Gentle reminder ❤️
Your body will tell you your limits if you're listening.
Usually, those signs are in the form of symptoms or decreased performance.
These signals are time-tested ancient, natural ways of connecting with your own limits. They are more reliable signs of your own capacity than
* Hours worked
* Work produced
* Money made
* Events attended
* Meals cooked
* Workouts performed
* Etc.
If you're like me, then this lesson is one you're constantly relearning.
I'm proud of myself for stopping a training plan recently that was decreasing my performance and mood, even though everything "logically" it seemed like something I should be able to handle. I hit 25 miles a week in my half marathon training schedule and all of the sudden my times started to slow, my joints hurt, my sleep was suffering and my digestion changed. I continued to push for about a week before realizing - oh, I'm overtraining. These are signs of overtraining. This is no longer adding to my health, and I'm wearing myself down. I simply don't have the capacity to handle this level of exercise right now.
Bummer.
But, okay.
So, with 3 weeks til race day, I stopped. I slowed down, switched up my routine, took a break, and let go of the arbitrary goals I'd made for myself 8 weeks before that. I adapted, and my body recovered and got stronger. Now I feel good.
This might seem like no big deal, but there are others ways this could have gone. I could have compared myself to my 22 year old self, or my 40 year old neighbor, or the olympians in the news and ignored my limits. I could have stuck to a plan for the sake of completing it due to some cognitive hangup about checking a goal off my list.
But I didn't.
Instead, I stayed *more committed to reality and to my health* than my expectations.
I listened to the feedback my body was giving me. As a result, I avoided injury and burnout. I'm now back to exercising in a way that strengthens me and brings me joy.
This goes for you too, love.
You may have thought you could handle something that your mind and body are giving you feedback that you can't - mentally, spiritually or emotionally.
Will you decide to honor your limits & listen?
Can you stay more committed to reality and your health than your expectations?
Humans have limits.
We have capacity.
We require support, recovery and rest.
Listen, and your body will tell you exactly how much.
If you need help listening, consider getting some sort of bio-tracker like the oura ring, a fitbit, and more to help understand how much sleep and movement your body needs to thrive.
If you need help staying healthy and understanding how your body works, I'm here for you.
Schedule your Discovery Call today.