If you’re involved in fitness at all, you’ve probably heard the phrase “listen to your body.” And in general, this is good advice. However, as with most things in the fitness world, there is a time and place for this advice, and it’s not as straightforward as it seems. So, let’s dive into the nuance and add some context.

For starters, you need to earn the right to listen to your body. Sound harsh? It’s not meant to be but think about it. How often do you wake up to your alarm in the morning, and your natural inclination is to snooze for 10 more minutes? Snoozing is not great for your circadian rhythm, so in that instance, listening to your body isn’t a good idea.

What about food? So much of our food is hyperpalatable – containing huge amounts of sugar, salt, and fat. This combination is DELICIOUS and is specifically designed to help us ignore or override our fullness cues, so that we keep eating. Again, listening to your body here can lead to trouble.

Hunger cues in general take practice to understand. Sometimes, we feel hungry because we’re actually thirst. Sometimes we’re bored. Sometimes, we get hungry because we’re used to using food as a coping mechanism for other emotional distress. Until you learn to distinguish between actual hunger and signals being crossed for another reason, listening to your body isn’t good advice.

How can you learn? Use the “Apple Test.” Feeling hungry? Ask yourself how appetizing an apple sounds. If it sounds good, you’re really hungry. If you think “hell no, I need something sweet!” then you’re not really hungry. Practice this over time, and then you’ll earn the right listen to your body when it comes to food.

What about exercise? If you’re not in the habit, listening to your body will mean you probably sit on the couch rather than train. Training is hard! It’s normal not to want to do it. So, you can’t listen to your body when it’s telling you to stop, or to not even start.

When you’re in the habit of training, once again you’ll learn to distinguish between soreness, discomfort, and pain. Discomfort makes you want to stop. When experiencing discomfort, you need to push through. Don’t listen to your body. Finish the work and hit your intended training stimulus.

Feeling sore? Don’t feel like training? If it’s a smart program, your work will either flush out the soreness, or work a different body part to avoid making it worse. Again, listening to your body to avoid training is the less optimal choice here.

When does it make sense? If you’re in legit pain. Pain is a signal that something is wrong. Again, in general, we say “if it hurts, stop.” This only refers to pain, not discomfort. Once again, it takes time and practice to distinguish between the two.

So, while in general “listen to your body” is sound advice, it requires context, and it really only applies in specific situations. Use the apple test, and you can earn the right to listen to your body when it comes to hunger. Train regularly, and you’ll learn to distinguish between discomfort and pain. THEN you can listen to your body.

Need help learning to navigate this? That’s what a coach is for.  If you’re already a gym member, talk to a coach so we can better help you. Struggling on your own? Book an introductory meeting with us and we’ll talk about how we can help. That’s what we’re here for! And hopefully, we’ll see you soon in the gym.