2687: Signs Of Exercise Burnout And What You Can Do About It by Marc Bilodeau of FitTrend on Rest & Recovery

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[00:01:04] [SPEAKER_02]: This is Optimal Health Daily, Signs of Exercise Burnout and What You Can Do About It by Mark Bilodeau

[00:01:11] [SPEAKER_02]: of FitTrend.com and I'm Dr. Neal.

[00:01:14] [SPEAKER_02]: Hey there, welcome back to Optimal Health Daily.

[00:01:17] [SPEAKER_02]: This is the podcast where I act as your very own personal narrator

[00:01:20] [SPEAKER_02]: and read to you from some of the most popular health and fitness blogs online.

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[00:01:33] [SPEAKER_02]: Signs of Exercise Burnout and What You Can Do About It by Mark Bilodeau of FitTrend.com

[00:01:40] [SPEAKER_02]: You will have days when you don't want to exercise, which is normal.

[00:01:45] [SPEAKER_02]: Unfortunately, when burnout sets in, any thought of exercise, even if it's an activity you love,

[00:01:51] [SPEAKER_02]: will ignite feelings of dread.

[00:01:53] [SPEAKER_02]: Burnout can creep in and derail your fitness goals.

[00:01:56] [SPEAKER_02]: However, you can overcome it.

[00:01:59] [SPEAKER_02]: Here are some signs of exercise burnout and what you can do to get yourself back on track.

[00:02:04] [SPEAKER_02]: 1. You Feel Irritable or Moody

[00:02:07] [SPEAKER_02]: You may be overdoing it if you find yourself short with people or lashing out without knowing why.

[00:02:13] [SPEAKER_02]: This is a sign that your body is tired, making you cranky and less tolerant of everything happening around you.

[00:02:19] [SPEAKER_02]: In fact, any little thing may set you off and you may feel frustrated more easily.

[00:02:24] [SPEAKER_02]: Thankfully, taking a day or two to recover can help reduce moodiness and irritability caused by exercise burnout.

[00:02:31] [SPEAKER_02]: Instead of your regular workout routine, relax.

[00:02:35] [SPEAKER_02]: Engage in a non-exercise activity you enjoy, such as reading, doing nothing in particular, or taking a nap.

[00:02:42] [SPEAKER_02]: Taking a much needed break from your routine can help your mind and body recover.

[00:02:47] [SPEAKER_02]: 2. You're Consistently More Tired After Exercising

[00:02:51] [SPEAKER_02]: Exercise should make you feel energized after most of your workouts.

[00:02:55] [SPEAKER_02]: Of course, intense workouts will leave you tired and sore.

[00:02:58] [SPEAKER_02]: However, you should recover from those workouts after a day or two,

[00:03:02] [SPEAKER_02]: even when you do lighter workouts between those more intense sessions.

[00:03:07] [SPEAKER_02]: If you're not feeling better after exercising, you may be over-training and heading towards burnout.

[00:03:12] [SPEAKER_02]: Addressing exercise burnout doesn't mean you have to skip workouts.

[00:03:16] [SPEAKER_02]: Although if you feel particularly worn out, a day or two away from exercise can help you recover.

[00:03:22] [SPEAKER_02]: However, if you want to maintain your workout routine,

[00:03:26] [SPEAKER_02]: you should skip any upcoming vigorous workouts for a lighter one, like going for a brisk walk instead of running.

[00:03:33] [SPEAKER_02]: In other words, taper back vigorous workouts and opt for a day off or a rest day workout instead

[00:03:38] [SPEAKER_02]: until you feel ready to resume your normal activity.

[00:03:42] [SPEAKER_02]: 3. You're Exhausted

[00:03:44] [SPEAKER_02]: Life can be exhausting. There is a lot to do and that doesn't include exercising.

[00:03:50] [SPEAKER_02]: There are times when there isn't enough gas in the tank to be motivated to exercise.

[00:03:54] [SPEAKER_02]: It's okay to do nothing in particular. You don't have to lie down.

[00:03:58] [SPEAKER_02]: In fact, you can watch TV, read or do some light things from your to-do list.

[00:04:03] [SPEAKER_02]: It's okay to rest. You don't have to work out every day to reach your fitness goals.

[00:04:09] [SPEAKER_02]: In fact, exercising every day can lead to burnout.

[00:04:11] [SPEAKER_02]: Sometimes giving your body and your mind a break is what you need to recharge.

[00:04:17] [SPEAKER_02]: 4. Your Dreading Exercise

[00:04:20] [SPEAKER_02]: When you don't like the exercises you're doing, it makes it harder to exercise regularly.

[00:04:25] [SPEAKER_02]: If that's the case, you should try new activities to find something you enjoy doing.

[00:04:30] [SPEAKER_02]: Forcing yourself to do exercises you don't like is almost a guarantee you'll stop exercising or injure yourself.

[00:04:36] [SPEAKER_02]: On the other hand, you may love the exercises you're doing, yet you may be procrastinating and not looking forward to your workout.

[00:04:45] [SPEAKER_02]: When you are experiencing burnout, nothing about exercise sounds good.

[00:04:49] [SPEAKER_02]: Instead, this is the time to break it up and try something new.

[00:04:53] [SPEAKER_02]: Even a leisurely bike ride or walk for a change of pace can turn things around.

[00:04:58] [SPEAKER_02]: It's okay to take off your fitness tracker, put your training plans aside and move for the sake of moving,

[00:05:04] [SPEAKER_02]: or taking a rest day to recoup both mentally and physically.

