cardiovascular system as needed, and give you the flexibility & strength you are working so hard for. 

I always remember the saying "Rome wasn't built in a day." It was a process. Just as many things aren't created in a day, our bodies surely fall into the category of a process. When we were being developed in our mother's womb, it took 9 months to devolop everything we needed in order to be ready for birth. If our lungs weren't fully devoloped, we would be on oxygen until they were or we wouldn't survive. If our fingers & toes weren't developed we wouldn't be able to grab things or walk without help. Each body part plays a role in something. There are an obvious amount of reasons it takes time to develop, so understanding that building muscle, losing weight, increasing cardiovascular health & more all take a process of doing routines on alternating days.

Injuries are by far one of the most annoying scenarios to people who love fitness as I & a lot of you do. It hinders us & makes us feel soft, out of the loop, off our routine & aggravated  because we can't do anything about it. Stress comes into play, we get angry & we hate everyday we are impaired. We constantly look for ways around the injury trying desperately to find a workout we can do until we heal. I'll admit, if its an injury I can work around & avoid hurting myself further where I'm hurt, I'll find a workout suitable for me to do. However, if I know that I will be pressing my luck by trying to workout with an injury that can't tolerate anything strenuous, no matter what, I will NOT workout. I will let myself heal as I need to & when the time is right and I am 100% again, thats when I will get back into my routine. Trying to push yourself through a workout with a serious injury will only disable you for longer, as opposed to helping you heal so you can get back into your normal routine faster. 

Don't Push It!!! There is a reason people talk about this all the time. We want to be able to heal so when we get back to our everyday routine we are stronger and ready to "Bring It" in the gym or at home. Nothing is more important than paying attention to your form when you workout. It prevents you from hurting yourself. Don't get egotistical or try to impress that guy or girl with how much weight you can push around or how long you can do a cardio routine. Make it a point to have a set plan that you can follow so you will achieve the results you want for you. Being safe about your routine is better than being sorry. 

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