Regular exercise is essential for our physical and mental health. But over-exercising means it’s taking over your life, rather than being a healthy part of it.
An important question to ask yourself is, “Why do I exercise?” Do you do it to stay healthy and because it’s something you enjoy? If so, that’s great! But if you exercise because you’ll feel guilty or bad if you don’t, this could be a sign of something more serious.
Implementing exercise in your daily routine can give you many benefits, e.g., improved heart health, a lower risk of depression, and even better bone health. But, over-exercising can have the opposite effect on your body.
While exercise is good for your mental and physical health in equal measures, doing too much could impact both.
Thirty minutes a day of moderate physical activity is enough to prevent diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. However, athletes do over-exercising but in the presence of a team who takes care of everything right from eating, exercise and movement.
Exercise addicts tend to think that a two-hour run makes them four times as healthy. It doesn’t work that way.
Everyone’s body is different, meaning that every person has other limits when working out. Knowing your body and what it’s telling you is essential to ensure you aren’t pushing yourself too hard.
“Too much of a good thing could be compromising your immunity.”
“The science behind exercise and immunity involves the complex interaction of several different cells, including immunoglobulins, also known as antibodies, which can help identify a virus,” explains Matthew Jackson, a lecturer in Sport and Health Science at the university.
“Prolonged bouts of vigorous aerobic activity could lead to immunosuppression as these cells are redistributed and diverted to key tissues and organs that are active during exercise.” It means that too much of a good thing could be compromising your immunity.
A few physical symptoms and lifestyle patterns to be aware of may indicate that you are going too hard in the gym.
MUSCLE SORENESS
If you have muscular pains or soreness that doesn’t go away after three days or more, you should probably take that as a sign that you’re exercising too much.
Your body needs time to recover after heavy or intense training. Constant, persistent soreness means it’s not getting that chance. Take it easy, and let your body recover.
KEEP GETTING SICK
Most wholesome and in shape humans have a tendency to have a quite true immune system, hardly ever getting greater than a slight bloodless each so often.
So in case you are getting ill greater than traditional or experience quite crappy and fatigued overall, you may be quite certain your frame wishes a break.
ENERGY IS LOW
Suppose you feel more worn-out and feature had low power for days on end, however you realize you are now no longer sick. In that case, you are probable exercise too much.
Rest up, or put together to sacrifice performance.
LOSING WEIGHT WITHOUT MEANING TO
While maximum of the populace would love to lose a few greater weight with the aid of using an accident, it could be overtraining when you have accidental weight reduction and a reduced appetite.
Remember usually to make certain you are getting the right nutrients and attempt your nice to take a spoil at times.
FEELING EXTRA IRRITABLE
Are you feeling more agitated lately? Suppose you are experiencing irritability in addition to one or greater of those different symptoms.
In that case, you could make a secure wager that you are exercising too much.
Save yourself (and the human beings around you) with the aid of using taking some days off here and there.
EARLY-ONSET OF FATIGUE
Are you feeling a standard experience of fatigue after extended excessive education or getting strangely worn out early on in your workouts?
You guessed it: you are possibly over-exercised.
RESTING HEART RATE IS HIGHER THAN USUAL
Most match humans have a resting coronary heart charge sub 50 or 60 bpm (the common person’s resting coronary heart charge is seventy-two bpm). Check yours regularly: in case you are in tremendous shape.
Still, your coronary heart charge is extensively better than expected; you could need to provide your frame a ruined from exercise. Many apps will music resting coronary heart charge those days. S
Suppose you are a health nerd like me. In that case, you are probably interested in finding out the Whoop wearable band to degree recovery, such as resting coronary heart charge.
HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) IS LOW
While you need your resting coronary heart charge to be quite low, you need your coronary heart charge variability (HRV) to be higher. Having an excessive HRV is an indication that your frame is improving nicely from stress (consisting of your workouts). A low HRV is often a signal that your frame is not recovering nicely. Exercising an excessive amount can save you from the right recovery, and a low HRV will display it.
