Where is the balance?

Zvyezda

I do quite a lot of exercise (gym 5-7 x week, zumba once, pilates once, yoga x 3 and walking to work and back). But by towards the end of the week I am usually exhausted, then I rest for 1 (sometimes 2) days and start again with tonnes of energy. The problem, is that as soon as I regain my energy I get overambitious, do too much and quickly exhaust myself again. I get such a buzz from pushing myself, I aim for some kind of new success every time I work out, whether it be running faster or for longer or lifting heavier weights. I think it's important to push yourself- I'm always surprised at how much I can do each time.

But now it's only Thursday and I have hurt my thighs from squats/lunges to the point that I can hardly walk. So that means no gym today and maybe tomorrow. And then when I am feeling so tired as I do I also want to eat more and start craving junk food- I just feel totally fed up..

I just don't know how to find the right balance. How to push myself as much as possible without overdoing it...

Any advice much appreciated!

tangal88

I can't see your diary - but I would look at your diet. Maybe you need to tweak some things.

You may not be feeding your body enough for all that you do - this will lead to more injuries. poor repair. poor muscle gain, poor fat loss, mental fatigue, burn out, and more.

What are the calorie goal ranges you try to eat within?

What are the protein and carb levels you aim toward.

Do you take any vitamin supplements?

Hows your water intake?

Imbalances in any of those can wear you out fast.

Also when pushing with heavier weights - are you watching your form? Heavy weights do not help you improve overall if your form is not dialed in, this can also lead to injuries. Better to drop weight load a bit, and get form perfected, and add in a few more reps, if thats an area that is not "spot on"

geekyjock76

Like tangal88 said, you could be over-training, not meeting the caloric needs to make up for the amount of physical stress and/or not resting enough. If you open your diary, we can see how, on the nutritional end, if that is part of the problem.

LesliePierceRN

I understand where you're coming from.. I too, work it till I hit the wall.. over and over. One thing I've learned: part of the discipline of working out is also the discipline of timing.. Sometimes I simply have to lay out the workouts and stick to them, even if I wanna do more, because I know I won't be able to complete the week. Sometimes you just have to say "Today, this will be enough". It's likely in your driven state that you won't *under* workout, it'll probably be a while before you can come to terms with cutting back just enough to make it through the week. I lay my workouts out on a calendar for about 12 to 16 weeks at a time (I'm usually working toward a specific race) and just follow them.. even on days where it's only a 20 minute 2 mile run. I didn't used to be able to only do 20 minutes, it didn't seem like enough, but those light days are in there for that very reason. Now I take them for the gift they are, so I can hit it hard the rest of the week.

Renae_Nae

Try limiting the amount of time you workout. For instance..."I will push myself as much as I can for 30 mins" so you're not working out hours and hours a day. Or if you have a HRM then "I will burn x amount of calories" and nothing more. Also, find something that you love to do that isn't physical so you can enjoy yourself without constantly pushing yourself to the point of injury.

Zvyezda

Thanks for your replies :-)

I've opened my diary now. But I don't want to hear that I don't eat enough!! I feel so proud of myself when I achieve new things in exercise and when I'm under my calorie goal and eating as healthily as possible. Probably I should be just as proud with smaller changes, since I am already a million miles better than I used to be.

I will try with the weights, to stick to comfotable amounts and increase reps.

I always work out for 1 hour as that;s what fits into my schedule- it seems like the right amount for me

scottb81

If your goal is to improve your fitness, I don't see anything wrong with what you're doing. If you are recovering on your rest day then you are already in balance. Nothing wrong with being very tired at the end of a workout week.