Feeling blah? When should you rest and when should you push through? This is one of the hardest things for clients. The old school mantra of 'toughen up' isn't always the best option. But, sometimes the best thing you can do is get out the door and move. So how do you know what is best for you?
Learn to read your body and learn to understand your responses.
Here are a few scenarios that would determine if you should REST or MOVE.
Increase in resting heart rate by 10-15bpm over a 7-day period - REST.
Feeling unmotivated, but once you are moving for 10-15 minutes that lifts - MOVE.
Reaching for foods you wouldn't normally choose on a regular basis - REST.
Bumping your exercise down your priority list when it is normally ranked 1-3. REST or maybe MOVE. If elevated resting HR, plateaued performance, poor diet consistently, severe fatigue, increased busy life REST or even better try REDUCING MOVEMENT rather than eliminating initially.
Plateau in performance over 2-3 months eg, not being able to improve a 3km running time trial- REST.
Consistently training week to week, over several months with no change in load and feeling flat. REST / try a lighter few weeks of MOVEMENT.
If you feel blah, and you keep moving, and your symptoms are aggrevated or worse following the session- REST.
Consistently falling ill and not being able to shake the sickness quickly or effectively. - REST.
Everyone's immune responses, moods, emotions, and tolerance levels are different. It's important you hone down on the red flags that mean REST for you, and those orange flags that mean you need to move to shift that blah feel. Understanding how increased inputs and stimuli such as increased work hours, kids extracurricular activities, poor diet, financial or emotional stress can throw your balance is important. Sometimes movement is more of a sliding scale. When life factors are high, movement is reduced either in frequency, intensity, or duration to still fit in, but not overwhelm the system.