Signs of Over-training

Over-training is a common problem that many athletes and serious gym goers don’t even realize that they have. A lot of times when getting into a consistent workout routine, it can surprisingly become addicting. You can start to feel like that your body will change or you will lose muscle mass if you don’t exercise every single day. But, that is all mental. Over-training is very serious and the symptoms can be harmful to your physical and mental health. Training to this level actually ends up making you feel weaker and lethargic all the time. You actually will have less efficient workouts, leading to negative results if you aren’t giving your body the proper rest that it needs to recover.

Your muscles do not grow during your workout, they synthesize and create new tissue during your recovery period. If you do not rest and you do not eat enough, giving your body the proper nutrients it needs, you will not have any positive progress. You will actually start to plateau and your physical fitness will slowly decline, allowing your body to become more susceptible to injuries.

At one point, I was the perfect example of someone who was completely over-training and I did not even know it. I felt I was living a healthy and active lifestyle until I started to go down a very downhill slope. I was working out intensely 6 days a week, only giving myself one day a week to recover. Because of this, I was experiencing so many health issues. I ended up with a sprained wrist, tendinitis in my feet, a weakened immune system and insomnia. It took me weeks out of the gym to recover from this. Now I know the proper way to train and how important regeneration is for your well-being. Working out six days a week was not worth the month that I had to take off from exercising.

Exercising should be something that you enjoy, not an activity to cause harm or make you feel sick, depressed , or injured. Below is a complete list of the symptoms of over-training and if you are experiencing some of these, then you might need to re-evaluate your exercise regimen.

·         Elevated resting heart rate

·         Increased susceptibility to infections

·         Irritability

·         Depression

·         Insomnia

·         Weight loss

·         Decreased appetite

·         Persistent muscle soreness

·         Increased injuries

·         Loss of motivation

Most importantly, you should always listen to your body. If there is a day when you are exhausted, don’t force yourself to workout. Take the time to rest and relax and you will find yourself feeling even stronger and more energized in your next workout. It's all about balance.