In this episode of The Iron Lab Podcast, Coach Jo and Coach Kim dive into the art of balancing the time to push through and the time to pause in your fitness journey. They discuss how to recognize when to power through a workout and when rest is essential for long-term progress. By listening to your body’s signals—like mood changes, fatigue, or pain—you can make informed decisions that enhance recovery and prevent burnout.

The coaches also explore strategies to break through plateaus, including various training routines and incorporating new methods, such as changing your tempo, adjusting your weight, and mixing up your reps to match. Throughout the episode, they remind listeners that life is a marathon, not a sprint, and sustainable progress requires balance.

The episode is packed with practical advice, from starting workouts with minimal effort to prioritizing sleep as a recovery tool. Jo and Kim encourage listeners to incorporate flexibility in their training plans and emphasize self-awareness as a key to making smart fitness decisions. Whether you’re navigating a busy schedule, battling decision fatigue, or aiming to build consistency, this conversation offers actionable tips and motivation to achieve your fitness goals while respecting your body’s needs.

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Contact Joely Churchill and Kim Berube | Iron Lab:

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Transcript:

Coach Jo 00:09

Welcome to Perfectly Unfinished Conversations, the Iron Lab podcast with Coach Jo…

Coach Kim 00:14

…and Coach Kim…

Coach Jo 00:15

Where you ride shotgun with us as we have raw, real, unfiltered, and unfinished conversations about trying to eat, sleep, train, and live with some integrity in a messy, imperfect life.

Coach Kim 00:27

We're all about creating a strong support system, taking radical personal responsibility, having fun, and being authentic. And one of the most common themes you're going to find in this podcast is the idea that we create positive momentum in our life, by doing what we call b-minus work.

Coach Jo 00:45

We’re making gains and getting ahead and loving life without self-sabotaging our goals by striving for perfection. We get it done by moving ahead…

Coach Kim 00:55

…before we're ready…

Coach Jo 00:56

…when we aren't feeling like it…

Coach Kim 00:58

…and without hesitation.

Coach Jo 1:00

Be sure to subscribe now on Apple or Spotify, so you don't miss a single episode. It’s good enough. Let's go.

Coach Kim 01:11

Hey everybody, welcome back to Perfectly Unfinished Conversations, the place where we keep it real about all things health and life and trying to maintain some sanity along the way.

Coach Jo 01:22

That's right. And if you're here, you probably relate to the struggle like everybody else, of balancing 500 things a day and wondering to yourself, when should I actually rest and when should I just push through?

Coach Kim 01:33

Yeah, so today's episode is dedicated to figuring that exact thing out. We mentioned this in our last Podcast, episode number 13, Consistency and Discipline: the sisters that you want to be BFFs with, and we're going to come to you with this whole conversation. So we've called it, Take Your Training up a Notch: Do you really need a rest day? Or are you just being a little bitch? And because, let's face it, there are days where we genuinely need to listen in and give ourselves a break, but there are also times where we sort of need to kick our own ass.

Coach Jo 02:12

Exactly. I mean, like between me chasing my two boys to hockey practice every other night. And you know, well, you struggling with iron and ferritin and perimenopause.

Coach Kim 02:20

right? So Jo and I totally get that life doesn't always make it easy to know when to push and when just to take a damn nap, and maybe napping is not your thing. Like, I'm not a napper, but there are other important requirements for recovery. So today we're going to dive into that tricky balance. And we're here to keep it real, guys like get comfy, because this one is really for anybody who feels like they're walking that fine line between training in a way that maximizes our results and allows adequate recovery, which is also needed to maximize results. So let's kick things off with the idea of listening to your body. And I don't mean that, like, half assed I'm tired today, or I had a hard day at work, so I'm just gonna skip my workout. I mean, actually, trying to tune in and figure out what your body is telling you.

Coach Jo 03:16

Like, sometimes your body's like, oh my goodness, I just had the best sleep, and I'm feeling super grateful, and the stars are all aligning, and Mercury is in retrograde. Like, get up and go, let's go. And other times it's saying, like, get your ass on the couch right now. Sit the fuck down and don't move. But it's about knowing the difference between these two. And that's ultimately where most people, they get tripped up on.

Coach Kim 03:36

This is, yeah, this is where our brain can interfere along the way, like we like to shame ourselves for not being tough enough, for sturdy enough. We think we should always want to train. So it's super easy to confuse being lazy with actually needing rest. I'm so used to now getting my training done without wanting to, like, it's just not an option. I go and it's done, unless there's something else that's going on for me physically, like I've recognized that there's a difference between I just don't feel like it, and my legs feel like they've been through a meat grinder this week, or I didn't get a wink of sleep last night, or I had physio this morning, or I feel like I'm coming down with something.

Coach Jo04:24

The meat grinder feeling like that's real, especially after strong first lines workout this last Wednesday, like that's me currently in my upper body. It feels like it was put through a meat grinder. And listen, when you're consistently pushing your body hard, sometimes those signs can actually be more subtle, like maybe you're getting a little cranky towards your family at home, suddenly everything feels like a huge effort, like you have decision fatigue on everything.

Coach Kim 04:51

Yeah, or you're just in a crappy mood for no reason, snapping at people, things like that. Mood swings can actually be a huge sign that you need rest. So if. You're feeling extra triggered by your partner, or are yelling at the coffee maker for not brewing fast enough. It might be a day...

TAKE YOUR TRAINING UP A NOTCH: Do you really need a rest day, or are you just being a little bitch?

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