By Dr. Mike Roussell
The first time I ever did a Tabata style workout, it was all out front squatting a 90LB Sandbag - 20 sec on / 10 sec off for 4 minutes. This was a mental and physical test, but my biggest challenge was sitting down for the next 4 days.
The new year means new challenges. Many of us kick off January and February with new fitness and performance goals. You could have just joined TNT, signed up for your first Challenge, or want to build strength and endurance to pass the
This growth is going to create a new set of challenges on a day to day basis that you will need to overcome to achieve your larger physical fitness goal. These challenges can be annoying, debilitating or a non-factor depending on how you handle them. Below you will find a collection of strategies that you can pick and choose from to ensure that you can fully attack your new resolutions and goals day in and day out.
Soreness
With any new physical endeavor you are going to have new levels of soreness. How sore will you be? That really depends on three factors - the magnitude of change between your old routine and your new one, the volume of activity you are doing now, and the level of intensity that you are applying to your
Sleep - Our body sleeps in a series of repeating 90 minute cycles each night. Deep sleep is an essential part of this 90 minute cycle. This is your physically restorative sleep, the kind of sleep that wipes away muscle soreness. If you are dealing with high levels of soreness, more sleep is a no fail solution.
Magnesium - Magnesium is an essential mineral that is a consistent struggle to get enough of. When exercising intensely we need to hit our magnesium dietary targets. This means eating ample dark leafy green and nuts/seeds each day. When it comes to muscle soreness, clinical studies show that supplementing with 350mg of magnesium per day helps reduce these aches.
Low Energy
It may seem normal to have lower energy levels when you boost your
Calories - You need to, smartly, feed your machine. Low energy is a very common symptom of underfueling. When you significantly increase your
Sleep - Again, with sleep! Low energy in response to increased physical output can be a sign of the body’s recovery mechanisms being overloaded. You can support this by getting more sleep at night. A 2011 study found that when in-season Stanford basketball players increased the sleep to 8.5hrs per night they improved their sprint times while also reporting higher levels of vigor and reduced fatigue.
Trouble Sleeping
When you start
Static Stretching - Static stretching may not be good for improving flexibility or preventing injury but it does a good job at stimulating your parasympathetic nervous system. This directly counteracts the fight or flight response that your
L-theanine - The increased adrenaline that comes with new bigger
Don’t let increased soreness, lower energy, or a little trouble sleeping deter you from achieving your fitness and performance goals this year. Apply the above strategies as needed so that you can keep going full steam ahead with your
Dr. Mike is known for transforming complex nutritional concepts into practical nutritional habits that his clients can use to ensure optimal performance and long-lasting health. He holds a degree in biochemistry from Hobart College and a doctorate in nutrition from Pennsylvania State University. In addition, having published over 500 articles on health and nutrition, Dr. Mike has authored and/or served as the consulting nutritionist for 10 books about health, nutrition, and performance. He’s been a member of our