When I teach exercise classes, I ask the class to think about why they came to class that day. Did they eat chocolate cake and need to burn more calories? Does their body hurt today and they need to gently move? Are they at class to get interaction with other humans? I then tell them to work at a level that gives them what they came for. It’s no good to work super hard if you’re hurting. It’s also no good to be too easy if you’re trying to reach strength goals.
We often think that our effort should be the same each day. That just isn’t true! There are times to push ourselves and increase our efforts and challenge ourselves. There are also times to be soft with ourselves and rest. This applies to all areas of life, not just exercise. This is work or study vs. play and rest time. This is communicating in relationships.
So I encourage you to listen to your body and mind. Decide for today what you need. Don’t use yesterday or tomorrow as an excuse to go too hard or too easy. Give your body the attention it is calling for today!
