While some of you may be struggling to work exercise into your healthy habits these days, there are others of you who are using the time of Covid to ramp up your fitness game. No judgment either way. BUT for those of you who have been killing it on the bike lately, there is one mistake we want you to watch out for. OVERTRAINING!

Too much training is far worse than not enough: overtraining can cause illnesses, injuries, chronic fatigue and burnout. It can wipe out months of hard-earned fitness gains. To avoid making the overtraining mistake, it is necessary to pay close attention to your bodily feedback and adjust your training according to the suggestions below:

Morning heart rate 10% or more above normal…

Train at recovery heart rates (65% of max or less) until heart rate returns to normal range.

Sore throat or other signs of illness…

NO EXERCISE at all until symptoms completely disappear. You need to use all of your energy and your high fitness level for fighting off the bug. Better to take two days off than fight a cold for 2-3 weeks!

Sore muscles or joints…

Recovery rate exercise until symptoms disappear. Aerobic base building will strengthen your muscles and connective tissues so that you are less susceptible to injury when you introduce anaerobic workouts.

Lack of motivation…

Recovery rate exercise until motivation returns to normal. Remember that you are a highly motivated fitness enthusiast. It is NOT normal to feel apathetic toward exercise. This is a sign that you need some time off.

Developing injuries…

All overuse injuries result from repeatedly ignored warnings. NEVER introduce additional pain to a vulnerable area. Use your common sense to determine what is a normal ache and pain and what is a warning sign of an overuse injury.

Mood swings, fatigue at rest, sugar cravings, poor sleep patterns…

All of these are signs of too much stress, exercise or otherwise. Additional training will make you less fit and less healthy. These warning signs require you to dramatically limit your exercise and keep all sessions in the Recovery Zone. Time off will do wonders for your mental, physical, and spiritual energy.