GUEST POST by Thomas Nemel* This blog post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon and Rewardstyle affiliate, the author may earn a small commission for any purchases made through these links. Click here for the disclosure statement. Effective training is a combination of three classical processes: workout, rest, and recovery. When you train hard, you need enough time to usual sleep and to the muscle recovery period. Otherwise, working too hard would not give a good outcome. And what is worse, it may lead to overtraining or, according to official classification, Overtraining Syndrome (OTS). Some athletes and trainers may also call it “burnout”, “overwork”, and “staleness.” Long-term effects of overtraining can spoil life for many months and even years, and need detailed attention and training plan correction. Symptoms of overtrainingMost professional physiologists insist that the danger of overtraining effects on health is a rare phenomenon and happens only to competitive athletes. Some muscle soreness and general fatigue after training is not an overtraining effect in most cases. Generally people do not train hard enough or often enough to get that syndrome. Still, you have to be careful if you have the following symptoms after each training:
If you have only a few of the symptoms, there is no need to worry. But if you experience most of them, it is better to pay attention to possible overtraining syndrome. Some of the symptoms overlap with clinical depression and chronic fatigue syndrome. So it is advisable to visit a doctor to have a professional opinion. Please scroll down to find out how to distinguish overtraining adverse effects and to avoid them. 1. Create a planIf you dream of outstanding fitness results without overtraining danger side effects, make a detailed schedule and follow it. The best variant is to consult a professional coach to get an optimal program for your age and health level. Some people think that it is better to do something, even if it is not enough and not regularly, instead of doing nothing. In general, this under-reaching activity is better for the body than no exercise at all. The opposite side is overreaching. It is closer to overtraining syndrome due to its inconsistent and inadequate intensity. So, if you need a stable training system without health problems, make a plan and stay self-motivated. 2. Volume is importantOvertraining may occur when there is no right balance between training volume (the time of activity) and training intensity. In other words, when you train too long and too hard, you can more likely have overtraining effects on your body than when you train just hard. So, lessen the time of intensive exercises. Forget about marathon running and control the number of sets in strength exercise sessions. You are better to make one rep in lifting and not feel tired, than making several reps with low weights and feel exhausted. If you are keen on running, move to shorter distances from marathon habits. Do not run fast; do not run too long. Choose the distance that is suitable to your age and health condition—Balance the training. 3. Dietary regimeThere is a semi-mistaken belief that you have to get fewer calories to lose weight correctly. In general, it works this way, though when you do not receive sufficient fuel for the body, you will not recover the proper way in time. Incorrect consumption may also lead to overtraining physiological effects. That is why many athletes follow special carbohydrate diet plans that help to recover faster after the intense training. Carbohydrate consumption refills intermuscular stores of glycogen. It should be taken within 30 minutes after training. Some athletes drink carbohydrate-rich beverages; others prefer natural food like dried raisins, baby carrots and broccoli, fruit salad, or homemade semolina pasta. 4. Enjoy diversity to avoid overtraining effectsYou can reach the fine line between overtraining effects on muscles and efficient training by changing various sports activities or CrossFit training. Change distances, time, number and type of sets, and speed of the exercises you usually choose. Take one day of the week and devote it to the sports you have never tried before. New muscles involved in the training and new neural pathways would help to avoid the mental effects of overtraining such as insomnia and irritation. Still, the whole training program should be planned around your favourite activities. Inconvenient activities may cause undesirable stress and increase the overtraining effect. 5. Avoid stressPeople have lots of stress in everyday life. You may think about working problems, family and children stress, financial hardships, and many others. Though, our body considers demanding work out in the gym as a kind of stress as well. So, when you think that you get rid of stress while exercising, in reality, you collect more stress that may cause overtraining effects on mental health. When stresses surround you, do not give up training. Better think of changing its intensity. Swap workouts with lifts for Pilates or yoga class. Add relaxing meditation during massage sessions after the cardio marathon. Do not forget that cardio exercises may increase overtraining effects on the heart, even if you get the best workout shirts for men. 6. Find a balanceBody recovery is essential. No matter how hard you work out, even if it was a little afternoon hiking with friends, your muscles need complete recovery. The solution of balanced training lies in helping your body to get enough rest right after the activity, enjoying sufficient nutrition, and having a full muscle recovery. Overtraining effects on immunity may become dangerous if you do not get this balance right. As an effect of overtraining, immune suppression may show itself as an increased amount of respiratory illnesses, slow healing skin, or stomach and neurological problems. If you continue working out through these problems, you will increase the recovery time and stay in OTS for longer. 7. Listen to your bodyBody fatigue and soreness are usual symptoms of any workout session. It is normal for active people. You do not have to worry if you feel them after training. What you have to remember is to change the muscle group and to give 48 hours’ rest. If you still feel sore in the muscle group, give more rest up to 5 days. Some coaches say “no pain, no gain”. However, you are the only person who knows what is going on inside your body. Do not let the training routine kill your progress and lead to overreaching and overtraining next. You have to restore glycogen, update hormone levels and muscle fibres to keep your body strong and healthy. Bottom lineOvertraining is a complex problem. Though it mainly happens to professional and competitive athletes, everyone has to monitor indicating symptoms. If you change your life and training by adding balanced rest and recovery, you can avoid overtraining effects on a workout routine. Still, you have to draw a thick line between just a heavy-working in the gym and the real effects of overtraining. Also, the overtraining symptoms can be the signs of many other diseases. Your therapist can distinguish them, so check your health. We hope this article will help you to create the right training plan. So, have smart workouts and stay healthy. Please share your results with us in the comments. *About the author: Thomas Nemel is passionate about fitness and copywriting. He has been involved in sports since his father taught him to love it in childhood. Now he has got a strong background in athletics and shares his interests through writing. Thomas’ goal is to inspire others to engage in healthy living. > More posts to help you with EXERCISES
> More posts to help you with DIABETES > If you are a @MEDIUM reader my publication Body Age Buster has hundreds of categorised posts which I have written especially for men and women over 50. How to look stronger, prouder and use less effortRunning slumped is something that I see often. The people running slumped look tired. Here's the irony, when you slump it will make you more tired.
