This is especially true when coming back from an illness. If you had a nasty cold or flu, your body expended a lot of energy in fighting it and may be weaker than you think. You should follow doctor's orders but, when you get back to it, some cues you want to pay attention to include:
- Heart rate or perceived exertion. If your heart rate is higher than normal or you're out of breath, you may need to back off.
- Energy level. In general, you should start to feel more energy as you progress from your warm up into the heart of your workout. If you find your energy levels are dropping, that's another sign that your body may not be ready for that level of exertion.
- Weakness or fatigue. If you're lifting weights and feel weakness or fatigue in the muscles or body, that's a sign to back off and rest or proceed directly to some light stretching.
- Bonking. Bonking is a term we often use for endurance athletes when they hit the wall or, in other words, lose power because they've used up their energy stores. Bonking can also happen to regular exercisers, especially if you're coming back from an illness. You may be dehydrated or you may not be eating as much as normal. On top of lingering symptoms like coughing, runny noses and lack of sleep, you can easily bonk without warning.
