Addicted to Exercise? Overtraining and Under-Recovery
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› Unlabelled › Addicted to Exercise? Overtraining and Under-Recovery

Some people are sedentary, while others are obsessive and extreme in their mission for a leaner physique and go overboard with exercise. Exercise addiction is probably the most contradictory of all addictions. Many compulsive exercisers have behaviors similar to drug addicts, including altered moods and withdrawal.

Exercise addicts define themselves by their strenuous exercise routines often causing physical exhaustion. Little do they know, they’re putting their health at risk especially if they’re radically cutting back on food intake and watching every calorie consumed. Females who over-exercise and deprive themselves of proper nutrition can experience loss of menstruation cycles and ovulation, increasing risk of osteoporosis, hormone dysfunction, stress fractures, a damaged metabolism and adrenal fatigue.

Avoid OvertrainingMore Harm Than Good  Although regular, consistent exercise is highly beneficial for health, vitality, longevity and fat loss, a compulsive exerciser will stop at nothing to get their high. When exercise is taken to extreme measures, it can cause serious damage including chronic colds, respiratory infections and immune dysfunction, hormonal disruption (specifically hypothyroid and adrenal exhaustion), physical injuries, depression,  physical exhaustion, autoimmune disease, increased oxidative stress, accelerated aging and permanent damage to health.

Points to consider. How long are your workouts? After a 10-15 minute warm up, ideally the actual workout should last no longer 30-40 minutes, possibly even less than that. Spending more than an hour per workout is futile and detrimental to increasing strength, muscle size, optimizing hormones and decreasing body fat.

Testosterone levels peak after approximately 15 minutes of training and begin to level off after 30-45 minutes. Cortisol levels start rising after 30-40 minutes and anabolic levels (growth hormones) decrease.

When cortisol levels are out of whack for extended periods of time…
      • production of sex hormones come to a halt
      • telomeres shorten and you age faster
      • metabolism declines
      • digestion is impaired
      • sleep is disturbed
      • bone density decreases
      • inflammation rises
      • blood sugar is disrupted
      • thyroid hormones are affected
      • you’ll experience brain fog, memory loss and low energy
      • belly fat increases and muscle mass decreases

Muscle growth and adaptations to muscle occur during recovery and rest, not during the actual workout. Cutting back to 3-4 training sessions/week will induce greater gains in strength and recovery. (some individuals may even need less)

Are you getting stronger with each workout? Are you losing or gaining body fat? Do you experience chronic aches and pains? Do you schedule in rest, recovery and relaxation days? If you exercise intensely day after day after day for hours, most likely you’re over-training and under-recovering.

Even though you may be training different muscles groups or performing different activities, you must take into consideration all systems of your body:

  • Endocrine/Hormonal System (HPA axis is in a hyper-aroused state)
  • Immune System
  • Digestive System
  • Central Nervous System – The nervous system takes 5-6x longer to recover from exercise than the muscular system.
  • Emotional, Psychological and Spiritual

Individual Recovery Factors

        * Age * Diet, including pre- & post-workout nutrition
        * Amount and type of exercise * Lifestyle (job; relationships; stress management)
        * Hydration * Sleep
        * Nutrient supplementation * Massage and other bodywork/recovery

Example: a 42 year old, type-A business person, with a family, travels for work, consumes a bagel and coffee for breakfast (major insulin spike), enjoys a martini or two before getting 4-5 hours of sleep. Individual lifestyle factors are extremely important considerations when designing an exercise program for this individual. Most trainers are over-training their clients. The wrong exercise program, excessive cardio or too much of any exercise will only create additional stress and hormone deficiencies, eventually leading to adrenal exhaustion, weakness, irritability, painful joints, fatigue and increased body fat.

Warning Signs of Exercise Addiction, Overtraining and Under-recovery

  • Elevated resting A.M. heart rate (this is the #1 indicator of an over-trained and under-recovered individual)
  • Biochemical depression
  • Body needs longer and longer warm up time
  • Chronic injuries that don’t heal. Overuse of OTC anti-inflammatory drugs
  • Constant muscle soreness
  • Craving stimulants, caffeine and sugars. While caffeine is okay before your workout, consuming caffeine post workout is a no-no as it increases cortisol production.
  • Decreased strength and performance
  • Decreased appetite
  • Zero sex drive and diminished libido
  • Insomnia, late bedtimes, disrupted or poor quality sleep
  • Elevated blood pressure
  • Fear and worry that you’ll gain weight if you skip exercise for just one day
  • Feeling brain-dead; fatigued; loss of motivation and low energy
  • Frequent colds and infections
  • Increased belly fat from the excess cortisol and decreased lean muscle tissue. Body fat levels that don’t lower in response to exercise.
  • Increased sensitivity to sunlight exposure
  • Muscle cramps, due to mineral deficiencies (particularly magnesium and zinc) from over-exercising and stress.
  • Relationships and social life are impacted taking a back seat to exercise
  • Salt cravings (symptom of exhausted adrenals)

Rest, Relaxation & Recovery – they’re part of a smart training program

Rest, relaxation and recovery are an overlooked and neglected component when it comes to building muscle, breaking through plateaus, losing stubborn body fat, improving performance and overall health.

It’s important to balance intense sympathetic dominant activities with calming parasympathetic activities. Failure to respect and value this crucial aspect can lead to strained adrenal glands and a fried nervous system. R&R is necessary for hormone balance, tissue repair, muscle growth, improved performance, and physiological and psychological recuperation. So, what can you do?

   * Avoid extreme amounts of exercise, especially excessive aerobic exercise

   * Schedule a weekly or monthly massage or some form of body work. Use the foam roller before and after workouts.

   * Enhance your workouts with optimal Pre-Workout Nutrition

   * Consume post-exercise nutrition within 10-20 minutes post workout. Post-Workout Kit. Protein and glutamine facilitate muscle recovery and can accelerate muscle glycogen re-synthesis and glutamine levels, which are critical in creating an anabolic environment. Add a scoop of powdered greens to your post workout shake to help lower cortisol and invoke an alkaline environment.

   * More is not better. Schedule in rest days – it’s part of the program. Enjoy personal downtime and relaxation every day (meditation, massage, yin and restorative yoga, spend more time in nature, reading, deep breathing, walking, prayer, stretching, etc.) Take a week off every 3 months.

   * Contact me to assess your metabolism and to determine your personalized supplement program. It’s not a “one-supp-fits-all” approach.

   * Fuel your body properly with a nutrient-rich, real foods. Ensure that your protein intake is at least 1 gram per pound of body weight and load up on the greens and healthy fats.

   * Periodize your workouts as per the programs found in my Online Exercise Program or the 12-Week Exercise Program found in my book, Fat Loss Revolution.

   * Remain hydrated. Dehydration leads to higher cortisol levels. 

   * Sleep (7-9 restful hours each night) to ensure adequate recovery from intense exercise. If you’re not sleeping well, growth hormone is inhibited, androgens are disrupted, you will end of craving crap food, and your body fat increases!

Schedule a free-15 minute consult. I consult with men and women around the world via telephone or Skype and with clients locally in the Phoenix area. I will determine the root cause and design a lifestyle plan and protocol so you can heal and restore your health.

Copyright © Paula Owens. All rights reserved.

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