Here are three tips to get you looking stronger, prouder, and be able to sustain your running with less effort. I've been running daily for a year on our local trails - it's been a fantastic daily break during our nearly year of working from home. When a fluid runner goes by, it inspires me, but when a slumped runner struggles towards me I want them to hold their head up, breathe more deeply, and find their rhythm. And even better if at stage 5 of ripeness ...![]() Photo by Charlotte Harrison on Unsplash Who would have thought that bananas promote our gut health, helping grow beneficial bacteria that ultimately strengthens our bones and delays neural degeneration in our brain?
It all starts with inulin, which is in bananas and which begins digestion only when it reaches our gut. Free radicals age you prematurelyIt's said that our skin is a window into our inner health.
That may not be true for marathon runners, whose skin belies their inner fitness. For others, naturally healthy-looking skin says something about how we take generally care of our health. For skin, damage prevention is the number one strategy. We need to prevent damage from the sun and the environment, and damage from poor food choices. And improve your balance and postureI found myself sweating, even though I was only walking up a gently sloping path. The effort surprised me because I run 5km daily and sprint up steeper slopes without too much effort.
That day convinced me that walking backwards had a lot to offer. Doing it was challenging the coordination between my brain and body, and using muscles which were otherwise poorly trained and inefficient. That's why I was sweating for such a low level of activity. As well as running daily, I also walk 5km daily, which is part of my recovery routine for the daily running. During my walk, I now find ways to walk backwards - most often up slopes or on the beach. Protects your brain and reduces your wrinklesWe know about the immune-support properties of vitamin D, currently the subject of many studies examining its ability to help our immune system resist Covid19.
We know about the antioxidant effects of vitamin C, and vitamin E, both of which limit the impact of free radicals and reduce chronic inflammation. (Antioxidants neutralise free radicals which are molecules that cause cellular damage when their levels become too high. Damage caused by free radicals is associated with numerous chronic conditions, including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.) Asparagus ranks as an excellent source of both vitamin E and vitamin C. It is also a good source of a vitamin which you have probably never heard of before - vitamin P. In fact, vitamin C and vitamin E work synergistically to enhance the antioxidant effects of vitamin P. I can now nasal-breath for the first time ...![]() Photo by Massimo Sartirana on Unsplash One hundred and thirty-eight days ago, on July 7th, 2020, our city went into a tight COVID lockdown. We were only allowed out for one hour daily (plus essential trips) and masks were compulsory.
If exercising, masks were optional. Since we propel massive volumes of moist air from our lungs when running past people, I chose to wear a mask. Today restrictions were lifted. I trail run 5km daily, so that meant I ran 138 days with a mask. It wasn't what I would call enjoyable, but it did have some benefits. Today, running without a mask for the first time since lock-down, I was able to sustain my pace just breathing through my nose - that's a first. Weight loss and late-night meals ...![]() Photo by Ussama Azam on Unsplash
In nutrition (and fitness) it's hard to differentiate between fact, myth and personal bias. And boost your brain health![]() Photo by Alex Motoc on Unsplash The choices you make at the grocery store can have an impact on the inflammation in your body. Scientists are still unravelling how food affects our inflammatory processes, but they know a few things.
In simple terms, sugary high-processed foods help release inflammatory messengers that can raise the risk of chronic inflammation. Other foods like fruits and veggies help your body fight against oxidative stress, which can trigger inflammation. Add walnuts to your shopping list - they fight inflammation and have other desirable side-effects such as helping us sleep better. You can lower your blood sugar with the right timing![]() Photo by Caroline Attwood on Unsplash If you have diabetes, you're always conscious of the need to keep your blood sugar under control.
Controlling your blood sugar can avoid long-term complications, including eye disease, kidney problems, nerve problems, cerebrovascular disease such as strokes, and cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks heart failure and high blood pressure. Here's a way to dial up your efforts: Consider the timing of your workouts after meals. This advice is aimed at Type 2 diabetics and in particular those who are not insulin-dependent. |
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ChoicesSince I was diagnosed at 50 with Type 2 diabetes I've been learning how to do bone-building fitness training which lowers my age. You can too. It's your choice. Walter Categories
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