Exercising 2 Much???

SherryJDI
SherryJDI Posts: 21
edited September 23 in Fitness and Exercise
I am 44 years old and I have 50 pounds to lose... so I have been working out everyday twice a day since January 3.... I do strength training during my lunch which consists of working out one body part each day... I do 3 sets of 15 reps... I usually do 2 types of machine or weight for that body part... I also do a couple of ab exercises each day...

After work I do an hour of cardio everyday... Sometimes it is on the treadmill or elliptical or I walk outside or zumba....

I have been doing this almost 5 weeks now and I have to tell you my am so exhausted... I hurt everyday... It's not an injury hurt it is a hurt from sore muscles... I thought by now I fell feel really good but I don't...

Should I be exercising everyday? Should I still be this sore??? Any advice???

Sherry from SC

Replies

  • mummum2
    mummum2 Posts: 415 Member
    Your body, muscles need time to recover, I personally wouldn't be working every day and certainly not that level of exercising. Others will/may tell you differently, good luck!:flowerforyou:
  • kinsellae
    kinsellae Posts: 167 Member
    Recommend Vitamin B12
  • hummzz
    hummzz Posts: 385 Member
    Maybe you're over doing it. They say you should rest your body at least one day. Maybe alternate strength training with your cardio instead of doing twice a day. Your exercise should give you energy and yes some soreness, but you seem to be hurting. Not a good thing. Don't kill yourself but be consistent. Especially if you jumped into it without building up to it. I try to do a little more every day until I'm proficient in whatever it is I'm doing. Then I step it up from there. You're absolutely gorgeous at 44 but we are NOT 20 anymore. LOL
  • denitraross
    denitraross Posts: 325 Member
    I learned this the hard way as well - you need to have a day off every week - especially if you are strength training. If you take a day off, you body/muscles have a day to recover and you will be able to go at it that much harder after your day off....give your body a rest!
  • kinsellae
    kinsellae Posts: 167 Member
    Oh and take a day off to let your body recover
  • cloggsy71
    cloggsy71 Posts: 2,208 Member
    Too much too soon I would say Sherry...

    I would go with excecise every other day, build it up and don't over do it. Doing what you are doing now will only achieve two things. 1, You'll set yourself up to fail, and 2, You'll quit through exhaustion...

    The other thing not to forget is muscle weighs more than fat, so you'll need to measure the inches as well as the weight!

    Good luck and keep going :wink:
  • meglane
    meglane Posts: 39
    That's a lot of working out. Just because you are working out doesn't necessarily you'll lose weight. You can work out like that but you MUST eat enough to supply your body with nutrients. I personally work out 3 days a week or so, or as time allows, but I make sure to hit my calories and I am losing weight.

    You won't lose weight if you force your body into starvation mode by working out that much and not eating enough. So I guess you are fine as long as you are logging all your working out and eating enough calories.

    You shouldn't be dropping below 1200 calories overall per day. Don't forget that this is a lifestyle change and causing yourself stress about working out will make you relapse. Find a happy medium between working out and eating well and you will lose weight. This should be an enjoyable experience :)

    hope that helps!
  • Leamac83
    Leamac83 Posts: 99 Member
    Definatley not every day! Your in pain as you and your muscles are exhausted. When your muscles dont have time to recover you just overwork them, meaning that you could well be burning up muscle rather than fat, making weight loss even harder in the long run!

    When strength training try a different muscle group each day, dont do the same two days running and always have a rest day, especially if you are in pain. If you feel lazy having a day off just go for a leisurley walk.

