Overtraining as a Syndrome

Listen to your body! In all aspects of life, your body’s internal monitor can be an ally or foe in your quest for health. It is always a good metric for athletic endeavor: getting in tune with your limits is important.

Your body will send sublte warning signals when you are approaching the brink of overtraining, and you should definitely know when you have overdone it. But overtraining is a syndrome: it goes against our nature to stop working out just because our body feels strained. After all, how are you supposed to build more muscle or endurance if you can’t keep going?

But at a certain point, more work stops equaling more reward. Injury and sickness accrue when you keep pushing past these warning signs.

Here are sure signs that you’ve overdone it in the gym:

• Chronic fatigue
• Depression
• Underperformance
• Aches and pains
• Feeling drained after a usually productive workout
• Personality and mood changes
• Loss of concentration

Many of these symptoms can be traced back to nervous system imbalances, which may be aggravated by too much physical stress and not enough rest. So take a day or week, if need be, off weights. Switch to light cardiovascular exercise and give your body a chance to catch up. Rest and ingest healthful ingredients and plenty of hydration and before you know it you will be back in the gym performing at an even higher level.

At Community Chiropractic & Acupuncture, we specialize in helping people get in tune with their bodies to maximize their health. Call our office in Park Slope at (718) 398-3100 to schedule an appointment today.

Dr. Karen Thomas, D.C., L.A.C.