SIGNS YOU ARE OVERTRAINING:
Exercise is good for you but sometimes in our quest to improve we think the more the better and consequently do not allow our bodies enough rest and recuperation. The outcome is that by over-training we actually do more harm than good and weaken our changes of achieving our goals.
Some signs of overtraining to look out for:
- Feel excitable, moody, irritable or lack concentration.
- Heart rate is raised at rest and during exercise.
- Suffer insomnia or feel restless during sleep.
- Experience muscle aches or joint pain or chronic injuries.
- Your performance drops during workouts.
- Pick up injuries.
- Feel excessively fatigued and demotivated.
- Falling ill more often.
- Loss of appetite.
- Disturbed menstrual cycle in women.
So how to prevent and treat:
- Listen to your body, train as you feel, if you feel tired or unmotivated, have an easy session or take a rest day.
- Rest days are critical. Factor them into your training plan.
- Dont train each day at a hard intensity. You need easy days or rest days between hard days to grow and improve.
- Get enough sleep and rest. It is the more critical part of your fitness training.
- Eat a balanced diet, avoid alcohol and cigarettes.
- Cross Train, do not focus on the same type of exercises regime all the time.
- Vary the intensity of your training, do not always train hard in every session, have easy days.
- If you are sick or injured take time off to recuperate and see your doctor if necessary.