You Are Not Tired! --- Turbo Fire - Day 17 and 18

This was a day of rest. After all, when you are working this hard, it is very important to take a break. This is difficult for me because I like to go. Not to mention, I really like to workout so when I don't I feel like there is a big part of the day missing.

So, I forced myself to take a day of rest. I bobbed in the pool outside, I read a book in my hammock and pretty much did nothing. I barely even went on Facebook (which is very odd for me!) And after all was said and done, I was still missing my workout, but I felt much more relaxed by day's end.

It is amazing how much better I feel after taking a whole day of rest and not cheating... you know... by going for a run or throwing in a workout program just for the sake of working out. So today, I woke up with tons of energy. Although maybe the surge in energy is partially caused by the excessive amount of sleep I have been getting lately. I don't think I have rolled out of bed before 9 a.m. all week. After all - no school - means I don't have to get up in the morning with the kids.

Yes - I know I am suppossed to be getting up early so I can work out with my husband. But, I have been really exhausted lately so we have pushed our workouts to the evening. This has worked because I just can't seem to motivate myself to get out of bed to workout... much less be the driving force for him to workout. It still makes me nervous since I feel like there is a greater chance that something will come up and the workout will be skipped entirely. But I promise you when things go back to normal (and I get rid of this cold), the workouts will be back on to early morning!

On today's agenda was the HIIT 15 class and the Tone 30. The HIIT class goes by very fast, so I hardly feel as if I have worked out. Today that was not the case. With the extra energy I had, I found I could increase the intensity. So much so that this time I actually burned an additional 100 calories more than I did the previous time I did the HIIT 15 class.

I also love doing the Toning workouts afterwards. Because the HIIT class revs your metabolism, I found I am actually burning more calories during this workout, than when I do it by itself. Who can really complain about that! Not to mention, I have lost enough weight were I can actually start to see the definition in my muscles (particularly my abs), so I really feel super pumped when I do this workout!

Today though was not easy. My husband even had a few choice words for Chalene during the midway point of the workout. At that point, I felt like I got shot in the arm.I screamed my way through and I fought to the end. But, you have to make it tough enough where you struggle to make it to the end. That is where it gets painful, but it is also where you will see the results. I know by the end of this journey, that will make all the difference!

This is one of the hardest things for me to follow, but I have found lately that it is going to have to be a must follow rule for the rest of Turbo Fire. Earlier in the year, I got sick. Not just a little sick, but really really sick. It actually forced me to put my workouts on hold, hence why TurboFire started so late when I was planning on beginning in April. That was a very hard 3 months for me. After the last round of antiobiotics and steriods, I thought I was finally good to go. So I started working out hard again. It didn't take long and my cough started creeping back.

Naturally, I had to figure out what was going on. So I got out my laptop and searched and searched. That is when I came across this article on overtraining. Frankly, I am not a believer in overtraining, or at least I would hate to admit that I am not able to work out to the point of what I was doing. After all, I wasn't training like an olympic athlete or anything and they seem just fine. So why me?

There are several symptoms of overtraining. Some of them might fit your circumstances while others may not. However, if you start noticing some of the symptoms, it might be time to back off, particularly if you find you are starting to become ill.

• Compromised immune system - you might feel you are getting sick easier.
• Fatigue - working out should increase your energy, not decrease it.
• Soreness - No matter how much you stretch, your body seems to always seem achy.
• Lack of Results - Plateaus happen, but if you always seem to be on one, back off!
• Pain in your muscles and joints - If you are starting to feel pain in spots that you never did before, you might be at risk for overtraining and at risk for injury.
• Depression - Depression can be a good sign that you are working out too much.
• Lack of motivation - Don't feel like working out anymore? If the desire is no longer there, you might be doing too much.
• Dehydration - Suddenly feel like it doesn't matter how much you drink, you still seem to be thirsty. That is a good sign you are overtraining!

It is important to recognize the symptoms of overtraining when they first start. If you don't adjust what you are doing, you can get really ill or even injure yourself. Sadly, if you are sick or injured, you won't be seeing any results. So, you are better off resting up and recovering.

Wanna start at the beginning, click here. If you would like to read about my previous day, click here.