Six signs you should invest in strengthening and conditioning

A lot of people believe that the main reason for building muscles via strengthening and conditioning our bodies is to look and feel good. And it is true. However, we also need to do regular conditioning for other reasons as it can improve the quality of our sleep, our memory, reasoning and problem solving as well as our overall mental health. Let’s have a look at a few of the most common signs that should ring alarm bells.   

1. Lack of sleep - can influence your ability for attention, alertness, concentration and problem-solving. A good night’s sleep can also enable you to learn more efficiently.  If you don’t sleep enough, you might not be able to remember certain things and so, it might feel like you’re not learning fast enough. It’s important to know that sleeplessness can increase the symptoms of depression particularly if you’ve missed sleep over an extended period of time.

2.  Full-on (non-stop) training without a break – my life philosophy is ‘all things in moderation’. Therefore, I strongly believe that your body needs a break between exercises. How much of a break is required in between training sessions? It really depends on what sort of training you do and what you are trying to achieve (for example, weight loss, muscle development; strengthening and conditioning). It’s important to also do some targeted strengthening and conditioning exercise routines (yoga or Pilates) to enable your body to use all your muscle groups properly.

3. Setting up impossible goals – be realistic about your training goals. Do you want to run a 10km race? Great – go for it and make sure that you allow your body to develop your fitness, strength and endurance to finish the race with grace and without injury. I love running and it’s not just about moving your legs fast. It also means that the rest of your body has to be in sync with your legs.

4. Eating junk food – can cause a lack of energy, weight gain and a lot of other health issues including diabetes, arthritis and heart disease. Consequently, if you have no energy to do the usual things how can you get motivated to do any exercise? It’s a vicious cycle. For your overall health, it might be better to avoid junk food altogether and establish healthy eating habits.

5. Lack of commitment (inconsistent training) – does it sound familiar? You announce your New Year’s resolution – “I want to do more exercise!” – and after a few months, you go back to “no exercise”. Half-way through the year, you realise that you haven’t exercised for over two months. Well, I know we all have a long “To do list” including family, work or other commitments. And it’s so hard to get back on track.

6. Over-training muscles (muscle fatigue) –it usually happens when you push yourself to do more than you should and your body doesn’t get a chance to recover. It’s simple maths – if you work your muscles hard, you must allow enough time for recovery and growth by resting. Listen to your body and take care of it.

Start today, set-up realistic goals, stop eating junk food, commit to one day per week, and listen to your body!

[1]https://www.jenreviews.com/yoga-for-constipation/
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga
[3] https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/strength-training/art-20046670