Overtraining

​Rumor has it, the more you exercise the healthier you will be or, more is always better when it comes to exercise. Truth is, sometimes training your body too hard and/or often not only ruins the enjoyment of the experience it could lead to several potential risks to your health, mind and body. Overtraining occurs when your body cannot recover fast enough after repeated workouts.
Signs when your body has had enough:

• Persistent muscle soreness.
• Elevated resting heart rate
• Loss of appetite
• Prolonged Recovery.
• Irritability/Headaches
• Depression.
• Loss of motivation.
• Insomnia.
• Decreased performance

 
Longer workouts and/or training harder is not always better if it begins to interfere with your health and wellbeing. Listen to your body. Taking a break from exercise to allow enough time for the body to recover is just as important, if not more important, than exercising.
 The key to staying healthy is doing everything in moderation. Know your limits; avoid doing too much too soon.  Exercising to the point of overtraining is not good for your overall health and will cause burn out in the most conditioned and disciplined people.
Keeping and exercise journal and schedule is just as important as the exercise itself. It allows you to keep track of your workouts and schedule rest days. Push hard and work hard, but take time to recover.