4 Reasons Why You May Need A Break From Exercise

If you've been working hard along with us to keep fit this holiday season, maybe it's time for a break! You've worked hard, but it is possible to overdo it, and it's okay to take a rest from your exercise routine once in a while.

Other than just needing a short rest, there are actually lot of reasons why you may need to take a break from exercise. If any of the following scenarios sound familiar to you, you might want to take a chill pill and slow down your physical fitness efforts.

You Are Overdoing It

You started to see some results, so you began exercising more frequently. More results appear, so now you are working out intensely every single day. Hey, it's great you are getting some results. But if you overwork your body, it will fail you.

That means that while you are recuperating, many of the results you achieved are lost. Scale back if you think you might be overdoing it with your exercise efforts. You only need 3 to 5 sessions of moderate to intense physical activity each week to enjoy the healthy benefits exercise offers.

You Are Becoming a Perfectionist

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If you spend a lot of time obsessing in front of a mirror about your physically fit body, you may need to dial back the exercise-ometer. Some people become way too laser focused on building the "perfect" body. Exercising and working out should be about physical and mental health, and not pushing each and every muscle on your body to a level of perfection that continues to seem just out of reach.

You Always Feel Sore

Anytime you exert physical force on your body, you tear your muscles. This is a natural reaction, and when you supply your body with proper nutrition, your muscles actually heal and grow back stronger than before. This is how you notice muscles building on your body after several sessions of exercise.

It is also natural to feel a little sore after you have played some intense sports or lifted some weights. However, it is unnatural to feel sore all over your body, day and night. If you constantly suffer aches and pains long after your physical fitness routine is over, you may be exercising too much.

You Develop an Unnaturally Short Fuse and Temper

Are your friends and family members constantly complaining about your temper? Do you lash out verbally at the people you love, sometimes for no reason at all? It could be because your natural cortisol levels are spiking.

Exercise produces cortisol. That "stress hormone" can cause you to become anxious and anything but relaxed. Excessive exercise can naturally lead to heightened anxiety, where you strike out at others in a sense of frustration because your body and mind are stressed out from not enough down time.

Keep in mind though, that this can also be a symptom of not exercising enough! Exercise can be a great stress-reliever that can actually make you happier and less short-tempered. You probably know whether exercising too much, or not enough, applies to you, but if you're an exercise-a-holic, this is a symptom to keep an eye out for.

Now, it's time for the holidays, so let's take a break this week, relax, and enjoy your Christmas!

We'll be back next week with some tips on setting healthy exercise resolutions for 2016, plus a great, fun, workout to kick off the New Year!