Rest is a vital aspect of fitness.  In order steadily increase strength and stamina when working out, your body needs sufficient time to recover.   An important and often overlooked fact about exercise is that muscles are built while resting not while training.  Diet is also crucial in this regard.  Food is fuel.  The healthier, less processed foods you eat, the faster and better your body recovers. 

 Contrary to popular belief, overdoing it is not about working out too much or for too long, it’s almost always about not giving your body an adequate amount of time for recovery.  For example, if you workout five days in row and only slept three to four hours each day, fatigue and exhaustion would surely set in, not only affecting your subsequent workouts but your performance in day-to-day tasks such as work. 

According to a study published in the academic journal, Nature, the popular and overused term ‘overtraining’ is only applicable to high performance athletes who consistently compete and train beyond their capacities over a period of 3-8 months.  The study also indicates that ‘overreaching’ is the more applicable term to use for those of us who suddenly find ourselves becoming sluggish or moody while consistently exercising.

If you’ve been consistently working out, but have not been progressing or if you’ve been feeling tired or even mentally drained your body may be sending you a clear signal to rest.  Here are four key factors to recognize if you’re overdoing it:

Fatigue – A consistent lack of energy over a period of a couple of days or a week is strong indication that your body needs rest.  Sometimes we confuse ourselves into thinking that another intense workout will snap us out of our exhaustion.  Take a few days off and get an adequate amount of sleep.

Irritability – Exercise is clinically proven to boost our moods and combat depression.  However, moodiness often goes hand in hand with fatigue caused by inadequate rest and overexertion.

Illness – As with our moods, consistent exercise boosts our immune systems.  However, when we don’t give our bodies sufficient rest and continue to exert ourselves, we actually lower our immune systems.  If you find yourself catching a cold/flu more often than usual, it may be a sign of overdoing it.

Decline in Performance – If you find your strength and/or endurance decreasing or even plateauing for a significant amount of time, take a break.  Even a week off won’t hurt.  Try just walking at a leisurely pace for a couple of days.  It may sound counterproductive, but it isn’t.  Your body needs time to catch up and your muscles are basically telling you that they need rest to not only recover, but to grow.

While it’s important that we push ourselves when working out, we should also be aware that rest is an essential component of fitness as well.  It’s often difficult with our busy schedules to get enough sleep, but we should keep in mind just how valuable it is for our wellbeing and for our progress in the gym.  We work hard when we exercise and we should work just as hard to find time to rest and recuperate.   

If you are looking for a workout schedule that would allow you for efficient amount of training and recovery, then join my Zgym and follow my weekly workout schedule.

Best,

Zuzka