When enough is enough!

It is easy for many of us to believe there is no such thing as too much exercise. However, ask yourselves; ‘Are you suffering from a loss of appetite; loss of motivation; fatigue; depression and increased amounts of minor injuries?’- if so, you might be in danger of ‘over-training’. With goals to get ready for our bikini’s and the 8 week Biggest Loser Challenge at its half way point, it is not surprising some signs of over-training have begun to rear their ugly head.

There are many factors that contribute to overtraining including;

• Inadequate nutrition
• Excessive training volume and frequency
• Insufficient amounts of sleep

Lack of food

I am sure some of us, myself included have begun to develop a carb phobia due to the false beliefs that carbohydrates are responsible for weight gain. However, we often underestimate the amount of calories and the food we need to eat in order to support an intense training programme. Carbohydrates in particular are the prime energy source for our body, a lack of carbs could result in a loss in physical performance. Dietary fats are equally as important in protection against free radical damage which is often caused by exercise. After a period of intense exercise the human body is in a catabolic state, proper post exercise nutrition including adequate carbohydrates and protein must take place.

What is too much?

Everyone is different and different people can cope with different amounts of stress on their bodies. The success of a life-long healthy change is ensuring programmes take into account people’s interests, needs, schedules and family, work and social commitments; there is no point going ‘hard out’ for an 8 week challenge just to put it all back on when you get back to the ‘everyday.’ Plan for light, medium and hard training days and you will get far better results than coming in every day and giving half-hearted attempts due to you lack of energy.

Get some Z’s

A big issue is that people feel they will undo all the progress they have made if they do not push through the fatigue and pain they might be in. However, the gym is not necessarily where the changes in your body take place. Rest and sleep is just as important as diet and exercise as it enables our bodies to recuperate. A good training programme should include rest days to allow for recovery and give your muscles a chance to repair enabling you to return to your training feeling stronger and mentally revitalized. Listen to your body, if it’s telling you to take a break then do just that!

Joy’s Top Tips

1. Try and get a solid 8 hours of sleep every night
2. Allow rest days to enable your body to recuperate
3. Keep a track of your food with a food diary; if you record accurately and truthfully you become aware of habits that may be hindering your efforts
4. Set small goals and set new ones once you achieve these to stay focused and motivated as having a ‘mountain’ to climb can be disheartening
5. Mix it up – keep your body guessing and your results will be a lot quicker than sticking to the same routine week after week