I have taken almost two weeks off. No, not completely off. I just pared things back a little bit. I was running too ragged and too thin. If it was possible to burn the candle at more than two ends, I would have done it.
So I cut back on the workouts a bit. I had been working hard for the past 6-8 months and I made some wonderful progress. But periodicity, as my body is reminding me, is the key to long-term consistency and progress in the realm of fitness.
Periodicity means alternating between phases of growth and repair. When you are in a growth phase, your eating habits are fairly defined, while allowing some fudge room for the sake of your sanity. Your workouts are also regular and intense.
During a repair or rest phase, you workout less. Just enough to maintain things really. You can also loosen up your dietary habits a bit. The key here is that you don’t loosen things up too much. Nor too little for that matter. Just enough.
You will know when you reach “just enough” by how you feel. If you are feeling full of energy and refreshed, you are maintaining well and eating the way you should, even if it is more relaxed. If you are feeling bloated and somewhat yucky, then you are likely taking too many liberties in food consumption and not maintaining your fitness enough.
So keep it balanced and keep it real. Much like our faith, there are the times of fast and the times of feast. Just develop the sense of where your body should be and get there.
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