9 Powerful Ways to Avoid Workout Burnout
9 Powerful Ways to Avoid Workout Burnout
How important is rest for your mind and body? It is easy to feel guilty when you try to take some time off work for some mental and emotional rejuvenation. But these days, even corporate America recognizes the importance of taking breaks in order to avoid burnout and allow employees to go on a much-needed vacation leave. The same concept holds true when it comes to your physical well-being. When you are trying to get in shape, you can think that taking a break from working out or exercising is a hindrance to your goals. The opposite is true however because it is in the quality of breaks or recovery days that you spend in between that makes the huge difference.
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Burnout can also happen physically when you do not allow yourself some rest. In fact, you have to incorporate recovery days into your program as an important part of your fitness routine because it is both a mental and physical undertaking. You have to take advantage of these rest days to recover from all your physical activities and then go back to your workouts feeling stronger and more motivated. What you do with your days off is going to help with mentally resetting and avoiding workout burnout. Here are powerful ways to maximize your physical and mental recovery days.
- Affirm yourself
After all the hard work you’ve done, you deserve a pat in the back and the first person to do that would be you. Check your workout logs and see what you have consistently done over the past few weeks or days. Even if you have not executed each one of your plans perfectly, recognize that nothing goes exactly as planned and focus more on what you have done right. Celebrate your little successes and be proud of the progress you’ve made. If there’s anything you want to tweak a bit to do better next time, then do so. But during your recover days, focus on affirming yourself for a job well done.
- Renew your motivation
Certainly, your muscles need time to recover and that is the primary reason for having off days. Meanwhile, your mind needs some recovery time too because it is what will help you remember why you are doing this in the first place. When you are at the gym lifting some weights and sweating it out, you can easily think about giving up. As such, it is important that on your rest days, you try to recall the reasons why you exercise and work hard to keep it consistent. Think about what you want to achieve and make it into a mantra of success that will motivate you on your next workout day.
Surely you want the health benefits to exercising but sometimes, it is not enough to motivate you because your real reasons have to do with a total physical transformation or a more positive self image. But whatever it is, think about your strongest motivation and keep it mind each day as you continue on your fitness journey. Make your recovery day a time to refresh your mind and renew your workout motivation.
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Plan a pre-workout diet
You already know that what you eat is an important part of your overall fitness program and a pre-workout diet has its crucial effects. You need to plan your pre-workout diet well so that you are able to prepare your body to work according to your goals. The best time to plan about this is during your off days as its all about preparation time. What you eat prior to your workout is going preempt tissue-rebuilding after you exercise. Apparently, digestion is a drawn-out process that what you have consumed before your workout is still going to circulate in your body afterward.
Because of this, you have to plan a pre-workout nutrition that will support you all throughout. In particular, carbohydrates and proteins play an important role. If you are planning to have an intense workout, make sure to have some complex carbs and lean protein. Also, consume your meals at least 2 hours before you go to the gym to avoid any digestive cramps and other issues.
- Mind your post-workout nutrition
The quality of your recovery is also dependent on the food you eat throughout the day and after you workout. In particular, you have to perfect your protein intake post-workout. And yes, protein shakes have the power to feed your muscles and fuel it to its improvement and growth. Protein after your workout is crucial especially when you have not eaten anything hours before. Depending on your body weight, ideal protein intake should be between 20 to 50 grams post workout. Women in general are good with 20 grams while more is required for men.
Among the various protein supplements, whey protein is most popular due to its utter convenience. It can be readily mixed and it has a fast absorption rate – perfect drink or meal replacement after you sweat it out. There are different products available in the market but beyond cost or taste, look for whey isolate that’s high in quality to benefit from it fully.
- Go out
Burnout happens when you have too much of anything. It is for this reason that you take breaks in between as it helps you maintain that essential balance. One of the best ways to maximize your days off is to spend it outdoors in the midst of nature or going out with friends to have some fun. Whatever it is you choose, the important thing is that you have a change of environment, simply relax, and have a good time.
Exercise has a huge positive impact on mental health but when you are not physically active there are still ways to lighten your mood and breath in the good vibes. Going outdoors not only relaxes your whole body but importantly, your busy mind as well. It is a good way to fight off stress and anxiety that can sometimes bring your energy down and discourage you from making an effort to get back on your exercise routine. Talking it out with friends also helps you vent out the negative feelings and nurture the positive feelings as you laugh out loud. At the end of the day, you take the time to rest and then come back stronger and more motivated to take your exercises to a higher, much more intense level.
- Keep stretching
Stretching is very basic and yet it’s easy to take for granted. On your off days however, it is important to keep the stretch. Whether it is size you want or not, stretching plays a major role in muscle growth. With stretching, you develop flexibility and pliability which both help you achieve the muscle gains needed in numerous compound lifts. Imagine having to squat and not being able to go as deep because your knees are too tight. So if you want to grow your muscles, always remember to stretch and allow your developed flexibility and pliability to support your workout activities.
After each work out, you can plan to have at least 20 minutes of cooling down and stretching. In this way, you will relieve some muscular tension and minimize the soreness that you are likely to experience post workout. Prolonged stretching also has other important benefits. Together with moderate exercise and proper nutrition, prolonged stretching reverses the hardening of your arteries significantly.
- Have some light activities
If you can’t really bring yourself to enjoy a day off, you can have some light but equally enjoyable activities that do not make you feel guilty. Light exercises such as a leisurely walk gives you the feeling that you are not completely abandoning your fitness goals but at the same time giving yourself a bit of a break. Some people struggle with the idea of resting when everyday seems to matter and when you have some specific numbers to catch. Truly, this is a recipe for a workout burnout and if this is something you don’t want to suffer from, try to take it easy some days and go back to your intense workout later. Don’t take everything too seriously and allow yourself some breathing space.
- Enjoy a potassium-rich diet
Another post-workout tip to remember on your recovery days is to consume foods or drinks that are rich in potassium. After an all-out workout session, your potassium reserves can run low and you do not want this to happen. Potassium as a key mineral in providing you with muscular energy among other minerals such as calcium and sodium. There are many sources of potassium but bananas and potatoes have more in them. Bananas are great eaten as they are or blended with other fruits. Potatoes mashed for breakfast are also awesome.
- Do nothing
Really, the art of doing nothing is very beneficial especially during those days when you are trying to recover. In as much as you want a work-life balance, taking a break from your workouts is also a big part of that. Surely, you have been working both your mind and body as you go through your fitness routines and that can be tiring. If you keep on doing something, it will make you feel really tired and wanting to quit rather than motivate you to keep going. Give yourself a chance to rest, not thinking about anything, not doing anything and that is perfectly fine. You have to rest in order to be energized to workout more the next day.
Are you ready to lose weight, build muscle, or feel more fit? Join Beachbody On Demand, and get unlimited access to Beachbody’s world-famous programs, including 80 Day Obsession, 21 Day FIX®, Insanity, P90X® and 100’s more. Don’t miss out on your chance for amazing results. Sign up today!
