Welcome to another week of workouts. I made another video of my week of workouts but this time I am really listening to my body. Overtraining is something that I've struggled with in the past so I am taking it very seriously. Overtraining impedes progress, causes injury, and has serious consequences.

My approach to fitness for longevity is a holistic one. And I try to keep that in mind as I am going through my fitness programs, increasing my training volumes, and taking those much needed rest days. It's about balance, consistency, and patience.

These are the workouts I did from June 21st through June 27th. I trained five times this week and took two rest days where I just did stretching and walking.

Every day I went on at least one walk and also did a jog/run in place twice a day after lunch and dinner, and I workout on my mobility each day. 

MondayJune 21, 2021

• AM: EPIC HEAT Day 41 (glutes) https://youtu.be/mi33rti-nxE 
  • Worked really hard with this, upped the weights (15 kg)
  • Using the ball was good for the hip thrusts though once my back got sweaty which it did very quickly I slipped a few times
• Hip mobility routine: https://gmb.io/hip-mobility/ 
• Afternoon: 20 min slider HIIT Adv with Juice and Toya: 20 Minute Full Body Slider HIIT Workout (Advanced/No Repeat) : https://youtu.be/gSgh41DY4HI 
  • Finally made use of my sliders
  • My first workout with them, they’re so adorable will definitely do more of their stuff
  • Got a solid session in (some of the moves were definitely super challenging like the mountain climber slider on one leg)
• Evening: post dinner walk (every day this week)

Tuesday June 22nd, 2021:

• MAXIMAL Chest and Tricep Workout - Upper Body | EPIC Heat - Day 42: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9KZfnuGOjs
  • A quintessential Caroline upper body, very solid session
  • grateful to Caroline as with her, I've been training my upper body before she came into my life I was reluctant (and didn't really know how) to train upper body!! Crazy, I know! It's unthinkable to me now

Wednesday June 23rd, 2021:

• INTENSIVE Quads and Calves Workout / LEG DAY | EPIC Heat - Day 43: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q-MuK7ptOI
  • Used heavy weights for this one, but started with lighter weights and then moved up in weights
  • Liked the intensity of this one
• 15 MIN COMPOUND LEG WORKOUT with Dumbbells at Home | Follow Along: https://youtu.be/rma9n_xL1i0
  • A lot of the same movements from the HEAT 43 sesh
• 15 Minute HARD-WORKING Hamstrings | RDL Dumbbell Workout: https://youtu.be/N9_11gKQGqM 
  • Definitely happy I did this but it made me sore the next day. Surprisingly was not sore in quads even though I increased the weight. But hammies definitely felt it.

Thursday June 24th, 2021

Was supposed to be active rest and so I did these two, thinking they were appropriate for an active rest day:

• LATIN PARTY WORKOUT | PART 3 | 30 MINUTES: https://youtu.be/sbhdrftydAM 
  • Loads of fun. First time doing this and so the choreography was brand new to me but I managed to follow and enjoyed the dance workout so much. Am planning on doing this again and it will definitely be easier now that I’ve seen the choreography once before.
  • I will be checking out the other dance videos and giving them a try as well
• Stability Ball Abs Workout: https://youtu.be/q46cmWgPRuc
  • Brilliant session that was very full body. It was very challenging as well and I got a really solid workout from it. It was definitely more full body than I had been expecting, and that’s a good thing

After doing these two sessions I reassessed my energy levels and paid attention to how my body was feeling. I told myself if my recovery and readiness are low (my Oura ring helps with this) and if my body doesn't feel well-rested I will take Friday as my rest day. 

Friday June 25th, 2021: 

• Walking outside only and run in place
• Stretching

Rest day today. Practicing what I preach and taking my own advice as I do not want to overtrain. I am proud of myself for taking the day to recover and resist the temptation to power through what I know was going to be an intense session (it's a Caroline Girvan session, of course it's going to be challenging and of course I'd like to give it my ALL!) So I decided to hold off on it until tomorrow!

Saturday June 26th, 2021:

• FEEL THE HEAT No Repeat Full Body Workout - CARDIO | EPIC Heat - Day 44: https://youtu.be/2U79hWhlf1M 
  • This one was excellent. Definitely very challenging mentally and physically. I am happy I came into this well-rested. I know I got more out of it that way. 

Sunday June 27th, 2021:

• Walking outside
• Stretching

🌟💪⚡

Could I have pushed in on Friday and Sunday? Yes but it would have been against my long-term goals. Could I have just kept following the EPIC HEAT program as planned. Yes, but also that would have been counterproductive because my body needed rest and recovery. That’s why I focused on long walks and stretching on those days.

And now, when I’m sharing this information with you, relaying the details, I am not hurting anywhere, not nursing any injuries minor or major and my ego is not getting in the way of my workouts! Woohoo. It’s a liberating feeling.

Leaving our ego out of the workout is key.

And now when I get tempted to do more than my body is ready for or not 100% ready for that day because I need to focus on recovery instead, I remind myself that doing more is not going to get me there faster. Going harder when I’m supposed to go slower is not going to get me there any faster.

And then I remind myself that it’s not about getting there faster, it’s only about getting there.

So I’m curious to hear from you. Do you prioritize staying on schedule with a fitness program so that you can finish the program in real time, regardless of the signs your body is giving you to rest and recover? As in do you plough through, close your eyes, and cross your fingers that you don’t end up with an injury or overtraining syndrome? 

Or, do you pause the program to switch gears to lighter movements like walking, stretching, and light yoga so that you can prioritize your recovery and then pick up where you left off?

If you plough through, where does the pressure come from? For me it was about staying on track with my goals until I realized that overtraining and ignoring recovery is counterproductive to long term fitness goals, especially if you have to deal with an injury from overtraining. 

So yeah, share that with me because I value your insights and experience.

See you in the next one! Ciao for now.

Thank you for reading!!