In the gym nearly EVERY morning, doing classes back to back, training well over 8 hours a week – this was me five years ago.
Did my weight ever change? No.
Did my measurements ever go down? No.
Did my clothes size ever change? No.
Did it make me strong? Inevitably, over time I grew muscle.
Was I exhausted? Yes.
Did I feel good? No.
Was I happy? Not really. The irony being that because I wasn’t getting the results I wanted, I wanted to do more and always made plans to do more. Never did occur to me that actually doing less would serve my happiness and goals better.
Does exercise alone transform bodies? Rarely. Does sleeping more, eating better, feeling good and stressing less transform bodies? Without a doubt. Does a moderate quantity of exercise have a positive effect on all those things? YES. But it needs to be kept in check.
All the processes in your body are chemical and they rely on your hormones being balanced. Exercise is stress on your body – just like having a blow out at work, being stuck in traffic, missing your mother-in-law’s birthday and so forth. Cortisol (the stress hormone) gets released into the body!
Over time, high levels of cortisol result in: elevated blood pressure, a lower immune system, a less efficient gut, lower energy levels, higher blood sugars and the list goes on.
It causes your body to function LESS efficiently. Being and maintaining a healthy weight ultimately means doing everything to make sure your body is as efficient as it can possibly be 🙂
Exercise or be active 3 – 5 hours per week: vary the intensity depending on what other stress is in your life! Don’t do a massive HIIT (High intensity interval training) session if you’ve been ill at the weekend and only had a four-hour sleep the night before, a light yoga session or walk will do you much more benefit.
It is not new information, but as Trainers, we know a lot of people forget the basics: LISTENING to their body. Commit to regular exercise over a long period of time and ENJOY the journey. Do things you can maintain and things that make you feel GOOD. Life is serious enough! 🙂
And if you need help, send us an email and we will guide you through this process!
