You know you CAN, but SHOULD you?

We women are strong, even stronger than we think we are. We are strong both physically and mentally. We can do amazing things. Many of us have given birth, raised kids, worked hard jobs, endured terrible experiences, recovered from nasty injuries or illnesses, etc. If we put our minds to something, there is no telling just how much we can accomplish. BUT...just because we CAN doesn't mean we SHOULD. Sometimes the sacrifice required to accomplish a specific current goal inhibits our ability to accomplish our over-all ultimate goal.

Because we are strong, we can force ourselves to stick to a strict low-carb diets and kill ourselves for hours at the gym, but if our ultimate goal is to be fit and healthy, where does that get us? Nowhere, ultimately. We may accomplish amazing things, but when we are done we are exhausted and miserable, and we are not living a lifestyle that we want or can sustain. We usually end up going right back to our old habits. Somehow we have to find a balance where we are eating a HEALTHY and TASTY diet and participating in REGULAR and ENJOYABLE exercise. We really do have to change our lifestyle. It's not something that we accomplish and move on from; it is something that is on-going, and we need to find a way to mold it into something that makes us happy and at peace. We need to find healthy foods we really look forward to eating and forms of exercise we don't dread doing. Otherwise, we have all just wasted months worth of Saturday mornings hanging out at the rec center, because we will quickly revert back to our old lifestyle and reverse the progress we have made.

Okay, so I got off on a bit of a tangent there, but the thought I had that spurred this post is that we need to be careful with our workouts. We need to NOT overdo them. Now, there is a difference between "working your buns off" and "overdoing it." Working our buns off involves continuously working hard to move closer to our ultimate goal. Overdoing it is pushing ourselves to our limit. We are not contestants on The Biggest Loser, living on a ranch where we can focus exclusively on eating right, exercising, and recovering 24/7. We have lives to live.  Just because we CAN push ourselves until we can't walk, doesn't mean we SHOULD. Just because we CAN push ourselves to lift a certain amount of weight, doesn't mean we SHOULD. Just because we CAN push ourselves to run a certain distance, doesn't mean we SHOULD.

Three miles is much too far for me to run right now and still be able to function properly the rest of the day and get back to the gym tomorrow. I would be so tired that my body would scream for carbs all day and would be too sore and achy to complete my workouts properly for the next couple of days. On top of it all, I would probably end up with an overuse injury. This is counterproductive for my ultimate goal of weight loss, health and fitness. We saw this happen with our first group challenge. I was not there that day, but I know that some of us pushed much too hard to stay on track with our ultimate goal over the next few days. The focus shifted to the accomplishment of the day at the sacrifice of the bigger picture.

Now, I do have a short-term goal to run 3 miles straight. I am going to plan and work up to it. I am going to work and stretch myself gradually until I am in a place where running 3 miles would be an appropriate workout for me that day. I will be able to recover and move forward smoothly.

On the other hand, if someone is healthy and fit and no longer needs to lose weight, then maybe their ultimate goal might be to completing a half-marathon. They will plan and train, and the on the day of the race they can push themselves to their limit. The soreness and aching and hunger and injury that may result are a reasonable sacrifice in order for them to complete their ultimate goal of conquering "the half." The effects of the run will not be causing them to sacrifice their ultimate goal, because the run itself was the ultimate goal.

I hope I am making sense; I know I am rambling. But what I want to express is that none of us should feel bad for backing off a bit from a challenge or a race or a workout if we feel like it is truly too much for our current fitness level. And don't worry about what other people think. Usually they are just thinking, "Good for her for being here!" Modify the activity. Let it push you, but not hinder you. Continually stretch yourself to higher levels, but don't stretch yourself too thin. We're in this for the long haul, ladies and gentlemen!