Exercise is vital for maintaining good health. However, it’s equally important to find a balance between doing enough and overtraining. Exercising too much can have negative consequences on your physical and mental well-being. Let’s talk about some of the signs that you’re exercising too much and what you can do to avoid overtraining.
Signs You May Be Exercising Too Much
Chronic Fatigue
You may be exercising too much if you feel like you’re dragging during the day, even after a good night’s sleep. Overtraining can lead to insomnia, sleep deprivation, or disruption of your sleep cycles. On the other hand, when you’re doing the right amount of exercise, a good night’s sleep should leave you feeling rested and ready to tackle the day.
Decreased Performance or Lack of Progress
Instead of seeing improvements in your fitness level, you may notice a decline in your performance, such as decreased strength, endurance, or speed. You may be exercising too much if you feel sluggish during your workouts or unable to perform at your usual levels.
Muscle Soreness
Some soreness after exercise is normal. However, you could be exercising too much if you experience persistent muscle soreness that doesn’t go away after rest. No matter how fit you are, muscle soreness can affect you.
In fact, it can happen more frequently after trying a new activity or pushing yourself more than usual. Although, your muscles should stop aching in 2 to 5 days. If you continue exercising normally when you’re sore, you are not giving your muscles enough time to recover. If you continue pushing yourself when you’re sore, it can lead to an injury.
Change in Mood
Excessive exercise can lead to mood swings, irritability, and increased stress levels. Exercising too much places excessive stress on your body, which releases stress hormones like cortisol. Too much cortisol can contribute to feelings of anxiety and restlessness, making it difficult to relax.
Illness and Injuries
Although exercise can help boost your immune system, too much can weaken it. As a result, you become more susceptible to illnesses like colds and infections. Also, exercising too much can make it more difficult to recover from an illness.
Even worse, exercising too much increases your risk of an injury due to the excessive strain repeatedly placed on your body. If those minor aches and pains don’t go away, it might be time to take a rest day or reduce your workload to recover before the injuries worsen and make you stop exercising altogether.
Lack of Motivation
If you find yourself dreading workouts that you otherwise enjoy, it may be a sign you are exercising too much. Over time, excessive exercise can lead to burnout. As a result, you may lose motivation and enthusiasm for exercise or other aspects of life. This can contribute to feelings of apathy, procrastination, and low energy.
It Takes Longer To Recover
If you exercise too much, then it can take longer for your muscles to recover between workouts. Without adequate rest, you may even experience lingering soreness that doesn’t go away. You may even notice your resting heart rate is higher than normal. In fact, an elevated resting heart rate can be a sign of overtraining.
What Should You Do If You Are Exercising Too Much?
Finding a balance between exercise and recovery is crucial to maintaining your health and well-being. If you suspect you may be exercising too much, it’s essential to rest and give your body a chance to recover. First, it’s okay to stop exercising. A few days off will not affect your fitness level meaningfully.
Also, try to get adequate sleep. A good night’s sleep is when you fall asleep quickly, don’t fully wake up during the night, do not wake up too early, and wake up in the morning feeling refreshed. However, you need both quality sleep and the right amount of sleep consistently to get the rest you need to repair and maintain your body.
When you feel more energized after resting, you can start back slowly and work toward your regular exercise routine. If resting doesn’t seem to be helping you recover, then you should contact your doctor to help identify any underlying problems and receive guidance tailored to your specific needs.
Tips To Avoid Exercising Too Much
Listen to Your Body
Your body will tell you when it’s time to rest. Always pay attention to how you feel while you’re exercising. If you feel sluggish or pain, you may be exercising too much and should stop and rest. Make rest a priority, and give your body enough time to recover, especially after intense workouts. Rest can be no exercise or light exercise. Regardless, getting adequate sleep and eating balanced meals is vital to recovery.
Add Variety to Your Workouts
Avoid doing the same workout every time you exercise. Mix different types of exercises into your routine. This will work other groups of muscles and reduce the repetitive stress on your body from doing the same exercises each time.
Also, stretch before you start your workouts so your muscles and joints are ready. After your workouts, cool down with more stretches, which can help with muscle soreness and may prevent injuries.
Set Realistic Goals
If you’re pushing yourself extra hard to obtain a specific goal, it’s crucial to ensure your goals are realistic and attainable for your fitness level. It’s okay to have big goals. However, it takes time to achieve them, especially if you’re a beginner. Instead, create goals based on your fitness level. Once you reach a goal, then set a slightly more challenging one. Celebrate the small wins, and try not to do too much too soon.
Track Your Progress
Keep a fitness journal or use an app to monitor your workouts and progress over time. Tracking your progress can give you a heads-up if your efforts change for the better or worse. As a result, you can adjust your routine to avoid the pitfalls of exercising too much.
Get Help
You may not be able to figure it out on your own. Thankfully, others can help. You can talk to a certified personal trainer who can create a workout plan specific to your goals and fitness level. They can also help show you how to perform your exercises safely and efficiently while minimizing your risk of injury and exercising too much.
The Takeaway
Finding a balance between exercise and recovery is vital to maintaining overall health and well-being. Therefore, you should know the signs of exercising too much and develop strategies such as setting reasonable goals, adding variety to your workouts, and tracking your progress. Don’t be afraid to talk with a certified trainer for help.
Always listen to your body, and rest if you need to. Missing a few days of exercise won’t erase your efforts and could help you avoid injuries that could force you to stop exercising altogether.
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.