LESS MOTIVATED THAN USUAL
If you are an avid exerciser like me, however, you feel much less and much less inspired to paint out, it can be your frame providing you with a sign that you want a while off.
Take some days or maybe per week off and notice in case your motivation returns. Alternatively, you could want a while far from excessive education or your unique sport.
Try swapping up your ordinary exercises for nature hikes, new or amusing learning-fashion classes, or a pleasant sport of tennis/frisbee/pickup basketball/something different.
HIT A PLATEAU
Have you been running as difficult as you in all likelihood can, but you can not appear to enhance your speed, strength, or standard athletic performance?
Congratulations: you have formally plateaued.
Instead of pushing harder, you can need to reflect on consideration giving your frame a spoil given that a steady plateau nation is one of the main signs of overtraining.
HOW TO PREVENT OVER-EXERCISING
While there’s no one-size-fits-all predictor of how much exercise is too much, there are some steps you can take to prevent over-exercising.
Here are the most important ones:
Take a little extra time off every so often
Some humans withinside the health global strongly accept as true with you must take a whole week off of workout every few months to allow your frame to recuperate.
I’ve by no means certainly executed this—I’d pass loopy with pent-up electricity if I tried—however it may be really well worth attempting in case you are experiencing a couple of signs and symptoms of overtraining.
Alternatively, take some days off of extreme hobbies and perform a little lively relaxation day sports instead.
Replenish your body’s fluids
Drink masses and masses of fluids, such as fluids with electrolytes and potassium.
Water, coconut water, cherry juice, and electrolyte-stronger sports activities liquids are all amazing choices. If it is warm out or you are sweating extra than usual, you will want even extra fluids.
Prioritize recovery
While it is critical to paintings difficult at the same time as workout and is similarly essential to permit your frame nicely recover.
Take care of sore muscle tissues with muscle restoration techniques that paint. And ensure you are stretching regularly.
Sleep
Sleep is our body’s top time to recover, and shorting yourself of it places you at an excessive chance of over-exercising.
So make certain you get seven to 8 hours of sleep every night time and take a cat nap whilst you sense the need.
The Bottomline
Excess of anything is wrong, so consult your doctor and trainer before starting any activity.
For most healthy adults, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends these exercise guidelines:
Aerobic activity. Get as a minimum of one hundred fifty mins of mild cardio pastime or seventy-five mins of full-of-life cardio pastime a week, or an aggregate of mild and full-of-life pastimes. The suggestions advocate that you unfold this workout throughout the direction of a week. Greater quantities of workouts will offer even extra fitness benefits. But even small quantities of bodily pastime are helpful. Being lively for brief durations of time at some stage in the day can upload as much as offer fitness benefits.
Strength training. Do energy education sporting events for all primary muscle corporations at the least instances a week. Aim to do an unmarried set of every workout, the usage of a weight or resistance stage heavy sufficient to tire your muscle tissues after approximately 12 to fifteen repetitions. A moderate cardio workout consists of sports that include brisk walking, swimming, and mowing the lawn.
The vigorous cardio workout consists of sports which include jogging and cardio dancing. Strength education can consist of the use of weight machines, your very own frame weight, resistance tubing or resistance paddles withinside the water, or sports which include rock climbing.
As a popular goal, the purpose is for at least a half-hour of slight bodily interest each day. If you need to lose weight, keep weight reduced or meet particular health goals, you can want to work out greater. Want to purpose even better? You can attain greater fitness advantages in case you ramp up your workout to three hundred mins or greater a week.
Reducing sitting time is vital, too. The greater hours you take a seat down every day, the better your hazard of metabolic problems. Sitting an excessive amount can negatively effect your fitness and longevity, even in case you get the endorsed quantity of day-by-day bodily interest.
Short on lengthy chunks of time? Even short bouts of interest provide advantages. For instance, in case you cannot match in a single 30-minute stroll all through the day, attempt some five-minute walks instead. Any interest is higher than none at all. What’s maximum vital is making everyday bodily interest a part of your lifestyle.
Have you ever did over-exercising? If yes, then how do you deal with that? Share your views in the comment section. Don’t forget to like, share and follow my blog.