Avoid exercise burnout

Exercise burn out is something you might associate with an athlete or someone who is on a high competitive level at a sport. And yes training for an athlete is part of their job and as in any job you can get burnout. But I want to offer a different take on this. I have previously written a blog post about how our mindset is the biggest barrier we have. This was in relation to how to stay consistent with exercise. This time around I take the same barrier, or mindset, and use the same tools and guidelines. But for those who tend to exercise too much in comparison to their ability to recover. This can lead to exercise burnout I will give three main tips on how to avoid exercise burn out. 

How can it look like.

I want to paint a scenario here. If you are someone who has been training in a particular sport (any) and you are quite serious about it. You put a lot of your time and energy into being able to perform at a certain level. Remember I’m not talking about athletes here. It can be you who works a normal job but is really into exercise and sport. It’s a puzzle to fit training into your schedule but you do it because how else?. There are lots of early mornings before work. Potentially a session at lunch or after work sometimes. This is a routine you might have had for at least a year. 

To get the session done is not a problem, it’s a well rehearsed routine and habit. The feeling of accomplishment after the session is done is great. However, at some point you start dreading  to do a session because you are just so tired. But to not do a session or scale back on volume and or intensity is not something that sits well. Because you might worry you will lose fitness from all the hard work you have been putting in and you will lose momentum. 

Does this resonate with you at any level?

First of all let me tell you, if  it does, you will get fitter and perform better if you scale back and make sure you are sleeping and eating enough. Thats is how you avoid exercise burnout in simple terms.

How to avoid exercise burnout.

Apart from the obvious like sleeping and scaling back, it’s our mind set that tells us we will not perform as well if we scale down. 

These 3 tips are the same main ones for those who are looking to get consistent but with a different take for you who resonates with this blog post. 

Skip the all or nothing approach. 

I can’t stress it enough, scaling back and training to a level you can recover and not always toeing the line will make a big difference in your fitness and health. 

Don’t put yourself down. 

To scale down, take an extra rest day etc takes a lot of maturity and discipline. Does not mean you are working less, you are working smarter.

Manage expectations. 

Perhaps your lifestyle with work, family, social life etc does not accommodate the level of training you think you should be doing. I want to offer the possibility to focus on how training makes you feel, how it affects your mood, do you enjoy the experience of it. 

As a finish I want to point out being super fit is not by default healthy. Especially if we consider the long term effect of intense and long term training can do to our bodies when we are older. 

Exercise of any kind has so many benefits and has positive life changing benefits. But it can be a stressor. It’s  about finding that balance and being flexible with that balance. The exercise you do must change with the changing circumstances that come with living.