How much exercise is too much when starting out?
As you may know, I have recently started running regularly. So far it’s one of the best things that ever happened to me – my focus is better, I sleep much better and feel overall healthier. All that being said there was one time when I over exercised, and the feeling wasn’t that great.
The so called runners high is real, believe me. Once you get past the first week or so of pain, it’s all smooth going. You start running longer distances and increasing your pace with every run, it’s a lot of fun! BUT, don’t make the mistake I did and over train. In my second or third week of running I did 3 days of running in a row, which is never a good idea for a beginner. Just because you feel that you can run a lot more doesn’t mean that your legs don’t need time to adjust to your new hobby.
Funny enough, over exercising has similar symptoms as not getting enough exercise. When I over train, I start to feel sluggish and lazy, lose appetite and can hardly focus on anything. I also get snappy and moody for a couple of days, which doesn’t help!
Another really important reason to avoid training too much is injury prevention. Both beginner and experienced runners are prone to a whole set of knee and leg injuries that can often be prevented by simply getting enough rest. You muscles need time to relax and rebuild, so allow them to adjust to your new hobbies slowly.
Cross training is also a good idea, especially working on your core muscles for better posture (this is also important when running) and upper leg muscles to keep your knees healthy and strong.
Even a little exercise makes a huge difference!
We hear this all the time – you need to be active to stay healthy. You should exercise regularly to avoid heart problems and diabetes in the future. The list goes on and on. And deep inside we all know that it’s all true. We are, after all, active, social beings that are forced to quickly change and adjust out daily habits because of the ever-changing style of life.
I started getting “funny” health problems when I turned 26. The skin under my fingernails would get blue whenever it got chilly in the room or after drinking a few cups of coffee. I would often have trouble falling asleep and wake up shattered in the morning. At some point about two months ago, I said enough is enough and started exercising regularly. This changed everything!
It didn’t take long to start seeing positive results, either. I wanted to start slow, so I began walking/running for about 20 to 30 minutes every morning. Some days I would run, other days just go for a long walk. This regular daily activity helped me almost immediately – a week into my new routine I noticed that my sleep problems seem to have disappeared – I’d sleep like a baby every night!
Another great thing that happened once I took up exercise is that my blood pressure/flow seems to have stabilized and I no longer get “blue fingernails”, even when it’s cold. Every morning I wake up focused, full of energy and ready to take on the world – it’s the best feeling ever!
Seriously, I urge all of you to give exercise a try. It doesn’t matter how busy you are, there’s always a way to find 30 minutes in the day to go for a walk or a short run. Put on some shorts and running shoes and step outside – the rest will happen automatically. A great thing about going for a walk with proper running gear on is that half of the time you’ll end up going for a run, just like that!
