Starting a fitness routine is great for your health but it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement & push too hard. What you think is a step towards better health could actually backfire—leaving you worse off than when you started. Let’s look at some signs that’s happening. After all, fitness should be fun & rewarding—not a cause for concern.
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Persistent Soreness Beyond Recovery
Feeling like you’ve been hit by a bus days after your workout isn’t the badge of honor you might think it is. Any soreness that sticks around longer than a couple of days shows that your muscles aren’t getting the chance to recover properly. Not doing so is only ever going to cause injuries—so give your body some rest!
Overemphasis on High-Impact Activities
It’s okay if your workout plan leans heavily on high-impact activities like running on hard surfaces or intense aerobics. However, you need to mix in lower-impact exercises, too. Why? Because it could cause stress fractures & joint pain, among other injuries. Vary your routine with other exercises, like swimming or cycling.
Increased Fatigue Instead of Energy
Exercising shouldn’t leave you drained instead of invigorated—when it does, you might be overdoing it. Your body is telling you it needs a break to recharge those batteries. It’s not normal to feel more worn out as the day goes on, especially when you’re getting enough sleep at night. Take a step back to reevaluate your workouts.
Plateau in Progress or Regression
Hitting a wall in your progress can be quite frustrating—sliding backward is even worse. Usually, it’s a sign that your body is overwhelmed and can’t keep up with the demands you’re putting on it. So try scaling back a bit! This could help you move forward rather than suffering from burnout or injury.
Disturbed Sleep Patterns
Exercise is supposed to help you sleep like a baby so something’s off if you’re tossing & turning. Why does it happen? Because too much exercise can stress your body out and mess with your sleep. Look at how much you’re pushing yourself during the day—make sure that you’re not doing it too much.
Constant Cravings for Unhealthy Foods
Intense workouts can make you crave all the wrong things because your body’s desperate for quick energy. You have to find a way to feed your body without undoing all your hard work—and that means staying away from junk food. After all, a balanced diet is just as important as a good exercise routine.
Excessive Thirst or Dehydration
It’s not just food—feeling like no amount of water quenches your thirst after a workout also shows you’re pushing too hard. You have to stay hydrated. As such, being overly thirsty indicates that your body is struggling to keep up with the demands you’re putting on it. Give it a break!
Mood Swings and Irritability
Exercise should make you feel like a million bucks rather than snapping at people. Too much exercise can mess with your emotions so that instead of increasing your endorphins, it has the opposite effect. Feeling more “meh” than “yeah!” is often a strong sign that you need to ease up on the pedal.
Decreased Immunity
Nobody likes getting sick and catching every cold going around could mean your fitness routine might be the culprit. Doing too much exercise can weaken your immune system, which makes you an easy target for viruses. Try keeping your workouts balanced to stop those sick days from adding up.
Loss of Menstrual Period in Women
For the ladies, an irregular period is usually a sign that you are doing too much. It’s quite serious. More than just a skipped cycle, your body is telling you that something’s wrong. Balancing your hormones is important and too much stress (physical or otherwise) can throw everything off.
Reliance on Painkillers
You shouldn’t be popping painkillers simply to get through your workout. Sure, it’s tempting to just numb the pain & push through—but that’s like putting a Band-Aid on a leaky pipe. Sooner or later, you’re going to have to deal with the underlying issue. Pain is your body’s way of communicating, after all.
Feeling Dread or Burnout Toward Exercise
Lastly, if the thought of working out fills you with dread, then you should switch things up. Exercise should be something you look forward to so find a routine that makes you happy—it’ll be a lot easier to stick to it this way, too. Your workout should be your ally rather than your enemy.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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