Exercise and a regular fitness program are critical to our health. But, we can overdo it and train too hard. Watch for the symptoms of overtraining. Overtraining syndrome can have a lot of negative physical and psychological effects.

How to Recognize and Deal with Symptoms of Overtraining

Overtraining syndrome often occurs when we train our body too hard and block its ability to recover properly. Rest and recovery with your fitness program or athletic training are extremely important. We have to give our bodies time to recover from the workouts and training sessions. If we push our body beyond its healthy limits, we may actually hurt our performance.

We need to push our bodies to some extent with our exercise program, but there has to be a balance. We must allow ourselves time to recover. During the recovery process, the body becomes stronger and healthier. If we don’t give our bodies a chance to recover, it may result in overtraining syndrome.

Overtraining syndrome has both physical and psychological symptoms. You should be on the lookout for these symptoms of overtraining. The best way to deal with overtraining is to prevent it in the first place. Adequate rest and recovery is vital.

Some physical signs of overtraining syndrome include:

--Lacking energy, feeling overly tired

--More injuries

--Decrease in appetite

--Muscle and joint pains

--Feeling achy

--Headaches

--Difficulty sleeping

--Lowered immunity, leading to more colds and other viruses

--Decrease in athletic performance, or with just your exercise program

Some psychological effects of overtraining syndrome include:

--Change in your moods – irritability

--Depression

--Decreased interest in exercising or in the sport you are training for

(Be careful not to diagnose this symptom as overtraining too easily. Many times you may not feel like exercising, and it might not be because of overtraining syndrome (Click here to read our article on getting and staying motivated with your diet and fitness program). But, if you have been pushing your body to far with your fitness goals lately, then this symptom certainly could be from overtraining).

Overtraining Syndrome - Here are some recommendations preventing it and dealing with it:

--First, listen to your body. Tune in to what your body is telling you. Pain is nature’s way to telling us that something is wrong. Don’t ignore those warning signs. If you’re injured or are experiencing any physical aches or pains, take it seriously. Rest your body.

--Know your limits. Some of it is common sense. But, we can from time to time push ourselves too far out of ego or desire for accomplishment. But if we push ourselves beyond what is healthy for us, we’ll end up doing more harm than good.

--Get feedback from those close to you if you feel you may have been overdoing it with your exercise training.

--Consider seeing a good sports medicine professional or a physician if necessary.

--If you suffer from a compulsive need to exercise, realize that this can be a psychological disorder. We all need to exercise. And we highly recommend that you exercise every day. But, if you suffer from an unhealthy compulsion to exercise beyond that which is healthy, we highly recommend that you seek help for this. First, you need to recognize the compulsion (often others can see it before you can). Second, you need to seek help for the disorder if you need professional help.

--Allow your body to rest and recover. Remember, a lot of good things are taking place in your body when you are resting and recovering from your workout. The body needs this recovery period. It’s vital.

--Consider getting a massage. If you don’t want to get a professional massage, ask your partner to give you a massage.

--Sometimes the best thing to do is just to take a day off, especially if you’ve earned it. Read our article on setting up a reward/ incentive fitness system. When you’ve consistently worked hard toward your fitness goals, take a day off on occasion to reward yourself. This will help to keep you from burning out on exercise. Read our article on tips for dealing with exercise burnout.

If you are indeed experiencing symptoms of overtraining, stop exercising for a few days and allow your body to rest and recover.

--Consider keeping a training journal / fitness journal or a training log. Click here for more information on keeping a fitness journal. If you keep a fitness journal, you then have a record of your training or exercise program. You can also notice any signs of decreased enthusiasm if you have been making comments about your workouts or training sessions in your journal.

Most importantly, don’t ignore the symptoms of overtraining, and take action as soon as you notice them.

Rest is the primary treatment plan for overtraining. Some new research shows evidence that low levels of exercise during the rest period will speed recovery, and moderate exercise has also been shown to increase immunity. When suffering from overtraining, your complete recovery can take several weeks and includes proper nutrition and stress reduction. So, it is in your best interest to avoid overtraining to begin with.

Related Physical Fitness Articles:

Post Fitness Workout Tips and Secrets
Try some of these effective fitness secrets AFTER your workout is over to improve your fitness results.

Tips for Dealing with Exercise Burnout
Nothing can stop you from reaching your personal fitness goals except yourself. Anticipate and deal with fitness burnout.

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