Whatever your goal may be – losing fat, gaining muscle, getting in shape for a marathon, etc., you really need to listen to your body in pursuit of that goal.  Most people get so obsessed with these short term goals that they usually end up hurting themselves.  If you are trying to lose 10 pounds but in the process you tear your knee, was it worth it?  If you are trying to lose weight to fit into a pair of jeans or a wedding dress and you starve yourself to get there, are you better off? The obvious answer to these questions is “no”, but I can not tell you how many times I have dealt with people who lose their common sense when trying to accomplish goals.  It would be nice if the body had gauges like a car, and when you over do it or do something that is harmful to you it would say MAINTENANCE  REQUIRED.  If you really listen, your body sends out clues on a daily basis.  Whether it is a sore knee, a tight muscle or lack of energy, these clues can prevent major injuries if dealt with immediately. You just have to pay attention and listen to your body.

If you listen to your body and use common sense you can accomplish your goals and continue to improve or at least maintain your new accomplishment.  In the case with the knee, lets assume we are talking about an overuse injury.  Most overuse injuries occur when the person ignores obvious imbalances in the body’s ability to move naturally.  If you are squatting and notice your hips moving more to one side of your body you will end up putting more weight on that one side.  This will force the knee on that side to do extra work.  Over time this will result in pain, swelling, stiffness and maybe a tear.  If the person was paying attention to the imbalance and addressed it, they would have avoided the injury.  At Fit For Life, we do physical assessments where we look for these imbalances and fix them. It is like an alignment job on your car before the whole front end goes out.

In the case of the starvation diet just to fit into certain clothes, your body will not be happy with this.  If you starve yourself and restrict vital nutrition from the body it starts to send out multiple symptoms.  You will lack energy,  experience brain fog, have short term memory loss, have trouble sleeping, etc.  Most people ignore these symptoms and try and fight them with caffeine, sleeping pills, supplements, etc.  The body does not want all of that junk.  It wants FOOD! Most people end up sick while going through starvation diets because the immune system is shot.  If you are able to get through it and not get sick, then you now have to deal with the loss of lean muscle tissue.  This is how the Oprah diet works.  You lose 10 and end up gaining 15.

Whatever your goal may be, do yourself a favor and start listening to your body.  If  you are tired, then sleep.  If you are stressed, do yoga.  If you are hungry, eat a nutritious meal.  If something feels tight, stretch it.  I could go on but you get the pattern here.  While you are attending Boot Camp, please take advantage of our knowledge and experience to help you fine tune your body. The real goal should be a life long healthy relationship with your body.  You only get one, so listen to it and take good care of it!

Tim Gojich