Driven by motivation, at times, we tend to forget our human limitations. Sure, your will can take down the mountains, but your body has to cooperate!
If both do not go in harmony, you might as well end up stressing your body unnecessarily. And eventually, it may cause permanent damage to your mental and physical self.
Thus, it is important to know where to pause and when to pause. Luckily, our body communicates this essential information quite too well with us. But being unaware of its language, we tend to neglect all those warning signs.
Hence, this comprehensive post aims to unravel major signs and symptoms that serve as red flags of overtraining. Read on to discover more about them.
What is overtraining?
To recognize our body’s indications, we shall first get the basic concept of overtraining clear in our heads. Does it refer to you doing more than planned? Or does it refer to you switching to an advanced plan? Or what exactly?
Well, to clear things out, overtraining refers to the second stage of pushing your limits. An athlete or someone with a regular exercise routine comes face to face with two issues:
- Overreaching
- Overtraining
Amongst these, the latter may leave you immobile for weeks or months, while overreaching is only first and more polite of these two blaring alarms. Identifying, acknowledging, and respecting it will save you from the bigger trouble.
Either condition refers to muscle soreness, overall body weakness, and fatigue. Overtraining, in particular, is also known as staleness, i.e., the condition when athletes choose to ignore the signs and symptoms their body gives them.
Often, athletes mistake these signs and symptoms as signs of poor performance and decide to level up their hard work, which, in turn, further damages your stamina in the long run. Note that overtraining may not only be a product of intensive training. At times, your routine, coupled with other stressful activities may also lead to overtraining.
Identifying the Signs & Symptoms
Before you seek the signs and symptoms, you should know one thing as clearly as you possibly can; these signs and symptoms need your attention as well as your time. For any of the symptoms below, refrain from jumping to conclusions and take your time to evaluate.
Perhaps, the first sign that you will be witnessing is prolonged and persistent fatigue. You will feel your legs slightly heavier than usual, even after light exercises. Plus, there will be unusual delays in recovery time. Due to consistent muscle soreness and inability to meet your manageable goals, you may also feel like giving up.
Moreover, increased blood pressure as well as increased morning pulse are some other indicators of overdoing your training workouts. If the irregular increment continues for a long time, you may get sick frequently. Appetite loss, weight loss, constipation, and diarrhea are also some other symptoms of overtraining.
Impact of Overtraining Workouts
Overdoing your running workouts will not only impact your athletic routine. Instead, it will also have a substantial impact on your lifestyle. You may find yourself always in an annoyed, stressed, or depressed mood. And this, in turn, may lower your spirit towards running.
With every passing day, you might find your interest fading, cutting down motivation. Even the sleep pattern may get disturbed and you may eventually lose interest in all things that once sounded appealing. Now, this signifies the impact of overdoing running workouts and then neglecting the issue.
How to recover?
Surely, you do not want a mere workout burn to penetrate deep into your life and take all possible good chunks of life away from you. Hence, once you identify any of these signs, you ought to take your measures.
Stop with your running routine right away. Or perhaps, slow down the pace. Permit your body to heal and recover from the loss. For immediate ease for your body ache, you can use balms for muscle recovery. Also, improvise your diet plan simultaneously. Increase the intake of vitamins, calories, minerals, and protein and focus on developing a sound and healthy sleeping pattern.
Once your body feels better than before, gradually return to the running routine.
Can you overdo running?
Yes, your will have muscles soreness, overall body weakness, and fatigue.
How do you know if you are overtraining running?
These are the signs or symptoms:
- Prolonged and persistent fatigue
- Consistent muscle soreness
- Appetite loss, weight loss, constipation, and diarrhoea
What is the impact of overtraining workouts?
You may find yourself in an annoyed, stressed, or depressed mood and unmotivated.
How long should you rest if overtrained?
Eat healthy, slow down the pace. You may also permit your body to rest and heal to recover from the loss.
