We all know staying active is important for mind, body and overall health.
Exercise is a necessary part of everyday life, but knowing how often you should be working out and to what extent changes entirely on the person.
Sometimes though, the fitness bug can become a little obsessive. Whether you’re spurred on by seeing results, or enjoy kicking off your daily grind on a treadmill, there can be some negative effects to over-exercising.
If you feel like your fitness routine might be too much for you, it’s worth listening to your body.
Here are nine signs, as advised by fitness instructor David Sciola, that you’re pushing your body too far in the gym:
- Your performance has plateaued.
- You start to dread your workouts or come up with excuses to skip them.
- Your sleep starts to worsen. You find it more difficult to get to sleep or you are waking up exhausted.
- You are becoming moody. You're are more easily agitated, anxious, emotional or depressed than you used to be.
- You get sick more often and the symptoms stick around for longer than they used to.
- You crave sugary junk food and always seem hungry, especially after a workout.
- Your libido decreases.
- You only feel good or energized after your workout. The rest of day, your energy flatlines.
- You start getting more obsessed with training. Missing a session makes your feel anxious or like a failure.
- You start to prioritize training over living. You favor going to the gym over catching a movie with your loved one or having an after-work drink. You consistently show up late to social events because you had to make your favorite class.
