Vacation season is in full swing. Whether you are traveling to the mountains or the beach, it’s the time of year when many of us start planning for a much needed break from the daily grind.
When you think of getting fit, resting is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. It is true that becoming healthy and fit involves work. It involves lots of effort and sweat and determination. But it also involves taking time to rest and relax. To reach your goals, you need balance: both hard work and R & R.
Dangers of over training
In our enthusiasm to lose weight and get fit, it is tempting to focus so hard on effort that we overwork ourselves. But this is unwise, because it brings undesirable consequences such as:
1. Burnout. If you exercise too much with no breaks, you will likely experience burnout. And this can be deadly as far as your goals are concerned. Burnout leads to loss of motivation, and loss of motivation leads to giving up. Intense exercise day in and day out can lead to feelings of resentment toward your exercise times. You may become sick of it. A sign that you may be heading toward burnout is if you begin dreading your workout sessions; a change in attitude is often one of the first signs that you are losing momentum.
2. Injury risk. Overtaxing your body with too much exercise and insufficient rest can lead to injuries. During exercise, your body naturally experiences stress, strain and micro-injuries. When you rest, these micro-injuries heal; this leads to improved strength and greater over-all endurance. But if these micro-injuries do not have a chance to heal before you hit them with more exercise stress, they will give out and possibly succumb to extensive injury. Moderation is the key, and moderation demands periods of rest and relaxation.
3. Decreased life performance. An overworked and overtaxed body (and mind) simply gets tired. And as you become more and more fatigued, you will become less productive not only in the gym, but also in your other responsibilities as well. Your work, family and social life will suffer if you do not listen to your body and mind and give them some time off.
Tips for making the most of your vacation time
Taking time to relax each day is important, but so is taking a vacation each year. There is nothing like getting away for a while to refresh your mind, body and spirit. No matter where you are headed for vacation, it’s okay to take some time off and simply relax and heal. In fact it is crucial.
And if you choose to stay home this year on a stay-cation, be sure you really use that vacation time for all it’s worth. You don’t have to leave home to relax, but you may find you have to work at it a little more. Sometimes it is hard to relax when the daily to-do’s are staring you in the face!
- Take some time by the pool. If the hotel you are staying at has a pool, be sure to take advantage of it. There is something about sitting beside water that brings quick relaxation.
- Sleep in. Vacation is the perfect time to let yourself get off schedule a bit and sleep later in the mornings. Yes, you’ll have to readjust when life gets back to normal, but let your body sleep if it needs it. Remember: the point is healing and repair.
- Sight-see during off hours. It’s hard to relax when you are jostled by people from all directions. Fighting crowds tends to increase stress, not decrease it. Pick your favorite attractions and try to visit during the least crowded times. Staying calm is the key to getting the most out of your time off.
To your success,
Coach Travis Barrett MS, CSCS
P.S. If you’ve found any of this helpful, please be sure to share, like, subscribe to this channel (and my YouTube channel listed below). DHP is exclusively built on word of mouth. We need your help in order to continue to grow and help more people!
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Check out these testimonials below
Traci Counley said “I have been working with Travis for 6 years and he is an amazing coach! I have had several personal trainers over the last 15 years and by far Travis is the most dedicated, thorough, and up to date trainer I have ever had the pleasure to work with. He programs workouts for me on a really progressive and easy to use iPhone app and I do the workouts in my home gym. I love this flexibility and the ability to track my workouts easily. He really gets to know you as an individual and focuses on your goals and how best to achieve them. Travis has an extensive background in kinesiology, various training methods and power lifting and is constantly adapting to the needs of his clients to get them in the best shape of their lives. He consistently seeks out additional training and workshops to expand his fitness knowledge and then passes that onto his clients with new workouts. If you are committed and follow his scheduled workouts and put in a little extra time for mobility work, I guarantee you will be satisfied with your fitness goals. I am in the best shape of my life in my mid 40’s and the strongest I have ever been and the reason why is because Travis has me on a program that changes every 4 weeks and uses different exercises with different rep ranges, intensity and volume each block. He is amazing at coming up with new exercises that work muscle groups in different ways so that you are consistently making gains. He also uses the concept of periodization effectively to maximize strength but also works in appropriate deloading weeks. I cannot say enough great things about Travis not only as a strength and conditioning coach but as a human being. He is one of the kindest people I have ever met and is very easy to talk to and work with. Working with Travis has been the best decision I’ve ever made. Make the commitment now to the best trainer out there!
Emma Price said “Travis has been phenomenal to work with! As an avid runner and a stay at home mom, I was struggling to find a workout routine/program that wasn’t all “fluff” workouts and cardio, yet was also nervous to do anything at the gym beyond a treadmill due to a 15 yr old chronic back injury. Enter Travis! He has 100% met me where I’m at and created a path forward. I’m an absolute novice, and he’s helping me become comfortable in the gym, has handled all my questions and concerns, and most important to me, is helping me get stronger and more limber without hurting or aggravating my injury. Travis is extremely knowledgeable and attentive to detail, which I highly appreciate. As well as meeting in person, he uses a great coaching app we can communicate through and where he can share videos of the workouts I need to do and in return I can share my videos so he can check my form. I’m just a regular person, not a gym rat or body builder, so I was a bit hesitant to seek out a personal trainer, but it has been one of the best decisions I’ve made! Travis is just all around a great guy and amazing coach!!”
Fredrick Lee said “Travis is an absolute professional! I’ve been in special operations for over 12+ years and have had many injuries. I was about to get another back surgery when I started working with Travis. Within 6 months I was pain free, 6 months later I was reaching performance and strength I haven’t seen in years!”
