EXERT - GEAR 4
Let's get the lead out!
No, really, get the lead out (the weights)!
Remember: Before starting a new exercise routine, it is important to consult with your doctor, to make sure you are fit enough to begin!
If you are already working out at home or you belong to a gym, or club, then keep it up. Whatever weights you were using last week, just increase them to the next level. You can also just increase the number of repetitions you are doing from, say, 10 to 12, and keep your weights the same. Another way to increase your effort is to perform one additional “set,” for example, increasing from 3 sets to 4 sets, while keeping your weight the same.
The idea here is to very gradually push yourself just a bit more. So, for example, if you were using 15 lbs. of weight, try 20 lbs. When you increase your weight, you may not be able to complete the same amount of repetitions you did with the lighter weight. That’s okay. That’s as it should be. Listen to your body, and pay attention. Push yourself to get stronger, but make sure that you move slow, and continue to use proper form.
If you have any painful discomfort, stop at that point.
Pain is NOT “gain,” and we don’t want you to hurt yourself.
Continue to exert at a level you're comfortable with. If your exertion seems too easy, then take it up another notch! Wake your body up! Keep exercising at your health club or at home, and always be careful to use correct form and move in slow, controlled and thoughtful motion.
Listen to your body, practicing the same mental exercises during your workouts and exercise as you do with your Rest/Restore.
Have you ever had that feeling, even before you do something, that maybe you should think again? That is called “intuition” and we need to listen to it! That is your body, and your mind, talking to you. You know the feeling, when you are about to try and lift that object from an awkward position, and you just don’t take the time to reposition yourself. Yep! You will certainly pay for that, later!
These are instances when serious injuries can, and often will, occur. It is so very important to listen to your body and your intuition. And then act on it!
If your muscles are sore a day or two after a good workout, you may need to simply rest longer in between working that body part, or go a little lighter with the weights. On the other hand, the soreness is not a bad thing. Soreness is not an injury. Soreness is your body talking to you and TELLING you that you called upon it to “step up” and perform! A little soreness lets you know you woke your body up and challenged it. That’s what makes your body know that it is supposed to get stronger...to “step up” to the task demanded of it! Too much soreness, or any painful, debilitating soreness, means you over exerted.
Listen to your body. It talks to you!
Picture it positively!
Competitive athletes are coached to sit back, close eyes, and be mindful of completing the event, over and over again, until they could see themselves, step by step, progressing through the entire event, with a victorious end result.
Your body is a sensory input and motor output organism!
It needs input, so that your brain can give you direction regarding what, or how it should react. It is very good at this. Sometimes, however, we just get in its way.
Slow down and listen!