If you follow us on any of our social media you know there were some big changes for Erin and I in the month of October. On October 10th, we tied the knot in a small ceremony on the beach in Cape May, NJ. It was a small ceremony, and aside from the wind, it was absolutely wonderful. Following the ceremony, we went across the street to the Union Park Hotel for the reception. Let me tell you, if you ever have the chance to go there for a meal, they are amazing. After another day in Cape May and a few days in Ocean City, NJ, Erin and I headed for our honeymoon cruise from San Juan, PR to New Orleans, LA. It was wonderful weather in St. Thomas, St. Kitts, St. Martin, Grand Turk, and Jamaica. The best part of it all was we got to relax. We didn't count calories, restrict ourselves from what we ate, or even train that often. That isn't to say we ate any and everything or we sat in a lounger by the pool the whole time, but we didn't act like we do at home either. After being away from home for 17 days and away from our gym for 19 days, we returned home. When we got settled back in, we realized a few things.
First, our health and fitness didn't collapse. Any time there is a disruption to a nutrition or training plan, people develop a fear that everything will collapse around them, that they will gain weight at an unbelievable rate, that their strength will leave them as though they don't even lift, and that they won't be able to get back on the horse. Let me tell you, none of it is true. Your body responds to stress, whether it's from your work, school, or training. Taking a break from everything to take a true vacation truly relieves stress. Your body NEEDS the break, it wants the break, and when it gets it, it will respond amazingly. The reduced stress of the break will allow your body to recover and compensate. Instead of being worse, you may actually return better, seeing results your body couldn't produce because it was so stressed. You may actually be more energized and have a greater desire to train, just like that newbie phase without all the awkwardness.
Second, our bodies felt better. Yes, we feel good when we train and eat right. However, taking the break from our normal diet to enjoy wonderful food from different countries, eat dessert, and even have a few drinks allows our body the chance to recover and refuel, to de-stress. Also, with limited equipment (50 lb dumbbells as the heaviest weight, some machines, and a jogging track) our muscles and joints had almost three weeks to recover with our workouts taking less than 35 minutes to complete. Most of our days were spent walking around ports, snorkeling, sight seeing. When we did head into the gym, we did "Metabolic Training", which is essentially three quadsets (a group of four exercises done one after the other) to move the muscles, get the heart rate up, and burn calories. On other days, we jogged a few miles while we waited to get into port. The end result, happy muscles and joints.
Finally, we came back energized. We can say we get enough sleep, enough rest, and feel great when we're at home, but as long as you're on the go, your body doesn't really get to reset. On vacation, we woke up when our body wanted to, fell asleep when we wanted, and could take naps if we wanted. For the first few days, we were asleep early and sleeping late. Finally, we got back on a more normal sleeping schedule. A few days later, we woke up with energy and held strong throughout the day until we turned in for the night. No midday dip, no post-dinner crash, just level energy from the time we woke up til the time we went to sleep. Now we're home, and the pattern is continuing.
So the point of this brief post is simply: take a break! If you've been training for over a year without any real time off; if you've been following a strict nutrition plan without any extended breaks; if you're burning the candle at both ends and not seeing results... take a break. It doesn't have to be three weeks, maybe not even two, but take time away, allow your body to recover and compensate for all the hard work you've been doing, I promise, you'll be better off for it.
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