Exercise has many incredible benefits for the body, including improved sleep, increased energy, and mood stabilization. However, if you’re exercising beyond your body’s ability to recover, you may be overtraining, and causing more harm than good to your body.
People who overtrain may feel uneager to do exercise that once brought them joy. The exercises they normally are able to accomplish can feel far more difficult than usual to do. They can experience great fatigue, problems sleeping, reduced appetite, irritability, and a decline in their abilities to perform.
Overtraining can also lead to injuries, as your body is not experiencing enough time to recover between workouts. Sometimes, overtraining occurs because a person does not eat enough to supplement the amount of work they are doing. How much is too much will depend on each person, and can vary throughout a person’s lifetime.
If you’re experiencing symptoms of overtraining, here are some steps you can take to slow down and give your body enough rest and recovery. Be sure to consult a healthcare provider if your symptoms don’t improve with rest.
Taking time to rest from your usual workouts is critical to improving fatigue. This can be challenging for athletes to do, especially those who may be training for an upcoming competition. However, ignoring the signs of overtraining and refusing to rest can lead to injury. Resting doesn’t mean you have to stop exercising altogether. Cut your workouts back to a level that feels manageable for your body, whether that’s by 50% or 80%. Also allow for more days of rest in between your workouts to give your body time to fully recover.
One way to give your body a break from its usual exercise is to try movements in a different form. If you’re a runner and have overtrained, you might try gentle bicycling or yoga. Remember, don’t try to push yourself in these new activities, rather, you can use them to help you maintain some movement while resting and recovering.
Other ways to support your muscles amidst overtraining could include massage, saunas, ice baths, acupuncture, or other gentle forms of healing and relaxation. You could also consult with a physical therapist or athletic trainer for tips on your specific needs.
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