In my prior blog post, we discussed the human body’s capacity to withstand various stressors and adapt if you hang out at the “just right” level. Operate too high above that level and you risk injury. Operate far below and you risk atrophy. We also dove into a strategy to find your optimal level of activity so you can work towards your goals, whether it’s multiple park days, a 5k run, or getting back into the gym. 

In theory, this all makes sense. But in practice, it’s a process that takes experimentation to find your optimal level. And to complicate things, your optimal level will change over time and can even change day-to-day. Which brings us to the next question: How do I increase my chances of success without going backwards?

I’m going to give you the answer, but we’re gonna dive deeper to more fully understand it: You’ll increase your chances of success by listening to your body. What should I listen to? When should I dial back my activity? When can I progress further? If you’re asking yourself any of these questions, read on for my top 5 tips for listening to your body.

If you like what you read, go ahead and like my post and share it with your friends. If you have any suggestions, comments, or ideas you would like me to blog about in the future, feel free to leave a comment down below!

The Light System

Just like how a traffic light is there to guide you on when to stop or continue through the intersection, the light system for exercise is a great way guide for gauging when to progress or dial back exercise. You can use this during exercise or 48-72 hours afterward. Check it out:

What I love about the light system is its subjectivity. Each light is defined by the individual person and how much exercise intensity they can tolerate. What may be your green light might actually be someone else’s yellow light, and that’s okay! What matters is that you get to better understand your body.

Using this system within 48-72 hours after exercise tells you if you need to modify your exercise volume. Were you in the green light after your workout? Great! You’re probably at a good level of exercise and can progress to something more intense. Were you at the yellow light? You might need to dial it down a bit. In the case of the red light, you would most definitely need to dial it down.

On the flip side, using this system during exercise allows you to determine whether your specific exercise is appropriate or if it’s too much for you at that time. For example, do rear-foot elevated split squats put you at the yellow light but regular squats with weights keep you at the green light? Stay with the regular squats for now.

Discomfort vs. Muscle Soreness

Speaking of which, how do you tell the difference between the two? Exercise soreness results from using your muscles at a level it isn’t used to. You usually feel it on the muscle you are working. Sometimes called delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS, this soreness happens because of small tears the muscle fibers; a normal result of exercise. Normal muscle soreness should go away on its own between 24-72 hours after exercise. The best part about this is that muscle soreness is trainable: if you give your body enough time to recovery, it might take more intense exercise to feel the level of soreness you experienced previously.

Discomfort, on the other hand, is usually more intense and constant than muscle soreness. It usually occurs in a specific body part, like a tendon or joint. It can be a constant “ache” or sharp pain. When feeling discomfort with a particular exercise, you likely should dial back the type of exercise or the parameters surrounding your exercise: intensity, volume, position, speed, or range of motion. If you need help here, reach out to a trusted physical therapist to guide you!

How Does it Affect Your Daily Activities?

Another way to listen to your body is to keep track of how your workout affects your daily activities. Let’s keep this section simple:

• If you’re having trouble doing your daily routine due to soreness, you should dial things down
• If you’re able to do your daily routine but with low level difficulty, stay at that level of exercise until you’re at the green light OR:
• If you’re able to do your daily routine perfectly fine, progress your exercise!

Soreness Rules

For those of you that like tables, there’s a set of rules developed by researchers who studied when to progress or dial back exercise for people dealing with knee pain. Even though the research is focused on knee pain, I think there’s value in using this table for soreness in other areas of the body. Check it out:

Don’t Forget About the (not so) Little Things!

As we discussed previously, sleep, fatigue, stress, hydration, diet, alcohol consumption, and smoking can affect your baseline. Couple that with the fact that your baseline can change from day-to-day, and you’ve got a myriad of possible reasons to why you may feel really good after one workout and really sore after the same exact workout 1 week later. Combining many of these factors can also explain the extra soreness and fatigue you feel at the end of a theme park day!

So there you have it – my top 5 tips for listening to your body. Use these tips as a guideline for when to progress or dial back your exercise intensity. Remember, if you like what you read, go ahead and like my post and share it with your friends. If you have any suggestions, comments, or ideas you would like me to blog about in the future, feel free to leave a comment down below!

Remember, these are only suggestions. It’s always recommended that you speak to a medical professional about your particular situation before you travel.