Believe me, I get it. You feel like you should be burning every calorie you can when you have the chance, maybe even when you don’t have the chance. (Pushups during conference calls, anyone?) You feel guilty all the time because you eat too much, drink too much and sit at your desk too much. You might as well balance it all out by training too much as well, right?
Wrong.
A few weeks ago I wrote a somewhat rant-y post about how it’s important to keep your priorities in check when you’re busy. For most people that means skipping some TV or Facebook time in order to squeeze in a workout instead of throwing in the towel until life slows down {which generally doesn’t happen}.
Now it’s time to pick on those of us type-A fitness addicts at the opposite end of the spectrum.
We {myself included} don’t always have our priorities in check either. When I feel overwhelmed with work, motherhood, relationships, family, housework and life in general I want to train more. And more. And more.
Yes, when I’m stressed I want to lift heavy things, do some kettlebell snatches and go for a run. I used to turn to junk food when I was stressed so it’s certainly an improvement, but still doesn’t mean it’s always healthy.
Overtraining can lead to injuries, low energy and hormonal imbalances among other issues. You may get lucky and avoid all of these things for awhile, but chronic overtaining almost always catches up with you at some point.
Think about it this way. If you’re already stressed out about work and taking care of your family and then you add excessive training with minimal recovery on top of that, you’re setting yourself up for a burnout. Keep in mind that training is a stress on the body even though it might be a de-stressor for your mind. Yes, workouts are a good/healthy type of stress, but it’s still stress and that means in order to balance it out you need proper rest, recovery and fuel.
Are you getting in 3-5 training sessions a week? If the answer is yes, that’s probably enough and you may want to sit down to think about your priorities. Make sure that you are taking care of yourself in other ways, like getting enough sleep, eating properly and spending time with family and friends.
In summary, if you feel overwhelmed and burnt out, but you are making time for 7+workouts each week {I’m seeing lots of people doing double sessions and then complaining about being tired}, you might be better off using some of those training times to take care of other business or just to rest. Not to mention, you’ll have an opportunity to make those workouts quality workouts instead of those crappy punch-the-clock-again type of workouts you’re probably doing when training too often.
Once you get over your obsession with working out every single day and second of your life my guess is you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results you get from cutting back a bit.
I’ve seen it myself. Since switching from training 6-7 days a week to 4-5 days a week I’ve seen improvements in my body composition, my strength and even my motivation/excitement to train. I get excited about my training sessions and my rest days. I know that if I push it hard a few times a week and feel like taking it easy during my other training times that’s okay {and beneficial} too.
With that I’m off to try and take my own advice. Today is squat day and tomorrow I rest. I’m really learning to appreciate glorious rest days for the good they do my body. If you have a hard time sitting still like I do go for a light walk on your rest days or do some mobility work to stay moving without stressing your body. Or just chase a two year old around all day…that will keep you busy!
What side of the spectrum are you on? Do you stop training when you’re busy and stressed or do you find you increase your training to try and deal with the stress?
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