The most credible sign that you are over-exercising comes from your subjective sense of well-being, Dr. Diffenbach said. If you’re always suddenly tired, training that used to be fun is painful, or your performance drops unexpectedly (running slower without explanation, or taking longer than usual for a daily walk) Etc.), Dr. Diffenbach said it was time to fall and rest. Other typical signs of overtraining include sleep disorders, poor health, mild colds and the inability to shake other respiratory infections. “Sometimes you have to retreat to move forward,” said Dr. Diefenbach.
If you find yourself having to force the training you’ve enjoyed before, or feel guilty about not exercising enough, those are other signs that you’ve done it too much. This is especially true if the emotions last for more than a few days, Dr. Diefenbach said. (Of course, these may be signs of other health problems like depression, so it’s important to remember that too.)
On the other hand, if you find that your love for exercise is becoming an unhealthy attachment, you need to pay attention to it, says Szabó Attila, a health psychologist studying exercise addiction at the Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest. I am. Exercise addiction can occur when someone feels that they have to do physical activity, even if they are in pain or injured. There is no specific number of hours of exercise per week that correlates with exercise addiction, one of Dr. Attira’s studies in 2019, but “it’s a problem if it harms other aspects of life.” He said. When prioritizing exercise over relationships, work, and everything else, Dr. Attila added that it shows that it’s getting too much.
Mark Griffith, a colleague of Dr. Atila, a psychologist at Nottingham Trent University in the United Kingdom, has developed six criteria for healthcare providers to use when screening patients for exercise addiction.
1. Exercise is the most important thing in my life.
2. There is a conflict between me and my family and / or my partner regarding the amount of exercise I do.
3. Use exercise as a way to change your mood (for example, to get a buzz or run away).
4. Over time, I have increased the amount of exercise I do each day.
5. If I have to miss an exercise session, I feel sick and frustrated.
6. If you reduce the amount of exercise and then start over, you will always be exercising as often as before.
To be classified as an addiction, all six criteria must be met, which is rare, Dr. Griffith said. However, many have shown problematic exercise and have not reached the level of addiction, he added. For example, someone who goes to work and works fine, but can go home, ignore their family, and go to the gym or workout is still a problem.
It brings us to the ultimate answer to our question: yes, there is the potential for too much exercise.And you will know you are doing it It destroys your body, makes you sick and injured, and has a negative effect on the rest of your life. When it makes you feel good and stops enriching your life, it’s time to reduce.
Christie Aschwanden is a Western Colorado-based writer and author of “Good to Go: What All Our Athletes Can Learn from Strange Recovery Science.”
