Does anyone know about overtraining?

[overtrain]

I've recently worked out that I may have been overtraining: I was doing anywhere between 4-8 hours every day (mix of cardio, jogging, cycling, weights, yoga, fast walking). I wasn't taking rest days as I felt fantastic and just didn't feel the need.

I upped it recently due to stresses at work. I've not been sleeping well, and my BMI is a bit low.

On Saturday I woke up feeling awful, pulse racing, couldn't stop. I started properly looking at Fitbit data, and my heart rate has gone from low 70s to mid 80s in the last month, and my HRV rate has dropped from 40s to 20s.

I've now had 3 days of no exercise, eating more, and meditation apps, and my heart rate has dropped one point.

I'm wondering if anyone can tell me if I've permanently damaged myself here?

I'm also desperate to exercise again as I miss it, and wondering when I can get back to it.

Unless you're an athlete that's a massive amount of training and sounds like an addiction/problem - definitely not healthy and in fact very bad for you in the long run.
I would consult a personal trainer if I were you and get some qualified advice and see your GP re your heart.

Definitely not an athlete!

I'll try to talk to my GP today.

Would a personal trainer start seeing you if you were beginning from a position of needing to take it easy for a while?

I'm sure they would! I'd make sure your heart is all good first though! X

My GP wasn't bothered at all really, said anything up to 100 was normal, and suggested I just try to eat a bit more and exercise less.

When I mentioned that my pulse racing in my ears was annoying, he said maybe those were palpitations, so booked me in for an ECG in a few weeks time, so I guess they'll find out more then.

I've emailed a local personal trainer based on their website and enquired about working with them.

I am desperate to start exercising again, it's all I can do resist, so there's something in the "addiction" comment.

I can sympathise as I've had to cut my own exercise in the past few years. I do 1hr a day and stay generally active. Glad the doctor doesn't think there's anything particularly wrong. In the meantime I'd stick to walking and more gentle exercise like Pilates (if you like it - I hate Pilates!)

Mmm..no-one here can tell you if you have been overtraining, or done damage. If you are concerned, do talk to your GP.

If you include slow cycling, yoga/pilates and brisk walking, I would quite often do hours a day of exercise, much just to go about my daily life/get places. For me, running (slowly!) and strength training are intense exercise, and I do 1-2 hours most days of them but take - and need - rest days. I haven't read or seen anything that suggests healthy active people need rest days from walking, cycling etc though.

Maybe cut back on the high intensity stuff and focus more on yoga and average-speed walking, plus a bit of fairly gentle weight training?

I’m a semi professional sportsman, when I was a fulltime professional sportsman I trained for 12 hours a week.

How much are you eating?!

Sounds like you're massively over-training to me. To be honest, the fact that you say you've only "recently worked out that you MAY be overtraining" is a big red flag.

You're definitely going down the route of an unhealthy relationship with exercise. Addiction even. What are using exercise to escape from? Work stress? Or is there more to it than that? (I'm assuming yes as you really seem to be overdoing it).

I haven't been eating enough to be honest - I've just about balanced out calories in and out on Fitbit but also dropped slightly most days.

I do wonder about eating disorders (although I go back and forth on whether I have one or not). I ate a good few thousand calories extra over the weekend to try and feel better, and have felt miserable all day as I've put on 3 pounds.

I've got a lunchtime slot with a local personal trainer tomorrow and have outlined the issues to her, I'm hoping she can help.

I just did a 20 minute yoga session and it was a great start but I wanted to keep pushing and do more and more. I think I should pause on doing anything else except walking until I've talked to her.

In terms of addiction - yes, I just love exercise, love being active all the time, it makes me feel brilliant, and up to last weekend I kept feeling increasingly energetic and happy and proud of myself. It's helped so much with the stress of changing jobs - I'm in a great role now but am also painfully homesick for my old team and life, I'm not good at change.

Jumping in with my two cents here... it sounds like potentially a combo of overtraining and under-recovering could be going on here. Training creates a stress on the body, and recovery allows you to well.. recover from that. Recovery would typically include eating enough (and a good balance of protein, carbs and fats - ie. all the macro nutrients, not leaving out carbs or something), SLEEP (massively important - and good restful sleep at that), and things like gentle restorative yoga, mindfulness, meditation, and progressive relaxation techniques (youtube it) can all be included there.

It sounds like you might be using exercise for stress relief - based on the fact you're kind of itching to do more now even when you rationally should be resting and are feeling out of sorts. Do you have other avenues for stress relief? That might be something to explore.

I think your mileage with a personal trainer will vary enormously depending on their experience and skill level. I would suggest looking into the work of Renee McGregor or Bernadette Dancy (both have a lot of info on instagram) for more specific stuff on overtraining, under-recovering, eating disorders and training for women.

Resting, eating enough nutritious food, and practicing other ways to relieve stress might be a starting point. If you don't sleep well, perhaps looking at 'sleep hygiene' would be useful to you too.

