Rest – The Third Side Of The Fitness Triangle: By Coach Andrew Viloria

The #1 reason you are not seeing results, and what you can do about It.

Have you been coming to class, eating well and still not seeing results? Chances are you are doing this one common mistake. And fixing it is not only easy, but highly enjoyable.

Showing up

As you know, showing up to class is a pretty good way to ensure you get a workout in. Whether you do Cross Training, interval training, rowing, gymnastics, whatever, you’re active; your muscles are moving and you’re getting your heart rate up. But that’s just one piece of the fitness puzzle.

You are what you eat

As the saying goes, you are what you eat. Proper Nutrition is another piece of the fitness triangle. What are you putting in your body? This may be less obvious to a lot of people, but it’s equally important. Come to Coach Paul’s nutrition seminars to get free evaluation. Space is limited, sign up here. I did it helped me. But what if you are doing all both and still not seeing results?

R & R

Rest and Recovery. Another important piece of the puzzle. Recovery. SLEEP. Making sure you get proper rest is AS IMPORTANT as exercise and diet. We live in a culture that prides itself on sleep deprivation. People seem to boast to each other about how little rest they get. Only got 4 hours of sleep last night? Knock back a few espressos and power through the day. Does it feel like you may have injured your shoulder on those pullups? Just lighten up the weight on the barbell before you pump out all those reps overhead. We may feel some pride in powering through, but in the long run, it’s harmful.

Not properly recovering from an injury will only weaken the body. Decreasing the body’s recovery time IS one of our goals, but just like anything else, this is something that needs to be trained, not forced. And we are only now starting to understand why we sleep and how important it is. Insufficient sleep has been linked to many things: weakened immune system, increased risk for cancer, disruptions in blood sugar levels, and a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease and stroke, among other things.[1]

Some tips: if you’re injured or you don’t feel 100%, you don’t have to do a workout as prescribed. Tell the coach, and substitute an exercise, or don’t do an exercise completely. It is fun to have that competitive spirit in class, but it can be dangerous if you’re pushing yourself too hard. Remember, the goal is to get better, to improve, not to get at the top of the leaderboard. Get enough sleep! Some people fool themselves and think they can function properly on 5 hours of sleep and then load up on coffee throughout the day. See how you feel after a full 8 hours of solid sleep. Make sure your sleep environment is conducive to sleep. Shut off the tv, the monitors, and put away the smart phones before bed and let your mind relax. We all think of diet and exercise together, as a phrase. “How’d this person get so fit?” “Oh, diet and exercise.” Start thinking of rest as part of your definition of fitness and overall health.

[1] Matthew Walker, PhD, Why We Sleep (Simon & Schuster, 2017), 3-4