The Effects of Over-Exercising on Your Mental Health

If the phrase over-exercising is new to you, I’m sure you’re wondering how you can tell if you’ve breached that fine line and what it has to do with your mental health.

We live in a highly active society where we are constantly bombarded with messages about maintaining our physical health everywhere we turn. It seems as if every second advertisement that we see these days will include some “start your exercise now!” or “get fit fast!” tips.

While there is no denying that exercise is great for us, it’s good for you to know where to draw the line between safe exercising and over-exercising before your workout regimes suck the life out of you physically and mentally.

Rest is an important and often overlooked part of training that not only allows your body to recover for your next workout but also gives you an emotional reprieve from the constant stress exercising puts you through.

Mental stress signs to look out for when exercising

Pushing your body too hard for too long will always backfire and increase your stress levels. Physical signals that you are going beyond your limits are easier to pick up on than mental or emotional ones. It is obvious when you work out too much if you feel faint or suffer a physical injury, but mental red flags can be easily missed.

Studies have shown that at times, over-exercising your body leads to overstimulation of nerves that regulate your heart rate, which can lead to increased stress levels or high anxiety.

Signs that your mental health is suffering due to over-exercising include:

• Difficulty focusing or performing at work or school at your usual level after exercising.
• Feeling unmotivated, sad, or depressed after working out.
• Needing longer periods of rest than usual after your workouts.
• Constantly feeling irritable or having mood swings during or after exercising.
• Struggling to sleep each time you work out.

Moderate-intensity exercise a few days per week is highly recommended for your overall health and well-being. Finding balance is also important. The last thing you need is to be super fit physically, yet other equally important parts of your life are suffering such as:

Your personal life

You may be surprised that there are documented cases of people who have been diagnosed with exercise addiction, which is defined as a condition where one loses control of how much they exercise to the point of being unable to focus on anything else. As with any other addiction, this means you may start to lose touch with healthy activities or healthy interactions with other people, which isn’t good for you.

Your self-image

Sometimes you can be your biggest critic in life. Giving yourself constant pressure to perform at the highest fitness level to maintain a certain look or standard can be detrimental to your self-love and self-image.

Your spiritual life

Many experts have agreed that the definition of health is a state when your mind, body, and soul are aligned and in harmony. Over-exerting yourself in one can cause an imbalance for the other two in your personal health trinity. Your exercise regime should not take over your life to the extent that you negate your spiritual exercise and growth.

How to cut down on too much exercise

If you find yourself in this strenuous exercise cycle, it may be time to cut back on the exercise or rest completely for about 1-2 weeks.

If you still feel tired after a couple of weeks of rest, it is wise to consider seeking professional help from a nutritionist or healthcare provider who can tell you if you need to rest for longer and guide you into a safer routine.

You also need to start learning safer and healthier habits for exercising, such as:

• Eat enough calories for your level of exercise.
• Decrease your workouts before a competition.
• Drink enough water when you exercise.
• Aim to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night.
• Do not exercise in extreme heat or cold.
• Cut back or stop exercising when you don’t feel well or are under a lot of stress.
• Rest for at least 6 hours in between periods of exercise. Take a full day off every week.

We all agree that there are great perks to exercising the right way. You may need to meet with a trained professional at Rowlett Christian Counseling in Texas who can help steer you away from over exercising. Take advantage of the resources available on this website to find a trained therapist in Rowlett, Texas who can help you reach your goals the healthy way.