Symptoms of Overtraining
We have been told our whole lives that exercise is amazing for our bodies, (because it is!) but it is absolutely possible to get too much of a good thing. Repeatedly pushing your body to the max with little to no recovery can lead to burnout or even serious injury. It can be hard to slow down and really listen to your body, so here are a few signs that can appear when you might be overdoing it.
- Fatigue - This one seems simple right? Well, when you’re almost always feeling tired from daily stressors, work AND working out, fatigue can be a lot harder to identify. If your body repeatedly doesn’t fully recover from a training session, that is a pretty good indicator that you need a proper rest! This is a strong signal from your body to check in with yourself (also take a look at how you’re fueling your body!).
- Lingering Injuries and pain - This sign is a little easier to identify. Is that knee, ankle or lower-back never seeming to bounce back from your workout? This could be your body asking you to take the pedal off the gas! Without properly scheduled rest, you WILL NOT be able to recover.
- Losing your “spark” - There are many different things that can potentially take the wind out of our sails, but overtraining is a surefire way to make you feel like every day is absolutely dragging by. Loss of motivation, enthusiasm, and brain fog are all symptoms of just being bone-tired.
All of these signs point to one thing: You need a rest!
Give yourself a mental and physical break when you need it; we promise you that the foundation of all that hard work and dedication will still be there when you come back. Providing your body the rest it needs will actually help you reach your goals in a much more effective and enjoyable way!
