Whether you’re training for a marathon, triathlon, or just want to get into shape, you will need to be prepared to give some intense, prolonged, physical dedication. Getting your body ready or in shape will take months of jogging, swimming, biking, and training with weights. Some people go through tough workouts every day. Generally, we’d think that daily intense exercising would be beneficial for our health. But just as anything, moderation is important.
A great amount of athletes fall victim to overtraining, training their bodies intensely over long periods of time. Overtraining has a couple of symptoms and signs that begin to show once your body is unable to recover sufficiently enough prior to going into the next workout. Eventually, beginning the next work out before your body’s recovered from your last training session will cause a breakdown of the same body parts you’re working to improve.
The body needs to rest and have proper nutrition in order to build upon the parts you’ve worked on, including muscle mass, bones, heart and also lungs. The body’s systems and structures will adapt to the demands that you’ve added to them before resting. If the training goes beyond your current ability a little, your body will adapt to that in a good way. If the training goes well beyond your current ability, it will require more recovery time in order to adapt, and may cause injury.
The exact same phenomenon happens with trees. Roots of the trees will grow stronger after resting from the stress of wind blowing. Wind blowing too strong will pull the roots up, causing the tree to fall down. This may happen in a single gust or over a prolonged period of strong winds.
The symptoms and signs of overtraining show up gradually and may look like different problems. Symptoms and signs of overtraining include:
Stress fractures, tendinitis, or other recurring and prolonged injuries.
Illnesses brought on by a decrease in the immune system’s functionality.
Decreased overall performance (becoming weaker or slower).
Amenorrhea, or an absence of a woman’s period.
Rapid decrease of lean body mass (weight loss but not with body fat loss).
Increased morning rest heart rates.
Being prepared for as well as allowing recovery time is very important. Your body makes use of the nutrients you’ve given it throughout the resting time, in particular when you sleep, to strengthen it. Caring for your body correctly will get you positive results. Stressing your muscles and then letting them rest will build them bigger and stronger. Stressing your heart and your lungs will make them work better. And stressing your bones and your joints will make them grow stronger. Two key factors are necessary for your recovery: Rest time and nutrition. A good nutrition, which should include protein intake as well as hydration, is very important, especially within 40 minutes of your training.
To best prevent overtraining, keep checking your morning rest heart rate. Of all signs listed above, it is the simplest to track and measure. Usually, you will notice an increased heart rate before other symptoms appear. Monitoring your recovery by keeping a log can be beneficial.
Overtraining can put you several months behind. Plan ahead, pay attention to your nutrition, and listen to the body. It will ensure that you reach your target goals.
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