When it comes to over training, there are two types of burnout: that associated with physically overloading the body, and one associated with a huge plunge in overall motivation.
Here we will be looking at the latter, how it can affect the body, and the best ways of avoiding it as much as possible.
Most trainers are familiar with physically overloading their body from too much exercise: it can lead to physical exhaustion, muscle pain, and even the inability to carry on training for extended periods of time. Exercise burnout is more associated with the loss of motivation when training too much, and it’s a problem that trainers will face at one point or another.
Loss of motivation is almost as serious as having a physical problem; if a trainer just doesn’t feel like getting up and going to the gym or for a run, it doesn’t take much for them to lose the motivation to do it at all in the foreseeable future, creating a cycle that can be very difficult to break out of. Luckily, maintaining that initial motivation can be achieved by following these simple steps.
Take It Easy When Starting Out
It’s always exciting to start a new training regime, it’s easy to go at maximum intensity and quickly burn out. It’s a problem that all beginners make, and its why so many fail within the first few weeks or days. Instead, try and start as slowly as possible.
Instead of exercising for an hour, start with ten minutes, and add 5 minutes to it every week going forward.
Set The Right Goals
A common problem among those that are new to training regimes is setting unrealistic goals and ending up feeling demotivated when they don’t reach them. It’s vital to take the time to set goals that are actually achievable, even if they don’t seem like that much of a milestone.
Personal goals should never be made with comparison to other trainers in mind, especially if they’ve been working at their exercise schedules for years. Instead, focus what’s realistically possible within a certain frame of time.
Recovery Time
Any seasoned trainer will know that putting aside time for recovery is extremely important, both for the body and the mind.
It’s recommended to take between one and two days of recovery every week, which can easily be relegated to weekends, offering ample time for Netflix or games of roulette Canada. Without this recovery time, it’s easy to lose motivation, as the human body is simply not designed to keep going every single day.
Always Change The Routine
Another important factor when it comes to burnout is routine. Routine is not inherently a bad concept, it allows us to build schedules and stick to specific types of training but having too much routine is an easy way of burning out too quickly.
A jogger, for example, may run every day for a full month, but find that by the time the month comes to an end, they’ve lost their passion for running completely. It’s a better idea to instead run for two weeks, and then spend another two weeks at the gym.