More is not better. Let you muscles recover or risk a permanent injury
Arguing against exercising doesn’t happen often. But there are instances when skipping the intense workout program you have scheduled for the day is a good idea. Sometimes the “less is more” expression perfectly describes the way to your ultimate fitness goal. The body needs rest. Your joints, tendons and central nervous system need it too.
This is definitely not to say that one day a week at the gym will cut it. In order for the body to rest, it needs to have worked out. How much is too much, however? The answer is very individual. One thing people all have in common is that the body will signal when it needs to be left alone to recover.
Skipping a training session is beneficial not only because your muscles need to heal but also because working out too much can cause weight-loss plateau. Your body thinks a crisis is coming because you’re overworking and releases large amounts of cortisol – the stress hormone. As a result, the body stores more fat (energy) because it thinks it needs it for the future.
Many studies have shown the connection between exercise on regular basis and better mood, especially in preventing clinical depression. Too much, however, can easily have the opposite effect because you are constantly tired because your muscles haven’t recovered and anxious because you’re not getting result quickly.
Stressed out
Stressed out doesn’t mean having one bad day at work. It means a lot of negative energy has been building up. Sometimes life throws at you everything at once and you feel you are on the verge of a breakdown. Some people mistakenly assume that working out will help them relax. Your body won’t feel that way at all. You are actually making it face even more stress. Exercising means muscle tearing and energy depletion, both of which make you feel weak.
Simply tired
That happens even to the best! Your body is constantly adjusting while you are training. It’s inevitable that you are going to be tired at some point. You may feel slugging and grumpy. Exhaustion is not a sign of laziness. You should set at least one day a week aside to complete rest (and maybe some yoga). The worst thing you want to do when you feel worn out is work out more. You are putting unnecessary stress on your body and will burn yourself out. Then you’re likely to get injured and be forced to sit on the couch for weeks until you fully heal. If that is not a good enough reason, then keep in mind that exercising when you’re too tired means that your body is not performing at its best, resulting in low quality training.
Sick
You should not work out at the gym if you are even just a little sick. There are just too many germs there that your body may not be able to ward off as well as before because your immune system is weaker. Also, you may get other people sick and that is just not nice. Workout at home if you must. But if you have the flu, or if your body hurts below the neck, then you should rest. The same goes if you have a fever. Working out while you’re running a fever will make you even more dehydrated, which increase the risk of heart issues.
Your back hurts
Just because you are physically capable of walking doesn’t mean running or doing squats is a good idea. Rest for a few days until your back feels better. Sharp pain when you bend or turn around means you have to avoid moving much so you can let your muscles heal. Otherwise, you’re only making them worse.
Sore
This is true for people who have been working out regularly. Gym newbies will feel sore every other day until their body adapts to its new routine. So if you have been going to the gym several times a week for months now but your muscles get sore after an intense strength training, skip a workout. If the soreness is severe, then you pushed yourself too hard.
Injured
Some people just don’t know when to stop. This one is very simple: If you are injured, rest. Otherwise you risk adding another injury or re-hurting yourself, causing permanent damage. There are plenty of activities you can do to keep your body moving.
You hate your routine
The key to every workout program is to find exercises you enjoy. Some people run for an hour on a treadmill, which is not always a good idea, and others love to do pullups. You can’t be consistent if you have the blues every time you head for the gym. You are setting yourself up for quitting. So cut the time you run in half and spend the 30 minutes doing resistance exercises. You will build muscle which is key to losing fat and increasing your metabolism.