I agree with the above, especially gentle restorative yoga, mindfulness, meditation, and progressive relaxation techniques

Maybe you are a bit stressed and overwhelmed and need to recalibrate

I think it is really good you have taken a pause and are going to talk to someone. I feel the same as you about exercise though - it makes me feel great and is a brilliant stress-buster. I think as long as I am sensible with rest days and have a balanced and mixed regime, that is a lot better for me than the other stress-busters available (I barely drink, for example). And again, I would say it depends how those hours of exercise are made up. If I do a tough bootcamp on a Saturday (1 hr), then walk/cycle with a friend (3 hrs) then do some gentle Pilates with dh (1hr), that adds up to a lot, but only one hour of that was intense, the rest, for me, was just being active and having a good weekend. I am not saying this applies t you at all, but I do think it is important to distinguish between intense exercise that really takes it out of you, and having a generally active lifestyle that includes say walking and cycling as means of getting places/having fun/socialising.

How do you have so much time for exercise? When do you work, sleep, shop, clean, cook or do life admin?

I’m a personal trainer and an athlete, the most I train is 1 hour a day 5 days a week and I eat like a horse. Your regime is totally excessive.

PT is a great idea. You can set your goals and they’ll give you a safe programme.

I exercise a lot, but your exercise regime is definitely excessive.
Is there a reason why you exercise so much?

* You're definitely going down the route of an unhealthy relationship with exercise. Addiction even.*

^This. You are addicted and need to seek help. What you are doing is not normal at all.

You have an exercise addiction.

I'm saying this as someone who used exercise to manage stresses at work and was a former amateur athlete in a team sport where we were high ranking.

Some of the people on my team had highly stressful jobs and would try to exercise when they were injured/ill as a way to deal with the stress. Luckily we were surrounded by people specifically coaches and older team members who would put a stop to it.

You don't have this so you need not only a PT but probably a counselor. (Or you could take the drastic path and quit your job if you are in an industry area with a shortage.)

Also a GP won't be able to help you unless they are into exercise and sports themselves.

Bit confused how your heart rate is so high (resting heart rate??) of 70-80? If not, what's your RHR? for someone exercising that much who is not overweight I'd expect it to be 50-60.

Anyway -- yes sounds like over traingin and not enough rest and recovery. You are not eating enough to fuel those workouts. And you need to rest to allow body time to recover.

I'd consult with a PT who specifically has experience with eating disorders / over exercising.

I think it sounds like you have an eating disorder and maybe you ought to go back to your GP.

Thanks all. I know I have a problem and I am trying to tackle it. I really appreciate your support - I know people tend to say that on here, but it's true.

I haven't done anything in over a week now except a few yoga sessions and I miss it so much. I'm worried that I'll lose all the muscle mass and toning I've built up but at least I know I can build it up again I guess.

My GP wasn't really interested, and for eating disorder stuff sent me a link to the BEAT website (which seems like wading through glue for actual help) and self referral for CBT (I've had this before along with other therapy back during the long infertility years, and it was pointless).

The PT seemed good, she wants me to eat more and do less. When I start with her I have to send pictures of food every time I eat, so someone will be monitoring me for a while, which might help?

My heart rate is so high and it hasn't dropped properly like it usually does after a period - I think due to overtraining, but possibly also due to anaemia or something. This is something the PT raised, I'm very pale, have a nonstop heartbeat noise in my ears, and have had problems with it in the past.

In terms of where did I find the time - I don't have kids which probably helps. For about a month there it went something like:

• 5am wake up
• 6-8am exercise, quick food prep
• 8am login, then either cycle at desk or do things like jog on spot or bounce on rebounder during presentations throughout day (which added up).
• Lunch - usually some kind of exercise then food
• After work, exercise for up to an hour, then dinner and rest, quick tidy up, food shopping orders and deliveries, followed by a long walk
• 9pm bed

Honestly, I felt amazing. Like "this is how humans are supposed to live and exist, I've cracked it" amazing - right until I didn't.

I can only guess that the real answer to "why" is that I am messed up.

I'm diagnosed autistic, have ocd tendencies, and get obsessive.

4-8hours a day ? Serious question
, do you work ? Where do you find the time ? Personally the amount you are doing is a ridiculous amount, spread the 8 hours over the week and that’s enough. I get that you are too far into this now and can’t stop.
From the age of 23-27 I was a real gym bunny, there every morning before work and often squeezing in a lunch time or evening class. It was an addiction and no one could help me get out of it at the time. I’d be at the Gp all the time, feeling breathless, tired, literally seeing stars. B12 deficiency and needed injections. Funny I never had it before and never had it when I stopped the exercise. They never once told me I was doing too much. I also had to see physio about my hip, they said I’ve damaged it due to over use of the cycling motion. So now I’m 33, I go to the gym twice a week and I stil get pain in my hip which stops me doing more. Only you can help yourself. Good luck

Agreed, I've mentioned how I was fitting it all in above - it has been exceptionally hard to stop but for now I've done it.

I had no physical issues at all until recently. I hope I haven't permanently fucked my health up.