The importance of cardio exercises cannot be overstated, especially when it comes to improving heart health and preventing chronic diseases. As you might be aware, a large number of people consider cardiovascular exercises to be among the most effective ways to cut down on excessive fat and maintain a good a physique. However, similar to overdoing other activities, too much of cardio exercises can be harmful to your body and lead to excessive fatigue which can negatively affect your heart.
10 signs you are doing too much cardio
1. Excessive soreness
While it is normal to experience joint and muscle soreness when starting out on cardiovascular exercises, excessive soreness indicates that you are overindulging in your cardio for health routines. Of course, it is normal to want to push beyond your limits, especially if you have massive fitness or weight loss goals. However, exceeding your limits with cardiovascular training can lead to injuries which, in severe cases, can even prevent you from carrying out your daily activities.
As such, you should be on the look-out for minor pains as they usually signal the onset of recurrent muscular and joint injuries. If the soreness is excessive, then you need to take a break from cardiovascular exercises, and consider taking up different workout routines.
2. Recurrent fatigue
Since cardio workouts are an effective form of intensity training, it is normal to feel excessively tired every once in a while, especially when you go hard in your training session. However, if your fatigue levels never go down no matter how long you rest, then you need to consider slowing down on your cardiovascular routines. Cardio for health is advisable as long you follow your trainer`s instructions and avoid overdoing the routines. You will be shocked to learn that cardio related fatigue can last even up to a week for people who overindulge in aerobic exercise.
If you experience abnormal fatigue that never seems to go away, then it is advisable to take a break and try out other workout routines. Remember, overburdening your heart muscles can lead to several cardiovascular illnesses which, if not immediately addressed, can prove to be fatal.
3. Looking and feeling weak
Contrary to popular belief, cardiovascular exercises are not enough to give your body that picture-perfect look. For you to achieve your body goals, you will need to mix cardio for health with other strength exercises. Focusing on aerobic exercises only can leave you disappointed, especially when instead of looking fit and strong, you start appearing frail, skinny and without any definition. Put simply, overindulgence in cardiovascular routines more often than not depletes muscle mass, leaving an individual looking skinnier than normal.
As such, it is advisable to alternate your workout routines and reduce aerobic exercises until you find the right balance for your body. Finding the perfect balance isn’t as hard as one might perceive, in fact, by collaborating with your trainer and other fitness experts, you can discover exercises that will help you to achieve all your body goals. However, if you feel extremely weak, then you should consider taking a break from exercising to regain your body strength.
4. Lack of sleep
As revealed in a study on exercises and hormonal secretion, exercising excessively can lead to sleeping problems. To explain further, overindulgence in cardiovascular exercises leads to the excretion of stress hormones such as cortisol which usually lead to a lack of sleep. Although most doctors will advise you to try regular workouts to fix a sleeping problem, excessive exercise can do quite the opposite. That is, you can spend the entire day working out only to toss and turn desperately yearning for sleep during night.
Therefore, if you have sleeping problems that were not present before you started cardio for health, then you should consider toning down your aerobic exercises. The lack of enough sleep greatly reduces your chances of achieving your workout goals since your body needs adequate time to recover.
5. Belly fat is not disappearing
As mentioned earlier, most people take up cardiovascular exercises to shed off excessive fat. However, if you have been religiously following your cardiovascular routine without any observable results, then chances are you are overindulging in your exercises. To shed off that notorious belly fat, you will need to combine cardiovascular exercises with strength training.
Cycling, running or swimming alone can`t shed off the usually hard to eliminate tummy fat; however, a combination of strength and aerobic training will ensure that all excess fat is used to build muscle mass. Therefore, you should consider changing your workout routines if you have been struggling to lose belly fat.
