Overtraining….

I get it, you want to be fit, trim, slim and as cute and sexy as all those gorgeous girls on Instagram. But there could be some dangerous side effects to spending hours at the gym to achieve that desired look you crave.

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Is there such a thing as OVERTRAINING?

To put it plain & simple, YES.

But I thought exercise was good for me?

Exercise is amazing for you. Moderate exercise can give you a healthy heart, regulate your moods and provide better sleep. It also helps you maintain a healthy body weight, gives you strong bones, and can assist in relieving stress.

So, what is overtraining?

Here are some tell tale signs that could suggest that you are in fact, overtraining.

• Elevated Resting Heart Rate
• Illness / Flu-Like Symptoms
• Constant Fatigue
• Chronic Soreness
• Insomnia
• Extreme/Rapid Weight Loss
• Depression
• Prolonged Weakness
• Headaches
• Feeling Cold All The Time
• Bone Fractures / Brittle Bones
• Amenorrhea (Absence of Menstrual Periods)

What does this mean for me? (LADIES.)

Women who regularly over-train or/and use severe calorie restriction to lose weight are at a high risk for many health problems, including bone loss, bulimia or anorexia.

Working out everyday is over-training. Your body needs a break and not allowing it the proper time to recover will result in the opposite of progress.

Moderate exercise, 30 -50 minutes at a time, with at least ONE rest day a week can provide you with a plethora of benefits. However, overstepping the line with too many high intensity training days a week can result in disastrous long-term setbacks. Too much exercise can put excess pressure on your adrenal, thyroid & pituitary glands.

This kind of over-exertion can increase stress and deplete the body of energy needed to regulate hormones, more specifically, can result in low estrogen, which leads to Amenorrhea.

Whats Amenorrhea?

No Periods.

Sounds great right?! No more bleeding, cramps, buying tampons etc…… but unfortunately this is the worst sign of all.

Ladies that over-train to the point that their periods stop can develop brittle bones and have bone fractures at an early age. Even if your bones don’t break, low estrogen during peak years of bone-building can affect bone density for the rest of your life. The worst part is bone growth lost during these years may never be regained, leading to early on-set osteoporosis.

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What should I do?

That is dependent on the individual.

Both too much and too little exercise can be problematic for controlling cortisol and stress hormones.

FIND BALANCE. ♥

Focus on exercising as a way of reducing stress and taking care of yourself rather than burning calories to lose weight. Being healthy means more than just being skinny. It is about finding balance with food, exercise & your mind.

Keep workouts to 30-45 minutes of high intensity, allow your body to rest & recover, 1-2 days a week, depending on your intensity & workout. Most importantly, listen to your body, be aware of changes and take care of yourself so that you may have a long, happy & healthy fit life.

ENJOY

X

♥