You will have days when you don’t want to exercise, which is normal. Unfortunately, when burnout sets in, any thought of exercise, even if it’s an activity you love, will ignite feelings of dread. Burnout can creep in and derail your fitness goals. However, you can overcome it. Here are some signs of exercise burnout and what you can do to get yourself back on track.
You Feel Irritable Or Moody
You may be overdoing it if you find yourself short with people or lashing out without knowing why. This is a sign that your body is tired, making you cranky and less tolerant of everything happening around you. In fact, any little thing may set you off, and you may feel frustrated more easily.
Thankfully, taking a day or two to recover can help reduce moodiness and irritability caused by exercise burnout. Instead of your regular workout routine, relax. Engage in a non-exercise activity you enjoy, such as reading, doing nothing in particular, or taking a nap. Taking a much-needed break from your routine can help your mind and body recover.
You’re Consistently More Tired After Exercising
Exercise should make you feel energized after most of your workouts. Of course, intense workouts will leave you tired and sore. However, you should recover from those workouts after a day or two, even when you do lighter workouts between those more intense sessions. If you’re not feeling better after exercising, you may be overtraining and heading towards burnout.
Addressing exercise burnout doesn’t mean you have to skip workouts. Although, if you feel particularly worn out, a day or two away from exercise can help you recover. However, if you want to maintain your workout routine, you should skip any upcoming vigorous workout for a lighter one, like going for a brisk walk instead of running. In other words, taper back vigorous workouts and opt for a day off or a rest day workout instead until you feel ready to resume your normal activity.
You’re Exhausted
Life can be exhausting. There is a lot to do, and that doesn’t include exercising. There are times when there isn’t enough gas in the tank to be motivated to exercise. It’s okay to do nothing in particular. You don’t have to lie down. In fact, you can watch TV, read, or do some light things from your to-do list.
It’s okay to rest. You don’t have to work out every day to reach your fitness goals. However, exercising every day can lead to burnout. Sometimes, giving your body and your mind a break is what you need to recharge.
You’re Dreading Exercise
When you don’t like the exercises you’re doing, it makes it harder to exercise regularly. If that’s the case, you should try new activities to find something you enjoy doing. Forcing yourself to do exercises you don’t like is almost a guarantee you’ll stop exercising or injure yourself.
On the other hand, you may love the exercises you’re doing. Yet, you may be procrastinating and not looking forward to your workout. When you are experiencing burnout, nothing about exercise sounds good. Instead, this is the time to break it up and try something new. Even a leisurely bike ride or walk for a change of pace can turn things around. It’s okay to take off your fitness tracker, put your training plans aside, and move for the sake of moving or taking a rest day to recoup both mentally and physically.
Reducing The Risks Of Exercise Burnout Before It Happens
The best way to combat exercise burnout is prevention. Although you can’t eliminate the risk, you can certainly lower it.
Prioritizing rest gives your body time to recover. This means taking a day or two off from your workout routine to focus on activities that help you relax. This includes prioritizing sleep. You should aim to sleep enough each night so your body can rest properly and repair itself.
You may love to run, bike, lift weights, or do yoga every day. However, doing the same workout every time will only invite boredom and injury from mindless repetitive movements. You can combat exercise burnout by mixing things up and exploring different activities that you may add to your routine. Not only does that help with boredom, but the movements from other activities help reduce your risk of injury.
Your diet can significantly affect your mood and energy level. Prioritize nutritious foods from a variety of sources to give you the vitamins, minerals, and calories you need to support your workouts and overall health.
The Takeaway
Exercise burnout can occur due to overtraining, boredom, and prolonged physical and mental exhaustion. However, you can overcome it by incorporating some preventative measures and being mindful of how you feel mentally and physically.
Listening to your body and adjusting your workouts as needed is the best way to keep you engaged and looking forward to exercising. If you need to take time off to rest and recover properly, then do so. Taking a break doesn’t mean you’re giving up on your fitness goals. A few days off will not erase all your hard work. In fact, it may help reset and rejuvenate you to come back feeling refreshed, energized, and ready to go.
FitTrend’s mission is to help you along your self-improvement journey, promote an active lifestyle, and help you achieve your goals. Our journal can help you track your workouts, weight, mood, calories, and more. Also, FitTrend allows you to connect supported gadgets to your account to make it easier for you to update your journal automatically. Create your account today and start using FitTrend for free!
Disclaimer: No content on this site should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
