Hey guys, what’s up? Hope you’ve all had a good and productive week!
I was going to write another post on exercises, but as this is a series following my own journey towards improvement and transformation, I wanted to slightly change it up, and tell you all about how I stay motivated and on track with my goals when I’m not feeling 100%. I’ve had people ask me this question a few times recently this week, and as I have been suffering from a cold – it’s the perfect time to really tell you that looking after our bodies and optimising our performance is not all about exercise. Although I must admit, it has been a bit of a downer not being able to get to the gym.
However, that does not mean we should give up on ourselves, or our progress for that duration – so put down the chocolate bar!
The most important thing to remember is to rest. Rest is just as important as exercise when it comes to your body. You need to give your body the energy is requires to fight off any bacteria, which is causing your illness or cold. Don’t use that energy in the gym or exercising – you’re just prolonging your recovery time. You want to be out of action for as little time as possible, so let your body just do it’s thing to make you feeling back to normal in as little time as possible.
So whilst your body is repairing and fighting off that bacteria inside, you also want to assist in whatever way you can. Think of you as Robin to your bodys’ Batman. So to do that, you want to focus on what you’re consuming.
- You want to increase your intake of vitamin C. Things like strawberries, oranges, lemons, tomatoes, broccoli. Eat more of those types of foods. It’ll help reduce the duration of your cold or sickness. Eating this types of foods on a daily basis should be a given anyways. I would even advise taking multi-vitamins as a regular, every morning. I take a multi-vitamin everyday to ensure that I’m covered on all fronts daily for those essential vitamins.
- Drink more water. Keep your body hydrated so it can kill off germs. Just as you use water to cleanse and wash your body in the shower or bath. Drink water to cleanse your body internally of any germs or bacteria.
If you are feeling 60/70% on the road to recovery, I’d even incorporate some light exercise into your day, such as walking – getting your body moving will help aid you on the road to recovery. It’ll help you psychologically too, as you’ll feel like you have done a workout.
So there are just some tips on how to keep on track when you’re feeling a little under the weather. The key is to remember that more than ever, your body needs the right fuel. Don’t use this as an excuse to mess up with goals and fitness success so far! I was only sick for a few days but I made sure to get the rest my body needed, and the foods to help my body kill off the bacteria, and now I’m back to normal – ready to smash out a killer workout this week!