Burnout is a serious condition where people often become in a state of physical, emotional, and mental fatigue. Burnout is usually caused by prolonged exposure to stress. A person who suffers from burnout often feels tired, worried, and unmotivated. Sometimes, the burden may become too strong that people with burnout show physical symptoms such as getting sick all the time.
Burnout happens gradually. It’s the result of countless days of stress and anxiety building up. A lot of negative things can happen to a person who experiences burnout. For one, an employee may get fired if he or she doesn’t know about it. Burnout can also stress relationships, routines, and almost everything a person does.
The Signs of Exercise Burnout
As mentioned earlier, burnout can affect a lot of routines in your life. One of those routines is exercise. Although exercising can help reduce stress and burnout, what do you do if you have this type of burnout? How do you even know you have exercise burnout? Here are some signs of exercise burnout:
You become Irritable
Burnout can cause you to feel irritable about a lot of things. Remember when you couldn’t reach a goal during exercise? For the typical person, he or she would work hard to attain that goal. For those who have burnout, a simple misstep during exercise causes them to be grumpy.
And usually, being grumpy doesn’t end there. After intense workout sessions, that feeling carries over. You’ll notice a person who has exercise burnout to often lash out at simple things such as something dropping, or just being irritable about anything.
Feeling more tired than usual
The people who’ve been to the gym the longest will often tell you that they feel very energetic after a routine exercise session. Although it’s normal to feel some fatigue, long-time gym goers still feel elated. However, for a person who has burnout, they can feel more tired than usual. Even a few runs on the treadmill can be enough to tire them out.
Procrastination
One sure way to tell that you have exercise burnout is procrastination. Instead of pushing the extra mile, you suddenly feel distracted and do something else. In a way, you keep stalling instead of exercising. Procrastination also doesn’t start and end on the spot. It can ruin your whole exercise session. You’ll probably end up saying, “I’ll do it tomorrow.” When tomorrow comes, you’ll probably say “tomorrow” again, and so forth,
How to Prevent it
Exercise burnout is indeed a terrible thing to happen to a person, especially if that person enjoys being healthy and fit. Now that you know what the signs of exercise burnout are, here’s how to prevent it from happening:
Understanding Burnout
First and foremost, you should always identify burnout. You should know and fully accept that it’s happening to you right now. Most people who experience burnout often deny it. This reaction often prolongs burnout and can lead to even more severe complications.
Once you accept that you have burnout of any kind for that matter, you begin to take it more seriously and allow yourself to be open to options that’ll help you fight and prevent burnout.
Slowing down
Slowing down is an excellent way to start avoiding exercise burnout. For one, you can reduce the hours or days of your exercise sessions. Using equipment that’s easy to use, such as barbells, skipping ropes, and treadmills. You can even use home gyms. People will say that this machine is pretty easy to use because it provides you more workouts at your own home.
Switching it up
Most of the time, burnout is caused by countless repetitions. To avoid this, try changing your routine. Instead of jogging on a treadmill, why not go outside where you can enjoy the view? How about a new soundtrack when working out? Instead of working out alone, why not get a buddy to do it with you? Switching it up provides you with variety, making workouts more fun.
Always Rest After
You should always rest after every workout session. Sleep allows your body to recuperate from the stress and fatigue you experience when working out. It also allows the body to heal itself physiologically. It also allows the mind to relax, reducing stress overall.
Reward Yourself
Working out isn’t supposed to be torture. Once you reach a goal, go out and celebrate. Reward yourself, so you don’t feel cynical about it. Rest for a while, eat your favorite food(responsibly), have fun, go with your friends, etc.
You can do all of these things after a hard workout. Remember, burnout isn’t just physical. It also involves the emotional and psychological well-being of a person.
Takeaway
Burnout is a terrible thing to happen to everyone. What most don’t know is that several types of exhaustion can affect a lot of things in life. Exercise burnout is when a person doesn’t feel positive about working out anymore. The signs mentioned above will tell you if you or someone you know has exercise burnout.
To avoid exercise burnout, try switching up your routines, resting after sessions, and slowing down. You should understand that burnout affects the body, the mind, and the heart. Stay positive and be well!