Having a new baby you really do only have a finite amount of energy.
Use it up needlessly and you crash and burn.
Pre-baby/pandemic I was used to living life at a million miles an hour, packing weekends with multiple boozy occasions, working hard, playing hard and only stopping to rest, when so hungover you were physically prevented from moving.
Now, if I have more than a couple of glasses of wine on a week night I’m STRUGGLING the next day.
It’s all going fine, you’re handling it (smashing it even), then suddenly you’re not. Familiar?
It’s all down to recovery (or lack of). When you’re sleep deprived and no longer get a minute to yourself, you need downtime, however that might look for you.
Lockdown might have taught us (temporarily) that we don’t need to go out all the time, that’s it’s nice to have spontaneous days, that’s it’s good to rest.
It’s the same with exercise.
When it’s just motivation that’s lacking it’s good to push through and get it done. You usually feel better for it afterwards. But you also have to be wary of how you feel and sometimes it’s better to rest, be kind to yourself and do something less intense.
You have to consider whether you can recover.
Recovery is where the magic happens. Where your body gets fitter and stronger. If you’re not taking time to recover you’re missing a key part of the process.
It’s ok to take a rest day. You have to be kind to yourself and killing yourself working out is often not the way forwards when you’re not feeling 100 per cent.
It is ok to say no to a social occasion to preserve your energy.
It’s ok to say no for no other reason than you need a rest.
Your workouts can wait, the people in your life should understand.
Bx