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Six Signals to Watch For
For those people that enjoy exercise, physically, there is a fine line between training the right amount and training too much. Those who train too much, experience what is known as overtraining. When you are in the zone of constant training it is hard to know if you are experiencing overtraining. Here are six ways to know if you are overtraining.
Not Eating Enough
You might be having your regular meals and regular meal breaks, but you aren’t having enough to eat. It may be that your meals are not substantial enough. They lack the calories and nutrients to make up for what you are expelling through training and daily activity.
Soreness, Strain and Pain
If you are constantly walking around sore from your last training session, your body is sending you a message that it needs a rest day. Muscles need time to repair. Take a day or two off. Don’t train the same way or the same body parts everyday.
Constant Fatigue
If you are finding that you are tired throughout the day, despite having had a restful night sleep, your body is telling you that you are overtraining. You may also be having trouble sleeping, because your body, despite being tired, is experiencing restlessness.
Decreased Performance
Overtraining leads to the exact opposite of your desired goal. When the body is lacking proper nourishment and rest, but is being push to its maximum activity level, you will see a decrease in your performance. A body that is not properly hydrated, fed and rested, begins to feed upon itself. The body will take nutrients from the muscles to be able to feed itself.
Reduced Appetite
Different from not eating enough, overtrainers may find themselves with a reduced appetite. Skipping meals is never a good idea. Missed meals can lead to energy swings and mood swings. Your body will also be missing out on nutrients needed to fuel your muscles and help with recovery. Those missed meals end up taking you further down the overtraining rabbit hole by exacerbating problems associated with nutrition and sleep.
Loss of Motivation
Burnout is another feeling you want to avoid. Why go through all the training, spend all the time going to the gym only to fall short of your goal. As with many things, pace yourself. The best thing any athlete or fitness enthusiast can do is to create a fitness plan to follow. If you need help designing one, consider hiring the services of a personal trainer.
