Guest Post: Katy the Balanced Foodie
I am featuring a few guest bloggers over the week as I vacation in Jordan with family & friends. Today I feature Katy, the”Balanced Foodie,” with a post about not burning out from running. I wish she had written this for me last year when we trained for the Philly Half Marathon! Her tips are great- feel free to add your own in the comments! Thanks again, Katy!
How Not to Burn Out
Hey everyone! This is Katy aka the “Balanced Foodie”
I’m excited to be guest posting for Sabrina today. I’m writing to describe an experience I’ve had recently, burning out on running. I can easily see now how I could have prevented the burn out from happening and how I want to approach all forms of exercise throughout my life to prevent getting bored and hitting that plateau!
Here are some tips based on what caused me to burn out:
Plan it out: Plan your runs(or workouts) in advance. When I don’t plan in advance I usually take the whole day to figure out what I want to do and by that time I don’t want to do it. Say I plan on a 3 mile run on Friday. I can pump myself up throughout the week. I can also base when I’m going to run around my plans on Friday or vice-versa. Do I want to run in the morning? Evening? Whatever works best so that it doesn’t become an inconvenience, but something you look forward to.
Change it up: Change up your workouts every week. Due to limited resources at the time I was doing the same two or three things and while it worked for a few months I hit a huge wall and didn’t want to do anything! If you’re training for a race, make sure to add plenty of cross-training days in your week. I find that for my body, three days a week is the perfect amount of running. That leaves 2-3 days of cross training I can fit in and still be able to take a day or two off for rest! Make sure to mix up your cross-training every week to prevent boredom.
Play it safe: Another reason I burned out was because I had to take rest time off because of my right knee. I want to prevent injury so I took time off to rest. Resting meant no running and a lack of exercise which caused me to lose motivation. Once I am working out consistently I easily get hooked and it becomes a habit. Make sure to always take care of yourself first. If it hurts more then just a burn. STOP! If it’s painful and you know it’s not a normal pain do not force yourself to keep going. This is where changing it up helps. If your leg(s) are injured and you’re resting them work on some upper body moves or abs. Focus on those areas that aren’t injured and that will enhance your other workout of choice once you’re feeling better.
Make time to snooze: Getting enough sleep is vital to optimum exercise. I was consistently not getting enough sleep which left me dragging and seriously unmotivated. Turn off the television, put the phone on silent, and turn the computer off at least 30 minutes before sleeping. Grab a book or a magazine and read a bit to help your eyes and mind relax. Play some soothing sounds like the ocean and make sure your room is cool the right temperature. If it’s cool in my room I sleep like a baby but once it gets to warm I find myself tossing and turning!
Fuel: Make sure you fuel for your workouts. This is where healthy living blogs come in handy to find the best ways to fuel. Make sure you try different things as well. Tina’s 3-minute cookie is amazing as a pre-run snack for me! I have a sensitive stomach and that seems to be the only thing that doesn’t bother me when running! I eat that about 30 minutes before a run and it works great! I also find that pouring some Gatorade into my water helps keep my energy up when working out. Oh and of course making sure you drink PLENTY of good ol’ H20 on work-out days AND rest days. That’s one I need to follow a little better. 😉
That’s just some advice for how to get over a running burn out! It really can be applied to any form of exercise you prefer. The most important thing is that you find something that’s fun for you! If running isn’t your forte, try yoga or pilates! Their are many fun forms of exercise so get out there! Thanks again to Sabrina for letting me guest post. Come visit me over at my blog if you get a chance and say hello! 🙂
5 Responses to “Guest Post: Katy the Balanced Foodie”
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These are great tips. I got super burnt out training for a marathon. All of these are exactly what I needed – definitely switching it up, sleeping more, and better injury prevention! Thanks Katy. 🙂
Thanks Sabrina for featuring my guest post! 🙂
I can completely relate to the not planning it out in advance thing. If I don’t, like you, I spend all day thinking about it – burning myself out before I even get started!
Fun and informative post:)