How much exercise is too much?

So you’ve finally got the motivation to get back into exercise after being stuck on the couch binge-watching Netflix. You are so excited about your new-found motivation to work out that you are making it into the gym every day. Seven days a week, running on the treadmill, lifting weights and feeling great!

But for how long exactly?

Training every day may feel good at first, but it is certainly not sustainable. Doing this for too long will cause you to eventually suffer from overtraining. This occurs when you exercise too excessively without giving yourself adequate recovery time.

Most people underestimate the importance of rest days, but they are just as important as working out itself. If you do not give yourself enough recovery time, your body will eventually begin to suffer, and you will get sick more frequently. As you over-exercise, your immune system slowly breaks down, making you more susceptible to illness and making recovery more difficult.

You may also feel sore for an extended period of time. A little soreness a couple of days after exercise is normal, but if you find that your body is constantly aching or sore, it’s a warning that you need to step back and allow your body to repair itself. Along with getting sick and being constantly sore, you may also notice an obvious decrease in your performance, finding it difficult to complete the simplest of routines that you used to do with ease.

FATIGUE

When you first heard about the benefits of exercise, you were definitely told about all of this extra energy you would be getting. But now that you have started, do you find yourself constantly yawning, feeling tired and irritable? Fatigue is one of the most common signs associated with overtraining; you may feel tired and restless throughout the day, even while resting.

Overtraining may also affect your sleeping patterns. They may become irregular, increasing stress levels, irritability, and even more fatigue.

If you are trying to find the perfect balance, this depends a lot on your overall goal. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends working out three to five times each week for 20 to 60 minutes at a time.

Thirty minutes a day of moderate physical activity is enough to help prevent non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. But if your goal is to gain muscle mass or are working towards a good time for your 5K, you will need to work towards the upper end of the spectrum to get a greater result.

Remember, exercise is a great way to help improve your overall feelings of well-being, amazing for preventing certain conditions such as hypertension and diabetes, fantastic for losing weight and having an increased muscle mass. But everything in moderation, even too much exercise, can do more damage than good. Knowing when to stop and take a break is key; working out seven days a week for hours upon end will lead to overtraining and potential injuries.

The key is to pay attention to your body; if you begin to feel weak, tired, miserable and sore all of the time, then your body needs to rest and recover.

So be smart, stay healthy and listen to your body, so you know how much is too much.

Follow this week’s workout below to start your exercise journey with The Gleaner. To view the full workout, visit our Instagram page @JamaicaGleaner.

Emma Anius is an online personal trainer for Wake up to Workout.

STAY ACTIVE 5-MINUTE WORKOUT

(30 seconds per exercise for three rounds)

High knees

Burpees

Pulsing squats