Symptoms of Exercise Overexertion

By now, you know that exercise should be an important part of your daily routine. The recommended amount is 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise five days a week. This isn’t too hard to accomplish. As far as you realize that exercise is an essential part of your daily routine, your body should be happy and healthy.

But problems can arise if you go over the recommended amount. It is normal that everyone wants to keep their body in good shape, but if you overdo it, it can lead to injury and even health conditions. Luckily, before anything serious happens, your body will give you warning signs that you need to slow down.

Here is what you need to look out for when working out.

 You’re overusing your muscles

When working out, you overuse and overheat certain muscles and body parts. If this continues for a long period of time, especially if you don’t stretch before starting to exercise, it can lead to a chronic injury, sometimes also known as an overuse injury.

Common chronic injuries include stress fractures and tendinitis. The first symptom you should look out for is soreness or aching in a muscle or a joint. When you notice these, slow down or stop completely for a while and consult a doctor about what you should do and how to treat the sore muscle. If you, however, continue to overwork the area, you can worsen the injury and increase your pain.

If you notice any kind of pain, stop what you’re doing and consult an expert.

 You’re unable to talk/hold a conversation

Something a lot of people don’t. To determine whether or not the intensity of an exercise is too much for you, see if you’re able to hold a conversation while working out.

If you’re having troubles speaking comfortably, it means you’re breathing too hard and overexerting yourself. Therefore, if you reach this point during an exercise, you should slow down to avoid injury or any other problem associated with overexertion.

This is one of the reasons why it is good to have an exercise partner. You can occasionally talk to each other and if one of you is having trouble responding, maybe it’s time for a break.

 You’re dehydrated

Dehydration will most likely occur if you’re exercising during hot weather, but it can still occur during winter if you overwork your muscles. If you’re overheating yourself and aren’t drinking enough fluids, you will surely experience symptoms of dehydration in no time. These symptoms include fatigue, scant urine, a dry mouth, and dizziness.

Another problem that dehydration can cause is muscle cramps. Therefore, if you experience any of these symptoms, drink fluids —  you should always have a bottle of water with you during a workout— move to a cooler place if possible and take a break before continuing. If your muscles are cramping up because of dehydration, you’re probably not drinking enough water not only during your exercise but during the day as well.

 You’re having trouble breathing

If you’re experiencing shortness of breath, wheezing or coughing during an exercise, you could be suffering from exercise-induced asthma. Just because you’re not suffering from the regular type of asthma doesn’t mean you can’t get this kind.

It is defined as narrowing of the airways in the lungs that is caused by vigorous exercise and it could happen to anyone, so you have to be careful.

If you do notice any asthma-related symptoms, you should consult a doctor that will be able to determine if you have the illness and if you do, prescribe the needed preventive medication.

 Warning signs that you shouldn’t ignore

Warning signs that show you that you’re dangerously overexerting and overheating yourself because you’re working out too hard include chest pains, difficulty in breathing, and dizziness. If these symptoms don’t go away after a couple of minutes of rest, you should visit a doctor.

If you’re experiencing crashing or tightening chest pains, especially if they are followed by pain in your left arm, you’re probably having a heart attack and should call 911 immediately.

This is not something that should be postponed — your life could depend on it.