Cardio is the go-to exercise for many people. After all, it feels good to get your blood pumping and burn those calories. Like any other type of exercise, cardio has a long list of benefits; however, overdoing it can cause more damage than good.
Too much cardio can lead to stress on your physical and mental health, even leading to injuries. This stops you from achieving your fitness goals. So, if you are wondering how to tell if you’re doing too much cardio, here are the signs you need to look out for.
You are always tired and low on energy Just the right amount of cardio helps to increase your energy levels, but doing too much does the opposite. If you feel like you are always tired throughout the day, no matter how much sleep you get or how much coffee you drink, it could be because of too much cardio. This is because you are putting your body through too much in a short period of time, so instead of building endurance, you are unable to cope.
You have low muscle mass Cardio may help you lose weight, but it likely won’t help you tone up and build lean muscles. So, if your aim is to get in shape, only cardio won’t cut it because you’ll end up with a low muscle mass. This is because your body is reducing body fat but not building any lean muscle tissue. So, if you are feeling weaker, it may be because you are doing way too much cardio and not enough strength training.
You are prone to injuries and take time to recover One of the most common signs you’re doing too much cardio is if you are prone to injuries and always take a long time to recover. While mild post-workout soreness is normal, feeling extreme soreness and body pain after a workout session is not normal. While CBD and other methods can help with this, it’s not a healthy response to exercise. A common side effect of too much cardio is chronic joint soreness. This can be easy to overlook since it develops gradually over time.
You have trouble sleeping Are you having trouble sleeping at night even though you had an intense workout session during the day? That may just be the problem and maybe one of the signs you’re doing too much cardio. While moderate exercise is great to help you get a good night’s sleep, research has found that too much exercise can lead to sleeping problems because it can increase the levels of stress hormones. While cardio has multiple benefits, overdoing it can actually prevent you from seeing results. So, make sure you do it moderately and that you mix it up with other workouts such as strength training.