Overtraining - Breaching The Plateau

You have read about overtraining and how to spot it. Continuation of the article would obviously be  how we as an individual that has over trained, regain some sort of control and normalcy to our life where athletic performance are measure by our own achievement against ourselves. 

My dog Char Siew taking a recovery break from brisk walking.

Now that you have a better idea on overtraining and spotting it, here is How To Recover from it.
1. Rest. You Needed It.
A body can only repair itself during rest period. By resting it meant literally not exercising and taking a day or two off from training. 

Take a walk to the Zoo. See how these experts does it. Photo from my Instagram

2. Eat Well. Consume Good Food.
Good food are not necessary expensive food or a treat at an expensive restaurant. Remember that for the body to repair itself, you will need to eat. You are what you eat. So, resist the temptation for that super oily food but instead take in good protein like salmon and eggs. Take slightly more carbs such as brown rice, sweet potatoes to replenish the spent glycogen. Remember to consume good oil such as olive or grape seed oil. Tough, but very do-able.

Grilled chicken breast with fresh salads, nuts, eggs and raisins served on balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Photo from my instagram

3. Relax. Stay Calm. Breathe.
Perhaps it is great time to put in some stretching and learn to breathe again. I personally found myself not breathing adequately and take short inhalation when i should be generously flooding my body with oxygen rich blood made possible only by active breathing. Learning to relax and convincing yourself that "this break is well deserved" WILL help you bounce back faster than ever.

Watch a group of snail feeding. It was pretty relaxing for me. Nat Geo quality time! Photo from my Instagram

4. Start Easy. Finish Strong.
Varies your workout once you are ready to start again. Do not go out and run that 15km or lift that 50lb or immerse in self-absorbing triple spin classes once you restart. Working out should be fun, not stressful. What I do a day after every hard and intense workout is to really take the time to enjoy walking or brisk walking with my dogs or kids and family. Begin with something shorter like a 3km jog and slowly build it up again to your usual volume. But this time, you already know how to spot overtraining - and know exactly where and when you will STOP and teases the body again for that maximal gain that will surely put a smile on your face and an end to overtraining.

And everything suddenly became clearer. Photo from my Instagram

It will be impossible to find a one-fit-all solution to this problem. I would advise to listen to your own body and learn to be sensible. Only that way, we can understand our body and it's limitation better. That way, we can work around our weakness and further improve on it. Keep moving forward.