beware 5 signs of excessive exercise
﹀
﹀
Author of this article: @AquariusTata Edited by: @WuyanZu
Main content of this article:
1. What signals might indicate you are over-exercising?
2. How should you adjust if you are over-exercising?
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Click the ⭐️ in the top right corner to bookmark the article and read it anytime, anywhere.
Running is a magical exercise—it not only brings multiple health benefits but can also be full of fun. For example, there are scientifically-backed training methods, and a bit of competitiveness can be very stimulating. However, many new runners go through a difficult-to-escape 'addiction' phase. Discovering that they can run 5 kilometers, then feeling the accomplishment of running 10 kilometers, always wanting to run a bit more, and then being encouraged by others to run a half marathon... Very soon, within less than four months of starting to run, they are already planning where to run their first full marathon...
Everything is the same, even good things can cause harm if overdone.The principle of gradual progress applies to every athlete.If you don't follow it, when the passion fades, you will drift away from your goals, overtrain, and even be plagued by injuries. Avoid over-exercising, avoid the 'three overs': overdoing, over-speeding, and over-frequent.
Since everyone's tolerance for the same amount of exercise is different, how do you determine if you are running too much? Check if you have the following signs, which indicate you need to take a break.
A simple and quick way to judge if you are over-exercising is whether even daily physical activities make you feel unusually fatigued. For a runner's body, climbing stairs should not be a problem. If you feel your legs burning, gasping for breath, and your heart pounding after climbing stairs, you should consider reducing your active exercise volume.
If you have no specific goals for running but find yourself becoming irritable, you might be over-exerting yourself. Running should be a source of mental strength. If it becomes a negative part of your life, you might be overdoing it and need time to rest and adjust.
Besides resting, another solution is to reduce the volume and intensity of your training. Forget about tempo runs, interval runs, and long-distance training for a while, and go through this phase with 'easy runs'.
Of course, both the 'quality' and 'quantity' of running are very important. After all, if you want to perform well in a race, you must work hard in training. But for amateur runners, such strenuous training (including races and long distances) should not exceed twice a week. Scientific training will help you improve, but rushing can waste your efforts. Don't force yourself to have quality in every training session; balance your efforts, work hard when needed, and relax when you should. You will feel better.
Is there always a few days each month when you don't want to run? Does going out become so hard that you wish someone would kick you out? For any activity, a decline in motivation is normal. But if a regular runner suddenly finds they prefer other activities or just staying home to sleep, you might be in trouble.
Over-exercising can easily cause running fatigue, and at this time, runners may feel anxious, at a loss, not wanting to run but feeling guilty if they don't. If you already have running fatigue, face it. Give yourself a 3 to 7-day break, relax with peace of mind, and soon you will miss your training.
If your pace doesn't improve during tempo runs, you collapse midway through long distances, and even your heart rate soars during easy runs... A decline in performance is the clearest and final warning of over-exercising. If you continue to ignore it and push through, you might suffer.
If this happens, first reduce your exercise volume and intensity for a week, focusing on recovery: increase sleep, eat healthily, and use compression gear to recover muscles. Sleep is the primary recovery method, giving your body more time for self-repair.
Some say, 'Injury' is a ruler. Perhaps you and I have suffered to find out where our limits are. These signals from your body are telling us:It's time to step back.Scientific training and gradual progress can expand this limit each time.At that time, we will run faster and farther.
Thank you for reading today's running share,
Finally, our interactive topic:
What is the farthest distance you have run so far?
You are welcome tothe comment section of the articleto participate in the interaction,
and chat with WuyanZu about your running stories~