The "rest" of the story......RECOVER, year in review part III

Spoiler Summary: If you think you can push past your limits without enough rest.....you can.....but, if the science is right.....not without a hefty price.

Whenever I try to explain how improper rest or recovery cycles (fatigue) impact the body, I find myself thinking about the times when I was sick at home from school.  It's definitely possible that I was just over-tired and susceptible to a cold or the like, but it's not the actual illness that I'm referring to.

Usually, once a parent was sufficiently convinced the day wasn't some sort of Ferris Bueller stunt, I would just sleep in as long as I could, but inevitably at some point I'd wake up. No worries though, I could always count on Bob Ross (remember him?) and his painting of "happy little trees" here or there to put me back to sleep later in the day.....but somewhere in between, I'd watch the ultimate sick-on-the-couch TV show.....hosted by the guy with the skinny microphone....yep, I'm talking about the Price is Right.  What started with Rod Roddy yelling "come on down" and Bob Barker explaining the rules of the various games, became the ultimate example of how the body handles being pushed.

Spin the big wheel (take a chance) and get as close to $1 (ultimate potential) as possible.....but DON'T GO OVER.

Admittedly, there are many, far more scientific ways to explain the effects of poor (or inadequate) recovery on the body.....but none seems to capture it so simply.

Push the system as hard as you like, up to it's full capacity even.....but DON'T GO OVER.

It's a simple concept, and one that most people seem to generally be coming to terms with. Yet, it's still a concept most of us run up against at one point or another, especially this time of year.

No doubt we expect a lot from ourselves.  We are family members or parents or spouses or all of them.  We are friends or colleagues or co-workers or all of them.  At times we may be caregivers or confidants....and at others we might be coaches or troop leaders.....and still, in what's left of our "spare time" we might maintain homes, have a hobby, volunteer or be a weekend warrior......no matter what the combination, we are often challenging ourselves to do the most we can in the least possible time.  And although AWESOME, holding this type of pace can sure be tiring.

The good news is, the science of recovery-balance is getting better each year.....and the more we learn, the more we know to respect the idea - give it a spin and pull out all of the stops....but don't go over....because even with the right amount of MOVE and FUEL, without the right dose of RECOVER, we'll pay the price later.

So in the third installment of "evidence year in review" - here are some of the key stories we've been following in relationship to our number one strategy to RECOVER: Sleep.

First, if you don't RECOVER, you can't MOVE, at least not nearly as well. This is the case because not only does sleep impair the ability to exercise & exert oneself, it is also associated with more pain, especially lower back pain....but that's not all.  Poor sleep, also damages our cells, destroys our neurons, changes our genes expression and has links to a key cancer protein. It also appears to have a link to Alzheimer's disease.

But it doesn't end there.  Inadequate sleep also influences our FUEL strategies.  It is well known to influence hormones that impact our appetite, but also changes the circadian rhythm of our gut microbes and has been linked to obesity in kids who aren't getting enough or experience interrupted sleep.

And this is only the beginning. The list is long and getting longer....as always, let us know if you want to learn more.

If you celebrate, we hope you had a great Christmas.

Have a great weekend,

Mike E.