What does “Know your limits” mean to you?

What does “Know your limits” mean to you? 

 

🏃 We live in fast times. Everything needs to be done quicker. We all want results now.

 

We want to see changes in our body as fast as possible. However, our body can only adapt at a particular speed. So how do we get the best out of our body, achieve our goals and not take us further away from them. 

 

Pushing past our limits in whatever form, be it strength training, body conditioning, boxing, running, swimming or Yoga and Pilates, will cause our muscles to shut down. Knowing our limits and how far we can push ourselves is critical if we want to achieve our goals faster.

 

We all have limits. Maybe we are just starting a new exercise program or struggling to stick to a workout plan, we have limits. Even if we have loads of experience with exercise and in great shape, we have limits. 

 

It’s important to listen to our body and what it’s really saying. If we don’t listen, our exercise could end up working against us, actually triggering muscle loss and fat gain. Plus, pushing too hard comes with a huge risk of injury, which could slow down or even stop our training and achieving our goals.

Is there a limit to how fit we can be? New studies show there is definitely a  limit to human endurance – beyond which our bodies start breaking down.  

Our boundaries affect our self-concept, self-respect, feelings, energy levels, and our happiness – but they also ensure that we get our needs met..

 

The human body does have a limit for certain aspects of its growth. For instance, we stop increasing in height after a certain age. Similarly, our muscles have a control mechanism that sets a limit as to the size that our muscles can grow.

 

To get stronger and faster, we do need to push our body, but we also need to rest. Pushing past our limits too hard for too long can backfire and cause many issues including:

 

⚠  Being unable to perform at the same level

⚠  Feeling sore muscles or heavy limbs

⚠  Needing longer periods of rest

⚠  Feeling tired

⚠  Being depressed

⚠  Having mood swings or irritability

⚠  Having trouble sleeping

⚠  Getting overuse injuries

⚠  Losing motivation

⚠  Feeling anxiety

 

We can avoid overdoing it by listening to our body and getting enough rest. Here are some other ways to make sure we are not overdoing it:

 

☑  Eat enough calories for our level of training.

☑  Decrease our workouts before a competition.

☑  Drink enough water when we train.

☑  Aim to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night.

☑  Do not train in extreme heat or cold.

☑  Cut back or stop training when we don’t feel well.

☑  Rest for at least 6 hours in between training sessions. Take a day off every week.

 

💪Know your exercise limits and you will achieve your goals faster💪

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