Feel the Burn - Not the Burnout at Her Active Life

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Feel the Burn - Not the Burnout

Posted March 27, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Katie Drummond

Section: Her Fitness, Athletics, Training Programs, Her Health, Her Motivation

Girl Workout When you want to get fit, stay healthy, or train for an athletic event, consistency and determination are both important. Being sure to eat well and work out is a must for everyone - but too much of a good thing can be harmful. Working out too much, too often, can lead to more than injuries. Even if you don’t hurt yourself, taking on too much can lead to psychological burnout, which is a major reason that people stop their exercise routines entirely or get tired of the same ole’ thing.

No matter how motivated you may be, that enthusiasm can quickly sour if you forget about moderation - this will keep your exercise program fun, interesting, and exciting. What qualifies as “moderate” varies by person, fitness level, and goals. Start slow, and build from there. An effective plan will increase your frequency and intensity slowly and appropriately for your lifestyle.

A few more quick and easy tips to avoid burning out:

-Don’t overdo it at the outset. If you’re just starting to exercise, take it slow. Two 20-minute sessions a week are fine, and build up from there, week after week, until you reach a suitable level for your goals, fitness level and priorities. Don’t go further than what you enjoy and benefit from.

-Watch for overtraining symptoms: when you overdo it, your body lets you know, by means of a sluggish appetite, insomnia at night but fatigue during the day, recurrent injuries or muscle soreness, and a lack of progress or improvement in performance.

-Mix it up! Add a new class, try a new machine at the gym, or incorporate an entirely new sport, and do it at least every few months. Hopping on the treadmill might be fun, but even the most enjoyable workout can get blah if you do it for months on end. If you have a particular routine you enjoy, you can keep that varied as well - for example, change the incline, do sprinting intervals or tempo training, and so on.

-Take a break. Not all the time, no. But take a full rest day each week, and take a full week off every 3 months or so. Your body will benefit from the relaxation, use the time to repair and rejuvenate, and your workouts will be better with fresh muscles.

-Set goals, but make them realistic. Having something to strive for (a race, a level of weights to lift, a certain running pace) is a terrific way to stay motivated. However, aiming too high can be detrimental, because you’ll work too hard and be let down if you don’t get the results you were hoping for. Instead, set specific and reachable goals, and make a precise plan to reach them.

Remember that fitness should always, no matter your level of intensity or your goals, be fun. If it isn’t, you need to rethink your program and readjust it to better suit your needs.