Seniors Site

Overtraining: When Enough Is Enough!

Exercising is truly a fun activity to do. Aside from that, it has many great benefits for the body. For one, it helps the body relieve itself of harmful toxins trapped inside by way of sweating. In terms of digestion, I find that it keeps constipation at bay and for some reason, it aids in everyday bowel movement which is a great news for many seniors who have been having trouble in this area. Also, one good reason to exercise is knowing you will feel great afterwards.

Feeling great is only half of the story. When you see aesthetic results finally manifesting right before your eyes, there’s a tendency to work out more or train more to boost your progress. Oftentimes, these good intentions can quickly turn into a disaster especially if you find yourself quite addicted to exercising. It’s no joke, and it really can happen. While training your body to be physically active is good for you, doing it in excess can also do you harm.

Take note that overtraining is not limited to gym-goers only, it can occur in just about any sports as long as you are pushing your body over its comfortable limits. Doubly harmful is going from sedentary lifestyle to an all-out war in making your body fit, taken into consideration is your age, of course. In fact, it is highly advisable for seniors to train under a very watchful eye of a certified fitness instructor each and everytime to avoid straining the body too much. Remember that your body is no longer an oiled machine and it needs time to adjust when introduced to a new lifestyle. Not only that, it also needs to recuperate and get itself together after stressing it no matter how much training you did that day.

Some of the warning signs which will indicate if you are training too much are low energy levels, exhaustion, loss of appetite, depressions and sleeping difficulties. Infections can also occur frequently if the body is experiencing overtraining. If you find yourself having these symptoms, you might want to take it slow by readjusting your fitness program and consulting your doctor about the problems at hand. Or, you can find another fitness activity which suits your body more.

There are two areas in which overtraining can occur. One is too much exertion and another is not having enough breaks in between training. Having to train 4 to 5 times a week makes a lot of difference than training every single day. Exercising should make you feel good, both physically and mentally and it should never feel as if punishing yourself will yield greater results. Adapting a proper mindset will help you get in-tuned with your body all the more.