The Greek prefix eu- is enormously important. It signifies "well, good, pleasant."
It's found in many English words:
- eulogy (good words)
- euphoria (good feeling)
- euphemism (good saying)
- euthanasia (good death)
- euphony (good sound)
- eutropic (good nutrition)
When we talk about exercise physiology, we often talk about stress. When stress is perceived as something negative, we're usually thinking of a heightened state of cortisol production that leads to greater insulin resistance. This process makes it harder to lose body fat.
But is all stress bad?
A moderate exposure to stress is needed to survive and thrive as humans. Moderate stress should be welcomed as a daily challenge -- as long as it does not control you. Sports physiologists refer to the body's daily "eustress" -- the optimum dose of physiological stress (good stress) that builds health and imparts a feeling of fulfilment. Your body has a remarkable built-in mechanism for adaption, repair, and remodeling. When good stresses are applied to the bones, tendons, and muscles, the body grows stronger as the repair work does its magic.
However, this always presupposes the right amount of stress as well as adequate time for the rebuilding process to occur. If too little recovery time is allowed, the body doesn't fully recover. That's not training but overtraining. That's the problem with the so-called "no pain, no gain" philosophy of training. It should be, "Train, don't strain." We have to learn to respect low level doses levels of stress ("eustress") combined with rest. The result is growth and success.
This year my my recovery day will be Sunday. No lifting. not even any steps. Here's an old runner's adage:
Training success =
moderate stress + adequate rest
With every strenuous activity (like running or lifting), fatigue eventually occurs and performance declines. That's why we need a recovery phase in which compensation occurs, thus signaling a higher platform of performance for the rest of the exertion.
Hope this helps in your fitness journey!