Exercise more, eat more!

I had an interesting conversation with a friend the other day. We had both been on vacation, and therefore, we were not working out as much as usual.   Both of us had the same epiphany...we weren't nearly as hungry! We realized that the more we exercised, the hungrier we were.

The more you exercise, the more fuel your body needs. If you are limiting your calories, and working out long and hard, your body is going to put up a fight. You may even become "overtrained". 

I have been in that situation before. Years ago, before I had kids, I would teach a workout class, then work as a personal trainer. If I had a break in my schedule, or if someone didn't show up for their training session, I'd workout again. I was also training for triathlons and it was common for me to either run, swim, or ride my bike. I was exhausted, sore ALL the time, depressed,  irritable, and HUNGRY. A good friend of mine showed me an article that talked about overtraining and it described me to a "T". 

It still took me a few years to really understand that more is not always better and that resting is essential to performing well. I share this with you because I want you to learn now what it took me years to learn. I see so many people working out so hard, for such a long period of time, thinking they need to "just do a little bit more" before they call their workout complete. Sometimes less IS more.

Workout all you want, if that is what makes you happy. I, personally, am a lot happier now that I train smarter. I still have days   when I may teach two difficult classes in a day. On those days, I eat more and make sure to give my body the fuel it needs. If I don't, I'm hungry and more likely to overeat later. If I'm sore, I take a rest day or walk easy and do yoga. Listen to your body. You will be glad you did. 

Be well, 

BHW