Preventing Burnout
I wouldn't be a good trainer if I didn't bring up the topic of mental health and how important it is to carve out some time for yourself each week. With the holidays around the corner and work (or children!) breathing down your necks, it isn't always easy to find a minute to catch your breath. This is when stress or burnout can set in, and it can mess with your ability to recover properly from your workouts.
Our bodies don't always know how to differentiate between stress as an emotion and stress from a workout. If you are starting to feel exhausted, constantly sore, or worse, in a lot of pain, that can be a clue that you need a rest day. Feeling like that consistently can be a sign of overtraining. I have first-hand experience with this. Back in 2018, I was a few weeks away from participating in a half-marathon. I had trained all summer. My son's birthday was three weeks before the event, and I was managing my corporate job, planning two separate birthday parties, and training for the race. On the day of my son's birthday, I ended up at the doctor's office with a stress fracture in my right foot and bilateral plantar fasciitis. I couldn't run for months, and I couldn't run my race.
If you start feeling overwhelmed or you are struggling with constant soreness, I give you permission to take a rest. I'm not saying to quit (unless your doctor tells you to). Take a rest day when you need it, and take care of yourself. Make sure you are getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, and caring for your mental well-being. I am a huge fan of meditation. Check out one of my latest blog posts, Meditating for Beginners: How to Keep it Simple, for some tips on how to get started.
