How to tell when your body needs a break
1. You're always sore.
Sure, a bit of muscle soreness
after a particularly strenuous workout is totally normal, especially if
you're newer to exercise or you're switching up your routine. But if
you're exercising regularly, you shouldn't constantly be feeling sore. Depending on the muscle group, you should always give your
muscles 24 to 48 hours to recover between training sessions, and if you
still feel sore, it's possible you're overtraining. According to Rice
University, "Overtraining can best be defined as the state where the
athlete has been repeatedly stressed by training to the point where rest
is no longer adequate to allow for recovery." Persistent muscle
soreness, getting sick more often, or frequent injuries are all physical
symptoms of overtraining. Fortunately, recovery is simple — just take
it easy for a few days!
2. You're constantly tired or moody.
Moodiness,
depression and fatigue are also indications that you might be
overtraining. Most of us have heard that exercise is supposed to make us
happier, thanks to a rush of endorphins — a stress-fighting chemical —
in the brain. (Fun fact: Endorphins also help prevent you from noticing
the pain of exercising. Thanks, brain!) However, those endorphins are
also accompanied by cortisol, a stress hormone. And when cortisol levels
remain high for an extended period, they take a toll on mental health.
3. Your heart rate is abnormal.
One of the best ways to gauge if you've been overtraining is to check your heart rate. "I'll take my resting heart rate in the morning. If I'm
above my normal, then I know that my body is not really ready for a hard
workout that day. That's one of the best ways to judge your readiness
to exercise." Rice University notes that a lower-than-normal heart rate
can indicate overtraining, too. Ready to experiment with this method?
Try taking your resting heart rate daily to figure out what's normal for
you.
4. You're stiff all the time.
If
a few too many days of pounding the pavement leaves you unable to bend
over and pick up a penny off the sidewalk without creaking knees, it
might be time to take it easy for a while. "If your body doesn't have
the proper mobility, you're going to create dysfunction in your movement
pattern. In other words, doing the same activity over and
over (running, cycling, lifting) without proper recovery is going to
cause injury.Recommends stretching and foam rolling on your
recovery days to keep your body limber and prevent injury.
5. Your pee is dark yellow.
Yep,
we had to go there. While most people are more aware of the need to
stay hydrated while exercising, many of us start to exercise
when we're already dehydrated. Urine is one easy indication that we're
too dehydrated to start working out. Common culprits include having a
few drinks the night before exercising or getting up in the a.m. and
drinking nothing but coffee. Think you can rehydrate while working out?
Afraid not. It takes at least 45 minutes for the body to recover from
even mild dehydration.
SOURCE: edition.cnn.com
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