How do you know when exercise is friend or foe?

I have an unusual demographic with many of my clients… They exercise too much. Some are extremely competitive, A-type personalities. The one thing they all seem to have in common is a desire to lose weight or keep the weight off. There is a point that exercise can actually do the opposite and cause weight gain. There are many signs and symptoms of over training.  Sometimes these symptoms don’t really present themselves in that exact way or you just can’t see the signs. I notice the people who don’t see the physical signs all have one thing in common…. It’s exercise addiction, which is one of the signs all by itself.  If you feel like you’re exercising daily with little, to no gains, crave exercise and beat your self up if you miss a workout then maybe this is true for you too.

There are some very simple strategies that I use with my clients. If they are daily intense exerciser’s (aka: CrossFitters) then I have them trade in 3 of those days for walking only. For the cardio addicts and daily runners I suggest incorporating two strength days, with no cardio, and one day of rest. It’s amazing how quickly I see my clients health and fitness goals improve by implementing a little moderation. I guess too much of anything is still too much.

In health,

Cara