I used to believe that if I wanted to change my body I had to workout ALL THE TIME! I would literally workout every. single. day! I'm certain I'm not the only one.
However, I massively underestimated just how essential rest is! Did you know that the changes you effect in your body when you train actually occur when you rest? Who knew 🤷♀!
Not allowing enough rest is actually counterproductive as your body ends up depleted and your performance will decline. Your body starts to breakdown protein to use as energy, meaning it eats your muscles, which is why you're not able to perform at the same level - side note, it is also why eating carbs is so important, as they're your body's main energy source!!
So where does overtraining come in? If you're doing too much and not allowing enough rest then you can tip into overtraining. A good example of this is if you have a physical job but you also workout a lot and don't get much sleep.
Overtraining is when your body doesn't have enough time to recover and repair itself, meaning not only do you start to lose that hard earned muscle but you also are far more at risk of injury.
How do you know if you're overtraining? Here are
some of the signs and symptoms:
Reduced performance
Loss of coordination
Less ability to concentrate
Irritable, oversensitive and mood swings
Disrupted sleep, lethargy and fatigue
More likely to catch colds and other illnesses
If you think you might be doing too much, don't stress, just take a break for a few days, get some rest and then back to it but maybe consider revising your programme: do you have a lot high intensity exercise back to back, do you have resistance training sessions within 48 hours of each other? Or maybe just a physical job but also hitting the gym 6 times a week? It could even be as simple as having a leg day then climbing loads of stairs!
So, how do you avoid it? There are 2 main things to do in order to avoid overtraining:
Firstly, ensure you schedule at least one rest day a week, preferably 2 (this can be active rest so you still go for a walk or have a stretch but you're not challenging your body to the same level)
Secondly make sure you fuel your body right and that you're giving it enough macronutrients (carbs, fats and protein).
It's really important to be aware of the signs and symptoms of overtraining in order to avoid illness and injury, and to really reap the benefits of physical activity.
If you'd like any advice at all, please just message me.
C xx
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