Kavya
If a little exercise is beneficial, surely more is preferable? True, but only to a certain extent. There is a “dose-response relationship” when it comes to exercise volume, which means that the more you work out, the more gains you will obtain, but there is a final straw beyond which the type of activity you perform can do more damage than good. This point can be attained in either of the two ways listed below:
- Excessive exercise without adequate rest
- Consistent fuel deficiency
Overtraining Syndrome (OTS)
This tipping point is referred to as overtraining syndrome (OTS), and it results in a decrease in fitness level and, potentially, injury. You are equally at risk for OTS whether you are male or female, so recognising and combating the early signs can help you avoid negative fitness and health outcomes. There are a few obvious signs that you are overtraining. Here are nine warning signs that you are over exercising:
1.Physical Signs
Abnormal muscle soreness following a training session that worsens with continued training. Inability to train or compete at previously acceptable levels. Leg muscles that are “heavy” even at low exercise intensities. Recovering from training has been slowed.
2.Increased perceived effort during workouts
Overtraining not only reduces performance, but it can also make seemingly easy workouts feel unusually difficult. An abnormally elevated heart rate during exercise or throughout the day is a clear indication of this. If you have OTS, you may notice that your heart rate takes longer to return to normal after a workout.
3.Loss of appetite
Hormonal imbalances can also have an impact on hunger and fullness mechanisms. More exercise should increase appetite, but OTS’s physiological fatigue can actually repress food intake.
4.Insomnia
Can’t sleep despite the fact that you’re exhausted from working out? This is most probably the result of a nervous system and/or hormonal system overload. Concentrate on getting your 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. nap as this is the time of day when your body heals. People who are overtraining should eat a lot of clean food and take a week off from training entirely.
5.Depression
Workout is generally beneficial to your mental wellbeing, but excessive exercise may have the inverse result. Overtrainers mistake exercise for something it is not: a challenge, a conquest, or a filler. Not only that, but you may have “body image problems,” believing that “the more you train, the better you’ll appear.”
6.Frequent Sickness
A healthy lifestyle does not include feeling ill. In fact, it is sometimes your body’s way of telling you that your immune system is overworked. Overtraining causes your body to be in a “constant catabolic state,” which decreases immunity and increases the possibility of becoming unwell.
7.Off heart rate
Whenever you’re overtraining, you’ll notice that, in addition to finding it difficult to push at your regular intensity, your heartbeat won’t be dropping between rounds of HIIT interims or effort. This indicates that your heart-rate variability is low, which indicates that your body is not stress-resilient.
8.Halted progress
Despite your best efforts, has your body stopped changing? If this is the case, you could be pushing too hard. When you over train, your body goes the other way of development because your muscles are torn because all you’re doing is trying to tear them again. Don’t take the chance of going into a muscle-burning phase.
Keep in mind: Muscles need time to repair, and this can only happen if your body is given enough time to rest and recover before being compelled to do more exercise.
9.You start having menstrual issues
Overtraining can cause hormonal changes that cause your menstrual cycle to stop, which is a clear indication that you need to slow down.
Here’s some tough love for all you high-achievers: If you’re completely exhausted and seeing the exact reverse of the outcomes you want in the fitness center and in the mirror, it’ll take more than a few days of adjusting your workout routine to recover.
First and foremost, pause the HIIT, hardcore cardio, and CrossFit-style workouts, all of which cause a significant response to stress. In addition to physical activity, nutrition plays a significant role in whether you gain or lose weight. Remember how I said that if exercise is your only outlet after a stressful day, it will inevitably lead to exhaustion? That means it’s time to start thinking about alternatives to find peace that don’t leave you trickling with sweat.
