You only get one body so you need to take good care of it. For this reason I’m a strong believer in listening to your body and giving it what it needs That being said I’ll admit that I’m not always the best at listening to the cues that my body gives me. I’ve definitely improved and thanks to my own knowledge and that of those who I surround myself with I’m better able to identify what it is that my body needs. Today I want to share some of that knowledge with you guys because I think it is extremely important to differentiate between when you need to push yourself and when you need to ease back and maybe even give yourself more time to rest and recover.
There are different variations of overtraining (a.k.a burnout, chronic fatigue and over stress) but put simply it can be described as the result of placing more stress on the body than it is able to recover from to the point of causing plateaus and decreases in performance.
Signs of Overtraining
- Prolonged lack of motivation to train
- Intense and prolonged DOMS and sore joints
- Insomnia
- Feeling drained after what usually feels like a good workout
- Feeling more irritated than usual
- Decreased sex-drive
How to Avoid or Remedy Overtraining
- Reducing training volumes or intensity
- Taking extra recovery days
- Getting more sleep
- Ensuring you’re eating enough
- Sports therapy massage
- Ensuring your training program is well planned and periodised
Just some food for thought
Jay xx
