Spring is here! Are you too motivated?

Spring is here!  Like a spring-loaded achilles tendons, the new season and warmer weather is like a motivational sling-shot for our new activities and exercise goals.  I always need to remind myself that my aging body (and its slower repair process) does not care about the weather or my goals (rude really). 

The only language the body speaks is its interpretation of FORCES (imposed demands).  The body’s repair process then responds with incremental adaptation to those forces.  In other words, the body has VERY LITTLE (incremental) ability to recover and then super-compensate (rebuild/remodel to a slightly stronger, faster version) in response to any individual workout!  Time (combined with healthy habits of sleep and nutrition) is the number one variable in this recovery process.  The amount of time is determined by the physiological damage done during that exercise session.

Furthermore, new forces (created by new activities from a new found covid-in-your-face-I can-do anything-now-attitude) trigger a remodelling of your bones and soft tissues; muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia/connective tissue – which for me happen to be softer tissues than before!  This could be compared to the time that a blister on the skin develops into a callus.  If we go back to that exercise or activity too soon, we just keep ripping the blister apart, similar to the micro-tears created by new exercise in the muscles/soft-tissues.

A good rule of thumb, is to use your thumb for rotary purposes, and dial back your motivation to every other day workouts for most new repetitive activities and also dial back the time, sets and repetitions within each workout until soreness is minimal 1-2 days later (DOMS).

Ideally, spread strength workouts, activities with a bigger eccentric component (lowering weights/body weight slowly), plyometric exercises (jumping, hopping) and/or lots of running downhill, even farther with 3-7 days (depending on soreness) between them.

Also remember, you cannot out-run, out-lift, or out-smart a bad diet in the long run.