Training Doesn't Drain Your Energy. It Gives It Back. (A Lesson From Gus the Frenchie)
The Gus Effect
Let me introduce you to Gus. He's my French bulldog, and on a lazy day he is the least energetic creature in Bedford.
If Gus has spent the day snoozing on the sofa, he waddles about like he's carrying the weight of the world. Slow to get up. Slow to the food bowl. Sighing like a teenager asked to empty the dishwasher.
But on the days he's been out for a proper walk? Completely different dog. Tail going, ears up, bouncing round the kitchen, full of beans.
Watching him the other evening, it hit me. Gus is living proof of something I've been telling clients for 15 years: rest doesn't always give you energy. Moving does.
Why do we think training will leave us exhausted?
Most of us treat energy like a bank balance. We wake up with a set amount, the day spends it, and by 6pm there's nothing left. So the idea of a training session feels like a withdrawal we simply can't afford.
It's an understandable way to think, especially if you're juggling work, family and everything else that comes with your 40s and 50s. But your body doesn't work like a bank account. It works more like Gus.
Does exercise actually give you more energy?
Yes. And it's not just a feel-good slogan. There are a few very real things going on.
Your body builds more engines. Regular training increases the number and efficiency of mitochondria, the tiny power stations in your muscle cells. More power stations means more energy available for everything else in your day, not just the gym.
Your heart and lungs get better at their job. As your fitness improves, getting oxygen to your muscles takes less effort. Stairs, school runs and carrying the shopping stop feeling like a workout in themselves.
You sleep better. Training is one of the most reliable ways to improve sleep quality. Better sleep means you wake up with more in the tank.
Your mood lifts. Exercise releases endorphins and helps regulate stress hormones. A lot of what we call "tired" is actually mental fatigue, and a good session clears the fog in a way the sofa never will.
Stronger muscles make life cheaper. When you're stronger, everyday tasks cost a smaller percentage of your capacity. That leaves more energy in reserve at the end of the day.
Why does doing nothing make you feel more tired?
This is the bit that surprises people. Inactivity breeds tiredness. The less you move, the less your body expects to move, and the more sluggish you feel when you try.
That's Gus on a sofa day. He hasn't used any energy, yet he's got the least of it. Sound familiar? Think about how you feel after a weekend of doing very little compared with a weekend where you got outside and got moving.
The flat, heavy feeling at the end of a long day sat at a desk usually isn't physical exhaustion. Your body hasn't done anything. Your brain is just frazzled, and your body is under-used. Movement is the reset button for both.
What should you do when you're too tired to train?
Here's my honest advice after years of coaching busy adults. There's a difference between being genuinely run down and just feeling flat. If you're ill, injured or running on three hours' sleep, rest. If you're just a bit meh after work, that's exactly when a session will help most.
A few things that make it easier:
Commit to turning up, not to a personal best. Tell yourself you'll do the warm-up and see how you feel. Nine times out of ten you'll walk out feeling better than you walked in.
Book it in. Treat your session like any other appointment. Decisions made at 5pm when you're tired are rarely good ones, so make the decision in advance.
Train with other people. It's much harder to talk yourself out of a session when your group and coach are expecting you. This is a big part of why small group training works so well for our members.
Keep it simple. You don't need a two-hour blitz. A well-structured 45 to 60 minutes, two or three times a week, is plenty to feel the difference.
Don't just take my word for it. Have a read of what our members say on our testimonials page. More energy comes up again and again, often before the scales or the mirror show any change at all.
Be more Gus
Gus doesn't overthink it. He doesn't check whether he's got the energy for a walk. He goes, and the energy comes afterwards.
That's the mindset shift I'd love you to make. Stop waiting to feel energetic before you train. Train, and the energy follows.
If you're stuck in a sofa-day cycle and want help breaking it, let's have a chat. Book a free, no-pressure discovery call and we'll talk through where you are, where you want to be, and whether Strength Made Simple is the right fit. Or if you'd like to know more about who we are first, meet the team here.
Gus would approve.