If you workout out, but aren’t getting the results you want, you probably think that you need to spend more time or make your workout tougher. However, if you seem to be losing ground, no matter how much time you spend or how difficult the exercise program is, it might be that you’re exercising too much or pushing yourself too hard. If you’re spending hours exercising, but instead of seeing progress, your results seem to diminish, you may be working out too much.
Strength-building exercises can create the most obvious signs.
Strength-building workouts, like lifting weights, cause tiny microtears in the muscles. These small tears take time to heal, but when they do, they make the muscle stronger and bigger. It takes between 48 and 72 hours for that to happen. If you’re doing strength training every day, you’re not allowing that process to occur. Microtears also cause stress that can diminish the work of the immune system. It also takes several days to get it back to peak performance. If you’re building muscles, but aren’t making progress, maybe you’re working out too often.
Everyone wants quick results.
It’s normal to want to see quicker results, but it doesn’t necessarily mean doing more is always better or even quicker. Getting 24 hours of exercise spread out evenly over 24 to 60 days can help get you into shape, but if you do it all in one day, you’ll end up in worse condition. The intensity of that exercise makes a difference, too. The more intense the workout, the less time you should spend. You can workout every day, just don’t workout the same muscle groups or at the highest level of intensity every day. A tough workout one day can be followed by a moderate recovery workout day.
What are signs you’re working out too much?
If your mood is constantly sour and not your normally happy self, or you’re tired all the time, you might be working out too much. Depression, anxiety, irritability and confusion can also be signs. If you tend to get sick easier or reach exhaustion level quicker when you workout, maybe it’s time to take a week away from exercise. A longer recovery period is also a sign you need to cut back.
- Your resting heart rate can be an indication that you’re working out too much. If your heart rate is normally between 40-60 bpm and suddenly jumps to 75-80, it’s a sign of overexercising.
- Difficulty falling asleep or sleeping soundly can come from working out too much. Ironically, while exercise not only helps reduce stress and sleep better, too much exercise increases stress and disturbs sleep.
- If you’re working out too much, it can cause a loss of appetite. It can also decrease the release of thyroid hormones causing weight gain. That’s exacerbated by an increase in cortisol that’s linked to belly fat and insulin resistance.
- While most people need a minimum of 75-150 hours of intense exercise per week or 150-300 hours of moderate exercise, people who are in competitive sports may require more. For those people, working with a personal trainer may help find the right blend of time and intensity.
For more information, contact us today at Wellness On A Dime Coaching