We can all acknowledge when you aren’t doing enough exercise, but are you aware when you are doing too much? Daily movement is really important but sometimes we overtrain, which can actually hinder our fitness goals. So, what exactly is the sweet spot?
For adults between the ages of 18-64, it is recommended to get at least 150 minutes of moderate cardio activity or 75 minutes of higher-intensity cardio activity per week, plus two to three resistance or strength training. If you regularly go to the gym then these recommendations might seem low to you, especially if you have a specific fitness goal you want to accomplish.
Figuring out what works for you means taking into consideration your age, nutrition, stress levels, and how much you sleep each night. It also means focusing on what you want to accomplish with your exercising routine, whether it is for muscle growth, weight loss, or cardio abilities.
If you work out daily without time to recover, you can put your body at risk and end up burning out. Overtraining is a common problem, especially once you start seeing results and you want to see more of them. Your body needs time to repair and recover, and if you are training every single day without good nutrition, sleep, and recovery time, you will not continue to see good results.
So how do you know if you’re exercising too much? You plateau and stop seeing progression or you actually start decreasing your level of fitness because your body isn’t given the time to recover. You also could start gaining weight— since your body is in constant stress mode, more cortisol is produced and can mess with your metabolism. Your muscles are always sore or your mood is affected—all of these are signs that you need to take a break.