[00:05:09] [SPEAKER_02]: Reducing the risks of exercise burnout before it happens

[00:05:13] [SPEAKER_02]: The best way to combat exercise burnout is prevention.

[00:05:17] [SPEAKER_02]: Although you can't eliminate the risk, you can certainly lower it.

[00:05:21] [SPEAKER_02]: Prioritizing rest gives your body time to recover.

[00:05:24] [SPEAKER_02]: This means taking a day or two off from your workout routine to focus on activities that help you relax.

[00:05:29] [SPEAKER_02]: This includes prioritizing sleep.

[00:05:31] [SPEAKER_02]: You should aim to sleep enough each night so your body can rest properly and repair itself.

[00:05:38] [SPEAKER_02]: You may love to run, bike, lift weights or do yoga every day.

[00:05:42] [SPEAKER_02]: However, doing the same workout every time will only invite boredom and injury from mindless repetitive movements.

[00:05:50] [SPEAKER_02]: You can combat exercise burnout by mixing things up and exploring different activities that you may add to your routine.

[00:05:55] [SPEAKER_02]: Not only does that help with boredom, but the movements from other activities help reduce your risk of injury.

[00:06:02] [SPEAKER_02]: Your diet can significantly affect your mood and energy level.

[00:06:06] [SPEAKER_02]: Prioritize nutritious foods from a variety of sources to give you the vitamins, minerals and calories you need

[00:06:12] [SPEAKER_02]: to support your workouts and overall health.

[00:06:15] [SPEAKER_02]: The takeaway

[00:06:16] [SPEAKER_02]: Exercise burnout can occur due to over-training, boredom and prolonged physical and mental exhaustion.

[00:06:23] [SPEAKER_02]: However, you can overcome it by incorporating some preventative measures and being mindful of how you feel mentally and physically.

[00:06:31] [SPEAKER_02]: Listening to your body and adjusting your workouts as needed is the best way to keep you engaged and looking forward to exercising.

[00:06:39] [SPEAKER_02]: If you need to take time off to rest and recover properly, then do so.

[00:06:43] [SPEAKER_02]: Taking a break doesn't mean you're giving up on your fitness goals.

[00:06:46] [SPEAKER_02]: A few days off will not erase all your hard work.

[00:06:49] [SPEAKER_02]: In fact, it may help reset and rejuvenate you to come back feeling refreshed, energized and ready to go.

[00:07:00] [SPEAKER_02]: You just listen to the post titled, Signs of Exercise Burnout and What You Can Do About It by Mark Bilodeau of fittrend.com

[00:07:07] [SPEAKER_02]: and I'll be right back with my commentary.

[00:07:10] [SPEAKER_02]: Dr. Neal here for my commentary.

[00:07:12] [SPEAKER_02]: As I was reading Mark's post to you, I kept thinking, yep, I've experienced that.

[00:07:17] [SPEAKER_02]: Okay, yeah, that's happened to me.

[00:07:19] [SPEAKER_02]: Hmm, I felt that too.

[00:07:21] [SPEAKER_02]: Bottom line, I've experienced exercise burnout and not just once multiple times.

[00:07:27] [SPEAKER_02]: Hmm, right now it kind of sounds like I'm bragging, but that's not what I'm after, I swear.

[00:07:32] [SPEAKER_02]: It's no fun to experience exercise burnout.

[00:07:35] [SPEAKER_02]: Here are my two dead giveaways that I'm experiencing exercise burnout.

[00:07:40] [SPEAKER_02]: The first is I'm moody and irritable.

[00:07:42] [SPEAKER_02]: Exercise usually puts me in a better mood,

[00:07:45] [SPEAKER_02]: but after exercise, if I'm moody and irritable, it's usually a sign that I'm overdoing it

[00:07:50] [SPEAKER_02]: and or I'm about to come down with the flu or a cold or something like that.

[00:07:56] [SPEAKER_02]: I remember reading about our former man of steel, Henry Cavill's training

[00:08:00] [SPEAKER_02]: when he was getting in shape for that movie.

[00:08:02] [SPEAKER_02]: One of the things he complained about was his moodiness.

[00:08:05] [SPEAKER_02]: He felt like he was irritable all the time, again, a sign of overtraining.

[00:08:10] [SPEAKER_02]: For me, the other is fatigue.

[00:08:12] [SPEAKER_02]: I'll start feeling exhausted during my warm-up.

[00:08:15] [SPEAKER_02]: I'll be doing the warm-up and my brain and body are begging me to stop.

[00:08:19] [SPEAKER_02]: So again, that's the second signal that today is probably a take it easy and recover day.

[00:08:24] [SPEAKER_02]: Your body may have different warning signs. Listen to them.

[00:08:28] [SPEAKER_02]: Sometimes, yes, we can mistake what we think are warning signs

[00:08:31] [SPEAKER_02]: for just not being in the mood to exercise or a lack of motivation.

[00:08:35] [SPEAKER_02]: So be honest with yourself.

[00:08:38] [SPEAKER_02]: And if it's truly fatigue you're experiencing, allow yourself that recovery day or two.

[00:08:44] [SPEAKER_02]: All right, that'll do it for today.

[00:08:46] [SPEAKER_02]: I hope you have a great rest of your weekend.

[00:08:48] [SPEAKER_02]: Thank you so much for listening and I'll be back here again tomorrow with more.

[00:08:52] [SPEAKER_02]: So I'll see you there where your optimal life awaits.