Summer time means sports season and most of the avid exercisers and athletes we work with here at the clinic can’t get enough! From regular workouts at the gym to adding on baseball, golf, tennis or whatever your sport of choice is, hopefully we’re all upping our activity level for the next few months while the sun is out.
However, as much fun and as beneficial as it is to remain active, like everything else, there is such thing as ‘too much’. Despite the best of intentions, some people may overwork their bodies with sport and exercise to the point that they’re actually getting weaker. This is known as overtraining. Could you be guilty of overtraining? Here are some signs that you could be pushing yourself too far physically:
- Prolonged Muscle Soreness – If you’re feeling sore more than 48 hours after performing a sport/activity this is a sign that you NEED to take a break.
- Fatigue & Sleep Disturbance – Training to the point of exhaustion will have a negative impact on the quality of your sleep, in turn affecting your performance the next day.
- Loss of Mental Acuity – Not only will your body get tired from overtraining, but so will your brain!
- Tendinopathies – This is prevalent in the quad tendons and Achilles, mostly for runners and athletes who do a lot of jumping.
- Rapid Weight Cycling – With the exception of athletes or are cutting or adding weight on purpose for their sport, a quacking gaining and losing weight is a sign of overdoing it.
Specific to female athletes, you may have to keep an eye out for a spectrum disorder, RED-S, or relative energy deficiency in sports. This can include loss of monthly menstrual cycles, stress fractures, hormonal imbalances and weight fluctuation.
Don’t feel guilty for taking some time off – a key area for overtraining is proper recovery. With the right hydration, sleep, and eating (i.e. carb loading for high resistance training or endurance athletes) you will reap the benefits of high energy for optimal performance! So go relax in the sun (safely!) and recover – your body will thank you!