Overtrained

Overtraining strikes again. At least this time I know the signs and can do some damage control before it gets too bad. I really thought I could run 2-3 miles every other day in addition to my normal heavy weightlifting schedule. Overtraining occurs when the central nervous system is stimulated for too long, too hard, with inadequate rest and/or nutrition.

Chronic overtraining led to my overuse injuries in my knees, and I really can't have that happen again. I took 2 days off from everything and ate some candy. Haha! I think the body gets just as bored as the mind does with cottage cheese and oatmeal.

In case you're a fitness obsessed person like myself (ahem, ANDY), here are the classic symptoms of overtraining:

Acute Physical Symptoms
Muscle worked to exhaustion [isn't this the goal?]
Traumatic orthopedic injury

Chronic Physical Symptoms
Muscle becomes weaker over time
Orthopedic overuse injury [Bad, very bad :-( ]
Increased resting heart rate
Increased resting blood pressure
Decreased maximal power output
Decreased sports performance
Decreased maximal blood lactate concentrations
Slower recovery after exercise
Weight loss or Weight gain due to higher cortisol levels
Decreased appetite
Decreased desire to exercise [When this hits me as it did a few days ago, I know I am overtrained]
Increased irritability and depression
Increased incidence of injury
Increased incidence of infection
Decreased resting heart rate
Faster return of heart rate to resting value after exercise
Decreased blood lactate concentrations during submaximal and maximal exercise
Unemotional behavior

It may take a while for you to realize if you're overtrained, but I know I am when all I want to do is sleep, can walk into the gym, do a completely half-assed workout and walk out not caring, experience lower libido (big red flag!) - overtraining is known to lower testosterone levels in addition to increasing cortisol, which is the "stress hormone".

Cortisol also kicks in when you diet to a point where you can't lose more weight - commonly called "starvation mode". Your body thinks you're in the woods running from wild scary bears and stopping infrequently to snack on berries, only to race off again! The poor body doesn't realize you're doing it intentionally... it's just doing what it can to survive. So it clings to fat for dear life (literally), as it is more efficient to burn muscle :-( and fat tends to keep you warmer. I wish we could just sit the body down and be like:

"Listen, here's the plan. We're running on the track, not in the woods, and we're not in danger. We're lifting dumbbells, not a tree that's fallen on us. As much as I'd like to eat a plate of fried chicken fingers and fries when we're done, we're gonna go home and have some egg whites and oatmeal, and we're gonna LIKE it. And THEN we're gonna do it again tomorrow, so get used to it and let some of this fat go!"

But the body is still in caveman mode, so it doesn't listen.

My day off for August 11th for the CIGNA road race was approved. So, uh... I have to do it. It'll be okay, I'm just intimidated by the heat. I still have time to acclimate.