Rest is Important!

Hello again.  Today is my scheduled rest day.  I take 2 scheduled rest days a week, not because I don't want to go to the gym, but because muscles only grow when they are at rest.  When you work out you break down the fibers in your muscles, when you rest your body repairs them which is muscle growth.  My goal in the gym is to gain some size, going the natural route it is going to take a lot of time, hard work and dedication.  One of the things I have learned over the course of last year is that the body needs to rest.

Last February, March and April I took only a total of 6 days of rest.  The result was that I ended up getting sick and needed to take a break from working out.  Granted that I had lost approximately 10% body fat during those 3 months, the wear and tear was too much and my body needed the break.  Last year I had to take a couple of weeks off due to injury, thankfully the injuries were not serious and did not happen at the gym.  The first one happened late at night, was going up my stairs and hit my knee on the corner of a wall, I could have gone back into my routine, however your knees are important and I felt it was best not to do any lifting until the pain had subsided.  The second one was a pinched nerve in my back.  I had car troubles, had to push my car and steer at the same time to get it off the busy street, but unfortunately (or fortunately), I had to twist while I was pushing the car to avoid another driver taking my shoulder off.

Each time I took a week off, I noticed an increase of muscle mass.  I didn't change my diet during those couple of weeks, so I didn't gain any fat or lose any weight.  More importantly it showed me that rest is just as important as making time to get to the gym 4-5 times a week.  So far this week, I have had two really good work outs.  Monday was chest day, and yesterday was back and shoulders day.  I will not feel bad about taking 1 day off, I will be back in the gym tomorrow for leg day as it is one of the most important work outs.  I love leg day, the day after leg day not so much, but working the biggest muscle in the body is essential for any fitness program as it will increase your ability to burn fat, at least it has for me in my experiences.

My current work out schedule is: Monday, Tuesday in the gym, off Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday in the gym and off on Sunday.  Rest days are just as important as work out days.  I hope you will consider the importance of rest and schedule your own rest days.  Time away from the gym does help you reflect and re-evaluate your goals and your plan to accomplish them.  So today, even though I am not getting a work out in, I am going over my plans to accomplish my goals and planning my leg day work out.

Until next time, eat clean and train mean!

Welcome to my story!

Hello, just over a year ago I began my fitness journey.  I want to share the reasons I began this journey and the reasons why I continue with my journey.  When I began my journey, I was smoking well over a pack of cigarettes a day, my blood pressure was higher then it had ever been, and I had just recovered from surgery.  While I was recovering from surgery, I had gained an additional 20lbs of fat and I was unhappy with what I saw in the mirror.  I weighed 198 lbs with 30% body fat.  I was depressed and did not have any direction in life.  Can you relate to this?

I felt it was time for a change.  I joined a gym and hired a personal trainer to get my started on the right path.  Not only did my personal trainer show me proper form for many different exercises, but she helped me with my diet.  I forced myself to change my lifestyle, and forced myself to stay positive.  After just over a year into my journey, I can tell you without a doubt that it is 85% clean diet and 15% hard work in the gym!  I know the gym does not work for a great deal of people, I was skeptical at first, but I found a passion for it.  I make time to go to the gym 4 to 5 times a week.  I eat clean 80-90% of the time, you have to give yourself a break once in a while and have a cheat meal every now and then.  Today I weigh 187 lbs with 14% body fat.  Unfortunately I am still struggling with quitting smoking, but I am determined to vanquish this demon, and is one of my goals for this year.

Setting goals for your fitness journey is and should be a top priority.  I have set some goals for this year, I will share them as I achieve them.  Once you set your goals, a plan to accomplish them is priority number 2.  One thing that has stuck with me over the years, a college professor once said "Failing to plan is nothing more then a plan to fail."  I wish I could remember his name, however those words have stuck with me over the years.  I have a plan to accomplish my goals this year!  Success is possible!

One thing I learned at the very beginning of my journey, was that it only takes one step to start.  Even though some steps forward are going to be hard, you have to push yourself to make it to the end.  Every lifestyle change will never be easy, however the benefits of eating healthy and a fitness routine far out weigh the difficulties of making the lifestyle change.

Until next time, eat clean and train mean!