I feel very overwhelmed with exercise, am I overdoing?

SolidGoaled

Lately I feel so overwhelmed with my exercise - like I don't have time for anything else. I do 5-6 days a week of cardio, usually 1 hour per session. I keep thinking I could probably drop a few days of the cardio in exchange for some resistance training, but I am so afraid of losing that "edge" on my calories that the cardio gives. I don't know what is harder for me sometimes - saying no to that almost always 500 too many calories I end up with at the end of the day, or doing daily cardio.

Does anyone else ever feel like they workout so much that they barely have time for other things in life? And how do you know when you truly are overdoing it, and where do you draw the line so you know you're working out enough to be effective, but not so much that its consuming you?

Thanks for reading.

daphnemoon

I think that if you are beginning to think it is taking over then it is *definitely* time to pull back a bit - don't worry about the calories, what is more important is how it is making you feel. I do a LOT of exercise because I'm not working at the minute so I don't have too many other commitments that it has to contend with. I spend a lot of time at the gym but I don't feel that it is taking over because I enjoy it so much (in fact, not sure what I'd do without my gym classes!) However it does sound as if you might burn out, and it would be better to do less for a while so that you can focus on working harder when you do it, and not get fed up and stop exercising altogether. I think you exercise much more effectively when you are feeling really positive about it. So maybe start by doing some weights on alternate days to the cardio, remember you will still burn calories doing weight training - not as much as pure cardio, generally, but it will burn calories beyond the workout itself, which is a positive!

Exercise is supposed to make you feel good (maybe not during every moment ) not like it is getting too much. How does your body feel after the exercise? Are you feeling sore and fatigued? Remember recovery days are good, especially if you do incorporate weight training, so enjoy those.

Or maybe you just need to vary your routine - are you doing the same thing every day?

careyharv

Depending on how you strength train, you can reach 500 calories for that workout. I know I do. I do strength training 3 times a week and rarely fall below 500. I also do cardio for 500 calories for 2 to 3 times a week. It has worked for me and since Sept I have lost 20 pounds. Try it out for a couple of weeks and see what you think.