Too much gym time?
I personally know many people who despise going to the gym and working out in general. I mean…I do teach fitness classes, work in a gym, run bootcamps, personal train and run small groups to help with behavioral change. So trust me, I know A LOT of people who can’t stand any type of physical activity however, I am definitely not one of those people.
I made a complete shift in my behavior, took away trigger areas in my environment and replaced my reliance on food to a reliance on exercise. Exercise became my safe haven. A place to relax and focus solely on myself. A time for life reflecting and stress relief. Exercise became one of the most important aspects in my life and not due to vanity – although the physical payoffs are fantastic as well.
Yesterday when I went to the gym I felt extremely sluggish. There wasn’t any mojo I my step. My normal warm up felt extraordinarily difficult. My music couldn’t motivate me to picky pace up. I was not as productive as I normally am. Later when I returned home I literally felt like I was starving all day. I could not satisfy my hunger no matter what I did. I logged my food for the day and knew I was about 150 calories over what I normally consume so I drank a huge glass of water and forced myself to go to bed for the night. Nothing productive was going to happen by staying up.
As I was laying in bed, I couldn’t remember the last time I took a day completely off from exercising. Even if I don’t lift, I jog or had a full 10 days of a difficult yard project. I decided perhaps my body was worn completely down. I don’t want to injure myself or spend an hour at the gym being totally nonproductive. I don’t want to be ravenous all day long. Nope! I will just…do nothing!
When I awoke this morning I felt excruciatingly hungry so I drank a huge cup of tepid water and ate a couple of slices of bacon and eggs and then I took it completely easy. My extreme hunger went away and I could feel body recouping. If I feel better tomorrow I will work out and if I still feel lethargic, I will take another day off.
There is a scientific reason for this hunger- an increase if Cortisol due to too much exercising. Cortisol is a hormone that has been associated with weight gain. Cortisol is a catabolic hormone that is produced in response to physiological or emotional stress. Eating too little calories, lack of sleep, too much exercise (as stated before), work and family pressures are just a few examples of situations that can trigger increases in insulin production, a drop in blood sugar a d increased hunger.
Lesson? Always take a break from exercising when needed and listen to your body!!! If you ignore your body’s signs of fatigue, pushing past your threshold could lead to injury and/or be counterproductive to your wellness journey.