Move 2: What is your Body trying to tell you?
Believe it or not, your body has a mind of it's own. Whether or not you want to listen to your body, it will often warn you about something before it even happens! But how do you know when it is okay to push through the pain, or if it is time to sit back and relax....
Rest and recovery is important for every athlete. Once in a while, your body simply says "STOP" and we need to learn to listen to it. If we don't, we can potentially develop injuries that cause more of a setback than the one to two days of rest would have.
Check this website out, and direct your attention to the section titled "Overtraining". I took this quote from it: "Physical fatigue can cause biomechanical deficits and muscle imbalances to become exaggerated, leading to an increased risk of an ACL injury. Mental fatigue can cause lethargic, lazy form with routine tasks – again, causing an increased risk of injury". But feel free to read on...
http://www.athletico.com/2013/09/24/explosion-female-acl-tears-3-causes-solutions/
"Another way that we can determine if we are overtraining is by recognizing symptoms and irregularities in our life. In the article titled, “All About Overtraining”, Greenfield discusses the signs to overtraining. His list includes,
Loss of motivation, energy, drive, and enthusiasm to train
Excessive fatigue (esp. in the gym)
Loss of sex drive
Increased stress, anxiety, irritability and feelings of depression
Insomnia, sleep problems, or nightmares
Poor concentration, hyperactivity and an inability to relax
Large fluctuations in weight
Loss of appetite
Menstrual Irregularities
Constant excessively sore and/or weak muscles
Increased susceptibility to sickness and injury
Lower performance in competition, such as racing
Higher resting heart rate and elevated resting blood pressure
Longer periods of time for heart rate recovery to normal levels after exercise
Diarrhea, nausea, or headaches (Greenfield).
By following these signs and practicing listening to our bodies, we will become better and stronger athletes". (Capstone- Move 2).
