The Unplanned experiment

     The past few weeks have been rough, for lack of a better word. I've had exams, increased work hours, and other odds and ends pushed onto my already crowded plate. I felt stressed, overly emotional, and weak. No wonder. I was doing all of the things that I tell my clients (and others) not to do. I got less than 6 hours of sleep at night. My diet turned into cereal and Clif Bars. Workouts were short, unproductive, aimless, and only made me feel worse.

Let's examine these factors of overall health one-by-one, shall we?

1.Sleep


Sleep is so important that it can be the limiting factor in advantageous responses to exercise . It is the only time that some of your systems get to rest (namely, the nervous system) and it is the main stage for bodily repair. Growth hormone is released during sleep, so to maximize strength and muscle gain, try paying some time to your bed rather than $30.00 on protein (sorry, to offend anyone, I have a beef about protein powder). Everyone's requirements are different in this department, but sleep has a lot to do with Circadian rhythms and internal body clock. Just because someone feels fine on 4 or 5 hours of sleep per night doesn't mean that their body appreciates it. They just perceive that amount as "normal" and therefore are simply used to it. Keeping a steady sleep schedule is key. Life doesn't always allow it, but if you can, go to bed and wake up at the same time, and have a routine for both ends of the day. In case you haven't noticed, your body loves routine.

2. Diet

Okay, so my idea of a bad diet week is probably a good week for most people. This week's diet was bad in a random way; not a cheeseburger and fried chicken sort of way. I ate my regular breakfast of oatmeal, an apple and maybe a Clif bar for lunch, and then cereal for dinner...with some vegetables sprinkled in, of course. Although this may sound fine to some, it was extremely unbalanced; mostly because I didn't have a cookie in each hand (kidding). Regardless, I know it contributed to my lethargy.

One of my favorite motto's when it comes to diet is that if you put good in, you will get good out. You can't put unleaded fuel in a Ferrari. It's amazing how good you can feel when you eat well. Neglecting to give your body the proper nutrients at the proper time forces your body to work without the resources it needs. It's like getting lost without a map: it's going to take a lot more energy to find your way back than it would have you had a map (or GPS, I suppose we are in the 21st century)

Adequate nutrition is a huge problem for endurance athletes, mostly because the problem can be unidentifiable. If you chronically train on low fuel, then you don't know what it feels like to train with enough fuel. You really have to be in tune with your body and constantly assessing your energy levels. This is where a training log comes in handy, so that you are forced to do a quick "body check" every day.

  Not only is it imperative that calorie intake is met, but extra nutrients are also needed as training volume increases. The only true way to know if one is consuming enough is to get a rough estimate of how many calories are typically burned on a training day and then matching intake to that. Making sure that your macronutrients (carbs, proteins, fats) are in check is important too. I think of them this way: Eat enough carbohydrates to fuel your training, enough protein to repair what you break down during training, and enough healthy fat to augment the two. There is much debate about ratios of the above, and it is different for everyone. But I can tell you that no matter what your goals or activity levels are, planning is key. If you know you have a busy week coming up, (or every week is busy) be sure to shop intelligently and have a couple of "fast meals" in mind for when things get hectic.

3.Workouts

When time is a commodity, the workout is the first thing to go for most people. I can't tell you how many times I've overheard people on campus say something like "Bro, I haven't been to the gym in so long, I've had 2 tests this week and an interview..." And then they say something about regaining their swoleness after these obligations are over. However, exercise is important in stress reduction and brain function. It helps you focus and feel better during rough times. However, you have to modify your workout to your current needs.

I did the opposite of the above scenario. I tried to keep up with my regular routine while my body was compromised in the way described above. I ended up just exhausting myself and having a string of poor workouts. What I should have done is reduce the intensity of my workouts and done them at a time that allowed me to sleep in (as opposed to 6:30 AM). Sigh, I  suppose I'm too stubborn for that.

Each workout needs to serve a purpose, and you have to think about what you are trying to achieve. Doing a hard workout in stressful times is borderline pointless; the hormones that are released at this time work against your body's adaptation mechanisms. One week of light exercise won't derail any training plan, regardless of how far along you are (or what phase, if you are fancy and have a periodized plan)

But if you are simply short on time, there is no excuse for why you can't get a good workout in. for example, One day last week I had only an hour to workout  and I was stuck at the gym. So I did an interval workout with a rower, box jumps, and ladder drills. I was drenched in sweat and satisfied 45 minutes later, including warm up and cool down. There is a short and intense workout that can be effective, no matter what kind of athlete you are. You just have to be crafty and tailor it to your goals.

So the moral of the story is to focus on the little things. We think too much about the details of our training/fitness routine that we forget to think about the little things that matter the most: diet, sleep, and tissue quality. Hopefully you can take away something from this little unplanned experiment of mine. I know I did.