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Honky Tonkin’ Recovery
Eric Belliveau • June 13, 2017

Are you overtraining or over trained? Are you having a hard time taking days off? Do you feel tired and sore all the time? Rest and try finding something fun to keep you occupied while you do.

This week may not be a blog on specifics in the strength and conditioning industry as much as it is a reminder for all of us to find balance for a healthy lifestyle. I am fresh off a weeklong trip of honky tonkin’ in Nashville for CMA fest, so this topic is at the forefront of my mind.

I know some of us, including myself, have a hard time not working out. But how often do we fall into the trap of overtraining, especially when we know we are going to go on vacation. We either work out more before we leave or find time during vacation to work out so we don’t miss a beat. This past week I didn’t once pick up a weight or go for a run. And for the most part, I ate like crap. I mean, it’s hard to resist one of the best places known for hot fried chicken. And do you know what it did for my mindset and my body? It reset me. When I woke up Sunday morning, my body felt rested. I was excited to get back on track with my eating and felt ready to begin my new workout program for the summer.

When we enjoy working out and training hard, we often forget the progressive toll it takes on our body over time. It becomes hard to tell ourselves to take time off and relax when we are so ingrained to push through it and do better. Over time, we start to make less progress and start to actually move backwards because of overtraining. It’s important to make sure you find time to rest and recover. If you are like me, and need to stay busy and preoccupied in order to actually take a rest day/week, find something fun to do that doesn’t include hard training.

This past week in Nashville, I spent every minute from 9 am – 11 pm walking around Broadway and enjoying concerts all over the city. I was able to get my mind off of training and work. I was able to relax and have fun while my body recovered without me focusing on it. Now, that doesn’t mean I sat on my butt and got drunk all week. I probably walked around 10 miles a day and I foam rolled a few times to aid my recovery (but yes… I did have a few beers as well).

So if your workouts have become sluggish or you are feeling tired and you struggle to take time off - find something fun to do. Find a way to get your mind off of working out and enjoy life while you recover. Next vacation, try to completely rest. Your body will thank you for it and you may even be stronger when you get back!

The Meat Hangover

By Eric Belliveau • October 7, 2020
When it comes to taking meat out of your diet, some people have the idea that they will only see positive changes immediately following this choice. While those positive changes are definitely part of the deal, so is an adjustment period for your body.

We're Trying

By Eric Belliveau • September 23, 2020
We were all thrown on this crazy ride together. Emotions were running high but so were patience, empathy, inclusion, and respect. Most of us could rally behind the #WeAreInThisTogether manta. We wanted to do right by each other - donate to charities, lend a hand, check-in on one another. Do our part. As the days turn to weeks and the weeks into months these dispositions decayed rapidly. I know that this Quarantine order has been going on for a long time. I know that a great number of us do not agree on the why. I know an even greater number of us are “over it”. I am painfully aware of the difference of opinions surrounding the pandemic. It is impossible to NOT be aware of this. This leads us all to frustration, anger, resentment, and the feeling that you are not being heard. Very real and very human emotions! It is okay to feel this way. I am not only writing this from the perspective of a fellow struggling human. I do find myself struggling with everything I mentioned above. Not just daily but multiple times a day. My ability to focus has been challenged by my worry. My ability to create time for myself and focus on self-care has been derailed for fear of other things becoming more pressing. I work on this every day. I am not only writing this from the perspective of one of the business owners who were never given a playbook for this. For weeks on end I thought WTF happened to the business and how would our model need to change and remain viable, how each business owner had to either weather a period in which we were completely shut down or allowed to operate under capacity restrictions, etc. The unknown of what the timeline would bring and whether we would be able to continue our dreams or make an extremely difficult decision of not continuing. This still haunts every one of us daily. I AM very much writing this as a service provider! I am writing this as an impassioned human who genuinely loves what I do for a living. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to have built a career surrounding something I get excited about every day. I am making a stand for all of us that make their living in the service industry. To the receptionist, hostess, waiter, cook, dry cleaner, teacher, technician, barista, utility worker, automobile service technician… It is truly impossible to be inclusive of everyone here.  No one human mentioned above asked for this ‘situation’ we are in. We are sure as hell trying to provide a level of normalcy, service, care, and happiness to the lives in which we choose to serve. With added restrictions, added expense decreased capacity and the fear of being fined or shut down for doing it incorrectly, everyday.

The Meat Hangover

By Eric Belliveau • October 7, 2020
When it comes to taking meat out of your diet, some people have the idea that they will only see positive changes immediately following this choice. While those positive changes are definitely part of the deal, so is an adjustment period for your body.

We're Trying

By Eric Belliveau • September 23, 2020
We were all thrown on this crazy ride together. Emotions were running high but so were patience, empathy, inclusion, and respect. Most of us could rally behind the #WeAreInThisTogether manta. We wanted to do right by each other - donate to charities, lend a hand, check-in on one another. Do our part. As the days turn to weeks and the weeks into months these dispositions decayed rapidly. I know that this Quarantine order has been going on for a long time. I know that a great number of us do not agree on the why. I know an even greater number of us are “over it”. I am painfully aware of the difference of opinions surrounding the pandemic. It is impossible to NOT be aware of this. This leads us all to frustration, anger, resentment, and the feeling that you are not being heard. Very real and very human emotions! It is okay to feel this way. I am not only writing this from the perspective of a fellow struggling human. I do find myself struggling with everything I mentioned above. Not just daily but multiple times a day. My ability to focus has been challenged by my worry. My ability to create time for myself and focus on self-care has been derailed for fear of other things becoming more pressing. I work on this every day. I am not only writing this from the perspective of one of the business owners who were never given a playbook for this. For weeks on end I thought WTF happened to the business and how would our model need to change and remain viable, how each business owner had to either weather a period in which we were completely shut down or allowed to operate under capacity restrictions, etc. The unknown of what the timeline would bring and whether we would be able to continue our dreams or make an extremely difficult decision of not continuing. This still haunts every one of us daily. I AM very much writing this as a service provider! I am writing this as an impassioned human who genuinely loves what I do for a living. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to have built a career surrounding something I get excited about every day. I am making a stand for all of us that make their living in the service industry. To the receptionist, hostess, waiter, cook, dry cleaner, teacher, technician, barista, utility worker, automobile service technician… It is truly impossible to be inclusive of everyone here.  No one human mentioned above asked for this ‘situation’ we are in. We are sure as hell trying to provide a level of normalcy, service, care, and happiness to the lives in which we choose to serve. With added restrictions, added expense decreased capacity and the fear of being fined or shut down for doing it incorrectly, everyday.
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