According to statistics, only about 28% of people in the United States work out enough. Being physically fit isn’t just about outward appearances, it’s about creating a healthy body overall, allowing you to better fend off potential illnesses, injuries, and more.
Regularly working out also helps to reduce stress, boost your mood, fight anxiety and depression, increase your energy, help you sleep better, and boost your brain health. Considering all the good, you may be surprised to learn there is such a thing as too much exercise.
Here we will take a look at some of the signs that you’ve pushed too hard in a workout and the negative impact it can have. It’s all about finding a healthy balance.
You Don’t Have a Set Routine and Then Overcompensate
There’s a lot to be said for creating a workout routine and sticking with it. This helps to ensure results and allows you to make it a habit that you don’t have to think twice about. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case, and sometimes people fall off the wagon. What can happen in this case is you push yourself more than normal since you missed a few days, and you end up overcompensating.
Since you can’t make up for the time that was lost, instead, create a routine moving forward.
You Aren’t Taking Any Days Off Training
When creating your workout routine, make sure you also prioritize days of rest. More isn’t better when it comes to working out; again, it’s about consistency. Ideally, you want to take at least one day off weekly. Taking two days off won’t set you back. Taking a day off from exercise allows your body to recover, which allows you to be more effective when you work out and less likely to injure yourself.
Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your personal health goals take time to achieve. Just like it’s important to take breaks from playing video games, searching for casino coupon codes, and watching TV, it’s equally important to rest and not overdo exercise. Use your workout breaks to engage in hobbies you enjoy, meet up with friends, and get stuff done on your to-do list.
You’re in a Lot of Pain Every Time After Working Out
Do you judge the quality of your workout by how sore your body is after? It’s normal to feel some tenderness and tightness, but if you feel a lot of pain, or it’s pain that lingers, you’ve likely pushed yourself too far. If you don’t learn the first time, then this trend will continue, and the pain never gets a chance to subside.
Your Body Feels Fatigued
This symptom pairs with the one above. If you’re in pain after your workout, you may also feel tired. Again, we aren’t talking about a bit of exhaustion but your whole body feeling completely spent and unable to do anything more. This, too, can be a vicious cycle.
You’re Getting Sick More Often
Here’s a symptom that many aren’t aware of. Working out is meant to strengthen your body, and it can even boost your immune system. Just like with many other things in life though, too much of a good thing can have negative results. You can chalk this up to the exhaustion and feeling rundown. When you’re in this state your body has a harder time fighting off basic colds and illnesses.
You Keep Suffering From Injuries
One of the worst things to happen to an athlete is an injury. They know that this will sideline their efforts, and potentially take a while to overcome. You don’t have to be a professional to suffer from an injury, and all too often people aren’t mindful of adhering to proper form and listening to their bodies. If you are overworking yours, you leave it open to injuries.
Your Endurance and Strength Decrease
This one may seem mind-boggling, but it’s true. Did you know that if you overwork your body, you can have a decrease in endurance and strength? That means you won’t be able to move to the next level of physical fitness, and you end up stuck on a plateau. If you are at a plateau right now, ask yourself if you’re working out too often.
Pulling back a little bit may be all it takes to break out of your current slump.
You Notice a Change in Your Sleep Habits
A change in sleep habits is broad and includes things like taking longer to fall asleep, waking up throughout the night, waking up too early, and just not feeling rested. A change in sleep habits isn’t usually the only sign you’ll have, so this tends to be in conjunction with others.
You Don’t Feel Motivated to Work Out
Whenever you do too much of anything, boredom can set in. Working out is no different. If you’re doing the same thing day in and day out, you’re bound to lose motivation. Pulling back on your workouts can help, but try to also change up what you’re doing. Include different exercises, change up your reps, use different machines and equipment, and even try working out in a different location.
More Isn’t More When It Comes to Exercise
Working out is something where more is not more. It’s great to commit to a workout schedule and have achievable goals, but you need to be realistic. Taking days off to allow your body to recover, making sure you’re adding variety, and learning how to listen to your body will all help boost the results you see.
