I *Overdid* My Fitness Regime, And What I Learned in the Process

The important of taking breaks in between workouts.

“You just got back from a pole dance class. Why have you booked another one the next morning? Your body needs to rest.”

It was 10 PM and this is what my partner told me. I couldn’t hold back a smile. “I’ll be fine, don’t worry,” I assured him, knowing I’d also booked a flexibility class later that evening.

In my head, I was unstoppable. I’ve been working out consistently for over a year. My body is used to the grind. The more I work out, the stronger I’ll be, right?

Wrong!

The realization that I’m not invincible hit me at 3 AM when I woke up with agonizing pain in my ankles. I’d been working out non-stop for the past few months. Even on rest days, I did some activity like going for a swim, or taking a long walk. Was the toll finally starting to show?

I took a Paracetamol and brushed the pain off. I had a pole fitness class at 9 in the morning. I couldn’t afford to be in pain.

My sleep was broken less than an hour later when I was woken with even worse pains than before. I could barely move my ankles, and simple things like getting out of bed made me cry out. That’s when I knew there was no way I could make it to my class. I picked up my phone and texted my instructor, hoping she’d see it on time.