I used to over exercise.

I can remember working out 6 Days a week as a way of life. Now? I’m doing something if I make it 4-5 days a week. I worked out 5 Days in Week 3 and I ended up needing an extra rest day in Week 4.

Why the change?

Sustainability and Longevity

Well one reason is obvious: I’m older and as you get older, you do need more recovery (Especially if you plan to continue exercise as you age) and you do need to be more mindful of joint health and injury prevention.

Sidenote: I cannot tell you how many people I see online who spent their 20’s and 30’s “going hard” who can barely move in their 40’s and 50’s. My plan is sustainability and longevity.

Prioritizing My Time

I have other things going on in my life now and I just do not have the time to be at the gym for hours. I like to work out early in the morning but I have long days and I prioritize sleep over working out. (To be honest: This is crucial for metabolic and hormonal health)

Excessive Exercise and over training does not bring positive results

I can remember when I went to a seminar with 4x Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler (White T Shirt) at a Fitness Expo. Part of the reason I went was because it was one of the few places you could sit down and there may have been other reasons)

ANYWAY someone asked Jay how many times a week he should work out. He said No more than 5x per week and even that was a lot if you’re not in contest mode. I was kind of shocked that he said that when I thought about it: If you’re really training efficiently, then your body needs rest and recovery in order to progress.

Fitness Superstar Dana Linn Bailey recently took to social media to talk about overtraining and how she ended up in the hospital on account of it. I was so glad to hear her speak out about it! While some may never experience over training to the point where they land in the hospital, they may overdo it to the point where it affects their metabolism and hormonal levels.

Nutrition

My current nutrition Goal is to EAT MORE. This is another big change for me. I’m not afraid to eat more to support my training efforts. It pays off with more energetic workouts!

The only other change is that Post Easter I added back in my other animal proteins. What’s funny though is I’m eating less meat than before and that’s fine too. I like to listen to my body and if it wants meat, then it wants meat! I just don’t feel compelled to have it at every meal and every day.

My main goal right now is to complete the program. I am loving the workouts because they are challenging and I’m doing some new exercises and have new tools like my new Npower Hip Circle.

Totally gets the glutes fired up!!

I don’t have too many cosmetic goals anymore. My main one is to not have body parts dragging the ground. I’m much more interested in staying high energy, active, and not being defined by age.

Looking back all of the restrictive eating, dieting, and excessive exercise led to weight fluctuations and negative body image. I’m in a much better place now with no dieting and much less exercise!