Listening to your body . . .

MissJay75

I see this phrase thrown around quite a bit, I myself am guilty of using it on a thread just today. But I started really thinking about it after my work out today. Before I share those rambling thoughts with you, I am going to back up a bit and tell you about the last couple days.

Monday night, I hung out with friends, and stayed up way too late. Tuesday night, I got about 1 hour of very broken sleep due to a sick child. I think I might be fighting off whatever she has. I feel weak, edgy, impatient, queasy, and like my brain is broken. I know that I have been under my protein goals all week as well.

So Wednesday, I didn't work out at all, and I ate pretty lousy. Not nearly as poorly as I would have in the past, but I went over my calories by about 300, and they were mostly junky calories. (No, you may not look at my diary, just take my word for it).

Today, I didn't really feel like working out. Yesterday I felt very justified in not working out, my body was tired, and my child was sick. Today, my body was still tired, and undernourished, but I also knew I would probably feel less lethargic if I got up and got moving. So I did workout although it was much lower impact than usual. I have also made an intentional effort to up my protein intake. I feel like I ignored my body's pleas to be lazy, while simultaneously listening to my body's need to take it easy a bit and not overdo it.

Most of us got to the place of overweight and out of shape by 'listening' to our bodies. We don't push ourselves (or push too hard) because we don't understand the difference between pain from an injury and discomfort from training our bodies. We mistranslate messages from our body about thirst or boredom into hunger. We obey the unhealthy cravings our bodies send our way.

My old body was lazy and deceptive, I try to ignore most of what it says. My current body has physical limitations and bad habits, but I am learning to hear the wise things it tells me about it's true needs.

So how are you learning to better listen to your body?

Sl1ghtly

I've found it best to do the opposite of what my body wants.

taso42

I developed an extremely powerful right forearm muscle as a teen by listening to my body very often.

Phoenix59

I developed an extremely an extremely powerful right forearm muscle as a teen by listening to my body very often.

:noway:


:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

wolfchild59

I mostly use the term in reference to illness or injury. In those cases your body will fight back if you try to push it too hard and often make things worse. So you have to really learn to pay attention to when you need to lay off, rest, and heal or if you can push through the pain to a better feeling on the other side.

Any other time isn't a body listen kind of thing to me. If I don't feel like going to workout that's not something my body is trying to tell me, that the fat, lazy, me wanting to watch tv. So I get dressed and go to the gym.