    :)
  • aschultz9
    aschultz9 Posts: 89
    If you are finding you are that tired, your body is telling you it's too much. You need a break in there somewhere or you will get injured and sick and eventually burnt out which may lead to no exercise at all in the long run.
    I'm a runner..and can tell you if I have a day where I "dread" my run it's time for a few days off.
  • gillleeman
    gillleeman Posts: 397 Member
    Too much, you're on your way to an injury if you don't let your body rest. Exercise should leave you energised. Other signs of overexercising are lost libido, feeling irritable, poor sleep patterns to name a few.
  • imfit2
    imfit2 Posts: 4
    Sounds like you are doing a lot...I would recommend going with strength training 3/4 days a week. Cardio 4/5 days and Yoga 1/2 days...this would be great for recovery and help with the sore muscles...best wishes!
  • plumten
    plumten Posts: 1
    I think you need to give yourself a break!
    Aim for 5 days a week instead of 7 maybe? I'd also recommend cutting back your cardio time a bit to see if that helps, especially if you are combining leg strength training with an hour on the treadmill- that's a lot on your legs in one day! Be sure to do plenty of stretching after your workouts.
    The goal is to feel better, not worse.
  • tompetty
    tompetty Posts: 41 Member
    Working out one body part a day doesn't sound like too much-- it's probably the hour of cardio that's making you feel tired. (Or maybe it's food/sleep/water: has anything else changed in the last month?)
    I think continuous sore muscles for a month is probably a sign your body is having too much. Maybe try to cut back to 1/2 an hour every other day, or get some extra rest (soak in the bath?) when you get home. Also make sure you're doing lots of stretching!! It's possible that adding in some stretching in the morning would help relieve the soreness in your muscles.
    It's tricky to know what really is the culprit- but if you feel like it's too much, it probably is. Back off for a while then slowly incorporate your whole workout back in.
    Good luck!
  • wpij25
    wpij25 Posts: 161
    make sure you drink a whey protein immediately after your strength training the protein is what your sore muscles are screaming for they need to repair themselves.

    I strength train and cardio 6 days a week as well...I do my cardio in the morning and strength train in the evening...also make sure you stretch for flexibility everyday...it will keep your muscles long and lean.
  • championnfl
    championnfl Posts: 324 Member
    There is such a thing of too much working out.. Body needs to rest the musles that you tear down & the only way is 24 hr rest. This is why 8 hrs of sleep is so important. Balance is the key. Over working anything is not good. It took awhile to gain the weight,will take at least that long to lose it and keep it off.
    Try working out with weights twice a week and 3 days of cardio.[5 days a week,take 2 days off]. As you get fit you will tone up thus gain a few lbs,don't let scale get you down, its the good excess weight! Good Luck!!:wink:

    P.S. lISTEN TO YOUR BODY!
  • freerange
    freerange Posts: 1,722 Member
    Everyday? Even on the weekends? sounds like your workouts are ok, but you need to give yourself at least one day of rest, if not two. Try this and see how it works out for you. this saturday, just do half the cardio you normally do and no weights, Sunday don't work out at all. Tell us how you feel Monday.
  • MassiveDelta
    MassiveDelta Posts: 3,271 Member
    I workout 1x a day 5-6 days a week. I always take a single day minimum. If your doing 2 a days I would take 1 full day of and then in the middle take the evening and the following morning . You need to recover. Its a must.
  • smilebhappy
    smilebhappy Posts: 811 Member
    my suggestion for you is too exercise 3 times week; cardio & 2 times week; strength training
    I think exercising 2 x's / everyday is too much.....your body needs to rest & recover :smile:
    I take a Zumba class 3 x's / wk & try to do some form of strength training / weights or lower impact exercise 2 x's wk
    the extra day I do an activity that I enjoy & have one day off during the week.
    You should feel happy & have energy after your work-outs not exhausted.
    Hope this helps some.....you will find a workout plan that works for you!
    Good luck :flowerforyou:
  • emilysebastian
    emilysebastian Posts: 245 Member
    You are probably exhausted because your body hasn't had a single day to repair itself! I don't know how much truth there is in this, but I read that if you give your body a chance to rest, your muscles have the opportunity to grow stronger; if you don't, then they are constantly battling (i.e. you are sore) just to keep up and stay the same.

