Contrary to popular opinion, more exercise does not necessarily always help you lose weight or be more fit!
In fact, too much exercise, in conjunction to a stressed-out, busy, over-whelmed life is a recipe for disaster – namely rebound weight-gain and belly fat in particular!
And as you’ve heard me say before: too much of a good thing is not a good thing. It’s just too much.
You see, the sooner you start thinking about your food and workouts as “drugs”, like you would any prescription you get from the Doctor, was requiring just the right “dose” to work best, the sooner your body, energy levels, sleep and moods will start showing the results you want! All too often I see people killing themselves in high-intensity workouts and classes and just plain over-doing it sending their body and hormones all out of whack.
The proper exercise program has a personalized balance of the right amount of 4 primary factors:
- Intensity (How Hard)
- Frequency (How Often)
- Duration (How Long)
- Mode (What You’re Doing)
If your life is high-stress, then doing too intense workouts, too often can be perceived by your body as just another form of stress which it has to protect you against (say hello to stubborn body fat!) So, this lifestyle would be conceived as “too much Intensity” (Item #1) in the program design.
Reduce how “hard” you workout or substitute a yoga class for you Interval Bootcamp session once per week. Or maybe a nature walk with your dog or a friend. Then watch your moods, sleep, hormones, happiness level and eventually waistline balance out!
How do you know if you are over exercising?
Here are some common symptoms of over/imbalanced training:
1. Injuries that won’t heal
2. Trouble sleeping
3. Excessive soreness
4. Lack of motivation, pep, zip and spunk
5. Achy joints
6. Inflammation
7. Stubborn body fat
8. Difficulty putting on muscle
9. Short fuse, irritable, low stress tolerance
10. Hair loss
11. Lack of sex drive/mojo
12. (females) Loss of period
