Fitness and Well-being

Are You Working Out In Excess?

Are you working out in excess? Anything that is done in the right quantity and amount is good for you. Anything beyond that can be harmful. This especially applies to exercise as it is directly connected to our bodies. Our bodies can only take so much and overworking it can really do a lot of harm.

This is why when we are exercising and working out we should be careful about the amount of time and energy we put into our workouts.

Pushing yourself is great, you should motivate yourself but you should know where to stop and draw the line. Try to not get carried away just so you can reach your goals faster.

Our body will display signs of getting overworked. They are:

#1. A decrease in performance:

If you overwork, you will see that there is a decrease in your performance. This is because the body will be too tired to respond and keep up with your expectations. This will become counter-productive and a waste of time and energy. The body needs to get sufficient rest to cope up with your workout.

#2. Prolonged heaviness in legs:

Heaviness in legs is something you will feel during your ordinary activities like walking if the previous day you have worked out a bit more than you should have. This heaviness is caused when the body doesn’t get time to rest and recover. Heaviness may prevent you to move quickly with ease or even while walking up and down stairs you may feel it is harder than usual.

#3. Your sleep cycle has gone for a toss:

There are two signs here that show we are overtraining. One is we feel sleepy all the time while the other is we do not feel sleepy at all even though our bodies are tired. This is a classic sign of overtraining. If you are sleeping too much it is your body’s way to tell you to slow down as it does not get proportionate sleep to the workout.

#4. You have plateaued:

Are you in a situation where you are working out as vigorously as possible and still not able to see any difference in your performance? This is a classic example of overworking. This means you have reached a plateau. To prevent yourself from plateauing you need to take a step back, think about your routine and workout smarter.

#5. Sudden mood changes or irritability:

If you feel annoyed quickly or are not in a very happy mood, it may because you have been overtraining.

Being suddenly irritated can be closely associated with working out more than needed. In this case, it is better to slow down.

#6. Signs of a weaker immune system:

Overtraining can lead you to have not just inflammations and soreness but also a weaker immune system. A prolonged period of overtraining can cause chronic problems which can take from weeks to months to recover from. Instead of putting your body at risk it is wise to slow down and give your body a chance to recover.

Conclusion:

It is better to workout smart and not hard, as people tend to work out harder than what they should be which puts their body at a higher risk for health-related issues.

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Nidhi Patel