What I discovered at 40 that I think about every day!

By Jo Vartanian

In my 20’s and 30’s, I was training 6 days a week, twice a day and I did it for many years with few health problems. It wasn’t always the case with my fellow athletes – I observed chronic illness, injury and emotional issues. Was I just lucky?

My University studies in Human Movement taught me a lot about fitness and exercise and its effect on the body and so when I was training to compete at an elite level, I knew the risks of training too much, too hard and not programming for recovery. I strictly followed the advice at the time (because that’s what I do!) and it worked.

However, what I didn’t learn at Uni or from my fellow competitors, was what happens after you turn forty. After a 6-year break and having had 2 children, I decided to make a comeback to try to compete again at the top level of my sport. I was 40 years of age. After a slow, steady build-up, I planned to pick up my training regime where I had left off. I quickly learned that I couldn’t do the same number or intensity of sessions that I had in my earlier years or that my younger counterparts were doing. I found my body needed much more recovery time between sessions. I wanted to train just as hard because it had worked the first time around. But my body was fighting me. I suffered some mysterious illnesses and injuries that came from what seemed like nowhere. I was developing Overtraining Syndrome.

I searched for solutions. I had to learn to train smarter not harder. My first breakthrough was to mix up my training more – repetition of the same body systems and muscles didn’t give them time to recover and become stronger. They were actually getting weaker. So, I alternated between running, paddling and swimming to build my cardio fitness. There were no more back to back days training the same muscle groups. Secondly, I started to pay closer attention to my energy levels, my sleep and I measured my resting heart rate every morning – an elevated resting heart rate is an indicator of overtraining. Thirdly my training program included hot baths, massage, rehab exercises and yoga-like stretching almost every day.

I made it through team selection and successfully competed at the World Games in Germany in 2005. What an experience! I loved being strong and fit again and thought about continuing at this level. Reluctantly, I made the decision to retire after the competition – not because I didn’t love the game or the training but I knew that reaching the required fitness level would require more and more recovery time. Something I just didn’t feel I could achieve. So now that I am over 50 and have turned to training for treks that require a very high level of fitness. I am using my knowledge of recovery to prepare in a safe and effective way and I want to share it with you, my fellow trekkers, who are preparing for BIG trekking goals.

Good on you if you are over forty and have set yourself an awesome goal and are training hard to get as fit and physically prepared as you can be…you are probably doing as many trek training sessions as you can, throwing in full-day hikes on the weekend. You want to make every day count - but you may suddenly turn up to training and your legs feel like lead and you just have no petrol left in the tank. You will probably brush it off, have a day off and then turn up again and feel fine. BUT…what if the energy doesn’t bounce back. Ever felt like that? If you don’t change what you are doing and you keep pushing on with your training, chances are you could develop Overtraining Syndrome, just like many elite athletes do (I know you love that comparison). If managed early you can be back to full training in 1-3 weeks. If not, you may start to experience an increase in minor illnesses like colds, infections and intestinal problems. Mental health issues may arise and you could be out of action for several months or more. So what should you do?

Training = Workout + Recovery

The equation for fitness success is really very simple. The balance is NOT so simple. If your workout to recovery ratio is off-balance, OVERTRAINING is the result and not enough recovery is usually the culprit.

The Overtraining signs to look for are…(over a period of about a week)

·       A general sense of increased fatigue and low energy levels

·       Your resting heart rate is higher than usual

·       You are having trouble sleeping

·       You are experiencing increased muscle soreness

·       You are more emotional than usual or feeling more stressed

If this is you, ACT NOW! reduce your training volume immediately, by about 50% for one full week. Eliminate any high-intensity training including carrying too much pack weight or HIIT. Then get to work on improving your recovery program. This doesn’t mean you can’t move every day- but you do need to consider the intensity at which you are moving and the type of movement. Muscles need between 24 and 48 hours to repair so if you have exercised a particular muscle group on one day - don’t work on them again the next day.

Here are some more ideas to include in your regular recovery program…

·       Use active recovery like yoga, low-intensity swimming, regular stretching

·       Use passive recovery like massage, hot baths/showers, compression tights

·       Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep every night

·       Keep well hydrated

·       Eat well and eat enough

·       Avoid Alcohol

Over the years in the fitness and health game, I have become very in tune with my own body and I know when it is working well for me. I live by the “listen to your body” and if in doubt “seek professional help” mantras. Moving every day is key to my well-being and this includes moving for recovery as much as moving for fitness.