    I know it's hard to take a rest day--my husband literally has to force me (and I usually still take a slow, leisure walk or do some stretching) and I always worry that I won't go back to my workouts. BUT... a day of rest can really change your whole attitude, feeling, and success rate! I would at least give it a try :) GOOD LUCK :wink:
  • clentner
    clentner Posts: 12
    You are definitely over-training. I would imagine you're feeling unrested when you wake up in the morning, unmotivated to exercise, and find it difficult working out as intensely as you did a month ago. If it hasn't happened yet, you'll probably get sick, which is your body's way of saying you need a break. Especially if you're strength training, you need to take at least a day off per week, preferably two. You shouldn't train the same muscle groups on consecutive days because they won't have adequate time to recover and build back up. Resting your muscles is one of the most important parts of strength training, since you are essentially breaking your muscles down in order to build them back up. When I was doing two sessions per day and felt myself becoming over-trained, I would take 4-7 days off, and this usually happened about every six weeks.
  • scagneti
    scagneti Posts: 707 Member
    I've found that working out is like a drug now! I don't know why I avoid it for so long.

    If you really need to work out practically every day, do alternating body parts, so work out your upper body on the Monday, Wednesday & Friday and your lower body on Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday (or a schedule that works for you). I like cardio every day, but maybe take it a little easier -- like Zumba only a couple times a week and not on a day when you've done a lot of other cardio. I also find that helps me bring my A game!
  • SherryJDI
    SherryJDI Posts: 21
    Thanks for all of your advice... I do feel I need to take a day off... I know I am going to feel guilty taking a day off but I am going to have to make myself... So today will be my rest day for this week.... Now what to do with myself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Thanks again!!!!
    Sherry
  • superwmn
    superwmn Posts: 936
    Rest is just as important as working out:

    http://thehealthyapron.com/2011/02/02/recharge-rebuild-and-rejuvenate/

    Charmagne
  • WalkingGirl1985
    WalkingGirl1985 Posts: 2,046 Member
    I have the same problem. Sometimes i don't take a break..can go weeks and weeks without stopping. If i feel i need a day off i take it..if im feeling well enough, i go on..I do get tired, but sometimes i feel so pumped to workout its like an addiction.
  • barberella
    barberella Posts: 199
    Yes! Listen to your body. I learned the hard way, and it scared me. I was doing the same thing you were. Exercising at lunch, exercising at home. Ab exercises every day, lifting weights, Wii fitness games, treadmill, bicycle machines, racquetball 5 times a week, etc. THen last Sunday, I woke up, and it hit me. I don't know what it was but my body was physically exhausted! I laid in bed all day with no appetite whatsoever. I was absolutely worthless to the world. And that's not good for being a mom! But my boyfriend said it best, "Listen to your body and take a day off". The next day I was fine, but I seriously felt like I had been body slammed!
  • wonk1968
    wonk1968 Posts: 30
    seems a lot of exercise especially if you have only been doing it a few weeks, definetaly need rest days to allow the muscles
    to repair & recover. dont feel guily for having a day of your body needs it
  • fasttrack27
    fasttrack27 Posts: 324
    Agree w/ everyone else - slow down. You won't lose any conditioning in 1-2 off days a week. On the contrary, you'll come back at it stronger when you're rested which will be more effective. I understand - it can get addicting - but try to step back and look at the bigger picture. Best wishes!
  • TazzytheMotivator
    TazzytheMotivator Posts: 646 Member
    No you must rest in between and if it is fifty pounds left to lose you will not see it anytime soon, reason muscle weigh more than fat
  • jcch00
    jcch00 Posts: 57 Member
    Yes, that is too much exercise. You will eventually become resentful and quit altogether. I've been there myself. Just do 1 hour of exercise 3-5x a week. Switch it up daily between cardio and strength-training (yoga/pilates/weights). I work out 1 hour daily Monday through Friday only. I take weekends off.
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