Since COVID-19 and the closure of businesses, there has been a spike in people enjoying the outdoors and taking up physical activities. Good awareness of activity is important, otherwise it can be very easy to over train and injure yourself. Signs and symptoms of over training can be more than just a musculoskeletal injury; they can also include loss of appetite, increased resting heart rate, general feelings of fatigue during the day, sleep disturbances, or even altered concentration and personality changes.

There is certainly a fine line between pushing yourself to see results and pushing yourself too far and causing injury. You should gradually increase the difficulty of the activity and give your body a chance to “catch up”. For example: with running, this may mean increasing by only a couple of minutes a week or adding in a few more hills to your route. For weight lifting, it may be slightly increasing the weight or adding 2-3 more repetitions over a few weeks. Be patient with your body, try to work your activity in as more of a “long-term habit” rather than a “short-term fix”. And listen to your body – if you are feeling more tired one day, or experiencing other symptoms of over training, then maybe take it easy that day. Be sure to supplement your work outs with good nutrition and get plenty of rest. Remember that rest days are important as well!

If you are suffering from an over training injury, or you feel like you may have a musculoskeletal injury, we here at HOPE Physical Therapy and Wellness can help! We can assess your exercise program, correct exercise form, or modify activity to better suit your needs and goals. We also offer free 15 minute consultations if you would like to discuss possible options. Please give us a call at (719) 466-6800 with any questions!

For the full article, follow this link: https://www.choosept.com/Resources/Detail/how-to-avoid-overtraining-injuries

Katie