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5 signs your body needs rest from exercise
10
Apr
Apr
We have all been there, getting into the groove of the new workout routine when all of a sudden, the pain sets in. That daunting moment when you realise you have overworked your body into an injury and ask yourself why you didn’t take a couple of extra rest days along the way.
To understand why this can happen, we need to look at the physiological changes that occur when we exercise.
When you exercise, you’re essentially causing micro-tears in the muscle. Then afterward, the muscle repairs and grows stronger. And the more you train, the more stress you are putting on the body
This is why it’s important to allow your body time to recover after working out. If you do not allow the body enough time to recover, you could be doing more harm than good.
This is why we thought 5 signs your body needs rest from exercise would be helpful to many of our readers.
Excercise has a wider impact and doesn’t just affect the muscles. It can also impact your kidney function, your digestion, and hormone regulation. These are the things that could indicate that you need to take a little time off.
5 SIGNS YOUR BODY NEEDS REST FROM EXERCISE
You are always sore
l and something we come to expect, especially if we’re training a new muscle group or switching up the routine. You should give you muscles 24 to 48 hours of recovery time between sessions and if you are constantly feeling sore after doing your usual routine, it may be a sign you are overtraining. Frequent injuries or getting sick often are common symptoms of overtraining. The good news is that it’s rather simple to recover, just take it easy for a couple of days.
Feeling constantly tired or moody
It’s widely known that exercise can make us feel better about ourselves and plays a significant role in the state of our mental health. We all know that exercise makes you happier and this is true because the brain releases a rush of endorphins as we exercise.
But endorphins are also accompanied by the stress hormone cortisol, which if the levels remain high for a long period of time, can have an adverse effect on our mental wellbeing.
You’re feeling stiff all the time.
When to many days of pounding the pavement leaves you struggling to bend over to pick up a penny off the pavement without creaky knees, it may be the time for you to take it easy for a little while. If you find that your body doesn’t have the proper mobility, you could create dysfunction in your movement pattern. This is caused by doing the same thing over and over again, such as cycling, running and lifting without allowing the body adequate time to recover. And without the proper recovery, you could go on to cause yourself an injury
Your heart rate is abnormal.
A great way to check if you have been overtraining is to check your heart rate. One of the best ways to check your readiness to exercise is to check your resting heart rate in the morning, before exercise. If your heart rate is above normal, then it may be your body telling you its not really ready for a strenuous workout. A lower than normal heart rate can also be an indication of overtraining also. It is not a bad idea to start taking a daily note of your heart rate to find out what is normal for you.
Your pee is dark yellow.
This is not the most pleasant topic we have covered today, but someone has to. While it is obvious to most people that we need to stay hydrated while exercising, many of us start exercising when we are already dehydrated. Urine is a great indicator to let us know when we are dehydrated. Getting up early in the morning and drinking nothing but coffee is one of the common culprits that frequently lead to dehydration. It takes the body at least 45 minutes to recover from even mild dehydration, so it’s best to take in a lot of H20 and only do stretches if your urine is dark. This way you’ll avoid overtraining and lessen the chances of an injury. Sometimes a little R and R are what the body needs the most.
