Fatigue. A common thing amongst athletes, especially those going from minimum exercise, to a lot, over a short space of time. No matter how hard we have worked to ensure we gradually increase Michiel’s workload, and give plenty of rest time, feeling tired, fatigued, unable to train, can still unfortunately happen.

It happened… We were in Barcelona, having travelled to all those countries for months, and his body and mind really needed a rest.

I told Michiel this hammock would not be good for posture in his back…so he decided on this angle…

• Fatigue can affect many people, and usually shows through signs such as feeling: overly tired, exhausted, nauseous, headache, lack of concentration, overly thirsty, feeling achy and sore (more than usual, lasting longer), decreased motivation and just a generally not feeling quite yourself. Not to be mistaken with general tiredness that we all get, this needs more attention. 

Travel, lack of a sleep, routine and mental stresses all contributed to Michiel feeling this way, and there was only one thing for it: REST! A few days off, plenty of sleep, water and good food, he was soon feeling MUCH better, and the positive Michiel was back on track!

My advice to anyone who thinks they may be overtraining, or suffering from some fatigue symptoms, would be to tackle it head on. Make sure you are always listening to your body, it will tell you what you need. This will not put you out for too long, so don’t see it as a setback, however, you will be setback if you continue to push through these signs and not rest!

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