Ever heard the saying “no pain no gain?” Who hasn’t right? Well, that is a very loaded comment and one to be very careful of in the terms of your daily workout. Yes, it is good to get a natural burn and soreness from your workout. However, it is not ok, and can do great damage to your body in the future to overexert yourself. But the million-dollar question is how do you know when you are pushing too hard? Here are 8 ways to tell if you are overdoing it.
You are tired instead of full of energy after your workout.
Exercise is the best way to release natural endorphins that make you feel energized after a workout. It is ok to feel tired right after but by the time you leave your workout facility to go home you should not feel like it is time for a nap. You should feel more like it is time to get done those extra chores at home, because you feel great.
You are always sick.
Instead of your bodies defense system gearing up to fight off viruses or colds is your body too busy repairing damaged muscles? When you build muscle it is natural to have breakdown, to rebuild stronger larger muscles. However, if your body is too busy keeping up with its defense against illness you may be working out too hard.
You are gaining fat even when working out.
A big and very frustrating way of knowing you are over doing it, is your body gaining fat no matter how hard you workout. This is because you are working too hard, so hard your body is releasing stress hormones that make you fat! The build up of hormones like cortisol causes extra fat storage in the body as it’s fight or flight response, to protect you from dying, it stores fat energy to keep you alive.
Decreased performance
Are you noticing that when you workout your performance compared to before is dwindling? This is one of the earliest signs you are working out too hard. It can be easier to see this in endurance sports like running and swimming than in other activities.
“Weighted” Limbs
Do your legs or arms feel heavy? Is it hard to get your workout started or continued because your legs and arms feel so heavy it is almost impossible to move? This could be from having overdone previous workouts and your muscles have yet to heal.
Are you sleep deprived, feeling the blues or down right irritable with family and friends?
Mood can be affected when the body is over stressed. While normal exercise releases happy endorphins too much makes the body think it is being attacked and it goes into stress mode. You lose sleep, and thus can become lightly depressed (If your depression increases seek medical attention) and/or snippy and irrational.
Disinterest in your workout
This is called burnout, when you become disinterested in an activity you normally had fun doing and looked forward too. This can be caused from overdoing your workout.
You are sore for a very long time.
If you are sore for more then 48 hours this is not a good thing. It is important to add to intensity of a workout slowly over time, so your body has time to repair and grow stronger for the next challenge. If you throw your body a curve ball to early you will damage your muscles, too much for your body to keep up with, and may possibly lead to injury or illness.
Take a rest if any of this is happening. Then go slowly back to your workout. Maybe you could take a walk or a yoga class instead of that cross fit class? It is important to even the playing field, mix days of intensity with days of more relaxed fitness to keep a balanced workout week, not forgetting healthy breaks for the body to recoup when needed.
Is there a tell tale sign that your body does to tell you enough is enough in your workout? What is it? Share Below.
Until next time, enjoy the good life,
Woman on the Journey
Resources:
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=1793&page=2
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/on-fitness/2010/11/05/10-signs-youre-exercising-too-much