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.

Try not to worry. You might have just caught a virus as that can cause a raise in heart rate.

It's good you are tackling your exercise addiction. It might be worth investigating other ways of tackling stress so you can become less reliant on exercise.

Thank you so much glimpsing

I've spent ages this week listening to headspace and balance meditations.

I've had terrible acid reflux over the weekend which I think has triggered sinusitis, I was up all night with a runny blocked nose and feel full of cold, it's the first time I've felt unwell since last March. So yes that's probably not helping either right now.

Happy to help. Hope you get better soon.

My doctor just called about my blood test results. Apparently I have bad anaemia - not quite transfusion low but not far off.

I'll be starting on some tablets later, and she's said nothing but walking for exercise for now and another blood test in a month.

Thought I'd post in case anyone else is looking for similar advice at any point!

Aha! I wondered about that - the same thing happened to me a few years back. Pretty low count, had been building up. I was really careful about spacing the tablets, cutting right back on tea and coffee (tannins inhibit absorption) and spacing the cups I did have with the pills), citrus with meals and pills etc etc. Got levels back up pretty fast (GP was surprised). It is good to know what it is and it can be sorted!

Glad to hear you got your levels up fast! I am so hoping I can too. Yes I gave up tea and coffee entirely yesterday including decaf - good tip on the citrus though, I need to "up" the vitamin c.

I don't know why but it's almost like knowing about the anaemia has made me feel physically worse. I am shattered and feel like I can barely move without running out of breath, I'm freezing all the time and my brain is just fog.

I will be much, much more careful in future, that's for sure. Daily spatones and restricted exercise all round.

If you're reading this and wondering if you're overtraining too, please be careful!

Once my levels were normal, I trained fine, and have felt fine ever since (was caused by heavy periods and I hardly have them any more!). I exercise a lot tho as I said below, it is a mixture of high intensity (max 1-1.5 hours a day) and low (walking, cycling, pilates etc) which can be hours but which I see as just being normally active, for me. The being cold was a real giveaway once I knew about it - I think these symptoms can creep up on you - GP said I would probably have been anaemic for years.

@overtrain

Glad to hear you got your levels up fast! I am so hoping I can too. Yes I gave up tea and coffee entirely yesterday including decaf - good tip on the citrus though, I need to "up" the vitamin c.

I don't know why but it's almost like knowing about the anaemia has made me feel physically worse. I am shattered and feel like I can barely move without running out of breath, I'm freezing all the time and my brain is just fog.

I will be much, much more careful in future, that's for sure. Daily spatones and restricted exercise all round.

If you're reading this and wondering if you're overtraining too, please be careful!

You need more than a daily spatone OP.

My iron was ridiculously low about 3 years ago. I needed 3 times a day iron tablets from the GP, iron rich foods with every meal and I took medication to stop my periods for six months (which they thought was the cause). Plus no tea or coffee. I felt better within a few months but felt awful when it was low.

Sorry, I appreciate I wasn't clear above, I'm feeling a bit out of it so probably not thinking properly - yes I've started on the iron tablets and am desperately looking forward to feeling better. I just meant I will try to keep the levels up in future with daily spatones and such! I'll be keeping a close eye on iron levels in future.

That's so encouraging and I love your lifestyle MsMartini, fingers crossed I'll be back at it all soon too!

If you'd ever told me a few years or more before that I'd love exercise and eating healthily, I'd have had hysterics. At the risk of just blaming other people, I do feel like my PE teachers have something to answer for here - I'm sure they didn't intend to, but they made me hate it all so much, almost a phobia of it all. Years of being healthy completely lost.

Ah well, you live, you learn.

Years of being healthy completely lost.

Ah, it's not all lost! It takes weeks to lose muscle. Your nutrition and rest was not sufficient for your needs and you were exercising a lot. 8 hours isn't necessarily easy to find. Once your iron levels are up you can ease back in but just limit it. Do some very gentle stuff as well as the cardio and more strenuous weights. Finding a balance is what's important. Exercise isn't bad but like anything it is possible to over do it. Just as food isn't bad but it is possible to eat too much. More isn't always better. If you like being busy perhaps a new hobby (but make sure you don't overdo that too). Setting a timetable for your day might be good to begin with. Maybe you could get more into cooking - work your way through a new recipe book.

Yes, I do agree with you about PE at schoo. But please don't worry - AFAIK, as long as no underlying reason other than the obvious ones, you will get it back! Build slowly and steadily, come back stronger, take some rest days .

My anaemia was nothing to do with my exercise regime. I had had heavy periods for years, with symptoms disguised because bringing up children, etc. GP said that was very common. You can only absorb so much iron from diet, if you need more, you need the pills and that should sort it.

And I will stop banging on about this but 8 hours of "exercise" isn't necessarily a lot - for some people it is their working day if they have a physical job. I do think it is hours of intense exercise that are the problem, for people that overtrain (who are not elite athletes).

@MsMartini

And I will stop banging on about this but 8 hours of "exercise" isn't necessarily a lot - for some people it is their working day if they have a physical job. I do think it is hours of intense exercise that are the problem, for people that overtrain (who are not elite athletes).

Yes, I agree. How ironic! There I was talking about balance when I didn't qualify what is meant by exercising a lot!

Exactly .

I think a new recipe book is a lovely idea - part of balance is to enjoy your refuelling!

The indication I was overtraining was that my creatine kinase levels were high.
The blood test was done as part of my routine checks for an eating disorder.
When this one came back high I was advised to stop exercising for a week. They needed to rule out that it wasn't heart disease (of which elevated CK levels are a sign).
I stopped exercise for a week and the level went down.
Elevated CK levels meant I wasn't allowing my muscles to repair.

You need recovery time, and you need calories. Even ballet dancers in full training take one full rest day a week.

You need to be careful: it sounds as though you have an eating disorder (excessive/addictive exercise can be part of that).

You're storing up trouble: the possibility of things like shin splints now, but more seriously osteoparosis [sp?] post-menopause. It's not fun, from what Ive seen of a female relative who has restricted eating all her life.

What sort of exercise are you doing? Women should do strength work - heavy weights (not the fairy weights of pump classes) as well as cardio, particularly as they get older. But not for 4 hours a day.

I find the gym is a retreat from a stressful job, and sometimes I think I"d spend all day there, just hanging out & playing about with the fun toys. But I don't because I have a job, and a life outside the gym. It's worth thinking about why you're retreating to the gym ...

A PT I follow on Instagram - not an "influencer" or similar rubbish - she's local to me, & used to train at my gym and is amazing - she recommends one full rest day per week, and one day of active recovery (eg a bike ride), and eating more than you think. And her body is a-may-zing - her strength and muscle are wonderful.

Have you heard of Caroline Girvan, @overtrain ?
Look up her EPIC programmes on YouTube.
Most sessions are 45-60 minutes, but very intense.
Even if you use lighter weights, you'll be seriously tired.
Maybe couple it with power-walking and/or HIIT.
And/or a bit of yoga or meditation.
Maximum 2-3 hours a day, in total.
Plus at least one rest day a week.
Might this be more manageable and less exhausting?