Day 73 - Sign of Overtraining

How do you know if you are overtraining? There are a number of symptoms or signs that you may in fact be overtraining. These symptoms can include trouble sleeping, irritability, moodiness, lack of interest in training, etc. I feel like most overtraining symptoms can be pretty vague, however. There are a number of other lifestyle factors that can lead to lack of sleep or decreased interest in training for example. 

I would hate for someone who exercises once a week to say, "I am really dreading my workout today! Oh, that must be a sign that I am overtraining, I better take the day off."

On the other hand, one of the simplest ways to monitor your training status just so happens to be one of the most accurate indicators as well!

Everyone should have a pretty good understanding of what their resting heart rate is. You can find yours out by taking your pulse first thing in the morning before getting out of bed. By leading a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise and a healthy diet, your resting heart rate should come down. 

The reason why a lower resting heart rate is so beneficial is that it means your heart has become much more efficient at meeting the aerobic energy demands of your body in fewer beats. Fewer beats can potentially translate to a longer life with decreased risk of cardiovascular problems.

By checking your resting heart rate on a regular basis, you can not only gauge how well your fitness progress is coming along (by lowering), but you can also check to see if you are either overtraining or have a cold coming on. If your pulse is 10 beats per minute higher than what you are usually at, this can be a sign that you are overtraining and could benefit from taking some time off.

Keep in mind that not only is exercise and training important, but the time you take to recover is tremendously important as well. When you exercise, you are damaging your bodily tissues in order for them to recover and repair and come back stronger than before. This causes inflammation in the body. If, however, you are exercising or training too hard, you can actually cause a state of chronic inflammation in the body which can lead to complications.

Remember, exercise is good, too much can be problematic!

Quote of the day:

"Success does not come to those who wait, and it does not wait for anyone to come to it."

~ Author Unknown