Don't Overdo It

It’s hard to hold back if you’re really feeling good while working out. It’s especially hard if you haven’t really pushed it in a long time. Everything might seem to be calling for you to dig down deep and give it all you’ve got. However, if you’re not in really great shape, you might be setting yourself up for injury.

I’m not trying to be a doomsayer or anything like it. Believe me, I know the benefits of being in shape and feeling good about yourself. It’s my calling to spread the word about good health, fitness and nutrition, both by my example, and my words through my blogs and my website. I’m sure there are many people who might read this and say, what are you talking about. No pain equals no gain. Well, everything is relative. And what is important to note here is the level of fitness and expertise of the person working out.

Many times we are not good judges of what we’re doing. Whether we don’t have the skills to know better, or we’re caught up in the passion of the moment and don’t make a rational decision, either way, we may injure ourselves if we’re not careful. I also know through many years of experience, that many, many people are not fit. Whether they don’t want to be, or have tried and have given up, the facts are that if you’re not in good shape, it’s hard to maintain a regular routine. It would just be a shame to derail one’s possible limited ability to stay motivated to workout, with an injury that could have been avoided.

What works best is to be smart about your fitness routine. The best way to do this is to do research, especially if your background in this area is limited (again, please check out my website for lots of great information). Once you have a better idea of how you want to get started, it’s best to set some realistic goals. These should also be adjusted once you start working out, and you have more information about yourself, and your current fitness levels.

I know I am always happy and grateful if I’ve worked out. As long as I put the emphasis on the fact that I did do something positive rather than perhaps, just staying home on the couch eating potato chips, then I can build on that. It’s so difficult for so many people to keep it going, and overdoing is not a way I want to have to shut down my workouts. It’s a good idea to spend some important time evaluating my workouts and making sure they are helping me achieve my goals. And if you’re in your 40’s like I am, maybe the most important thing is that I stay as active as I can, and I spend more time just appreciating that I’m healthy enough to be active, and I have the willingness to keep it going. When I take it slowly, and just gradually increase my workouts, then, I always exceed my expectations. Remember that tortoise, well, he always gets to where he’s trying to get to. Bye for now. Be healthy, safe, and happy.