Am I really overtraining? Or just over indulging?

 

I'm STILL STUCK. In fact, the scale is going in the wrong damn direction. That being said, I've received more "you look AMAZING!" comments in the last week than ever before.

Huh?

So I ask Trainer Amy about it. I'm frustrated. I'm eating fairly well (80/20 rule!), working out, tracking food and calories, but my pants were still snug this morning.

What gives?

Trainer Amy "accused" me of overtraining. WHAT?! I feel lazy in that there are 2 times a week where I do nothing, but I'm being told that I'm training TOO much? That's crazy. People train 7 days a week! People are out there training A LOT more than I am. How is it possible that I'm overtraining?! We're taught that you should be active every day, but now I'm being told I'm doing too much? But I have so much more to lose!!

Here's my schedule:

Monday: Spin class
Tuesday: Personal Training
Wednesday: SOMETIMES a 1 mile walk/jog with the dog and then swimming for 1/2- 3/4 mile
Thursday: Weights- but usually, nothing
Friday: USUALLY nothing. Sometimes a light 2-3 mile jog with the dog
Saturday: Triathlon class (1/2 mile swim, 13 mile spin ride, 1.5 mile jog)
Sunday: long run (this week, it's 10 miles)

It's slogans like this that get me in trouble...!

I don't think I'm over doing it at all. Saturday-Tuesday kind of suck, but the rest of the week, is light. So what gives?

BodyBuilding.com lists the signs of overtraining as:

• A plateau in performance. I've been increasing in weight and haven't been able to knock any more time off of my long runs
• A drop in performance. See above
• Elevated Resting HR (an easy way to measure this is to take your resting HR when you first awaken and compare it from week to week). I feel like my heart is racing as I'm sitting here, typing this out
• Elevated Training HR (if you know at level 6 on the treadmill you normally have a heart rate of 120 bpm, and lately has been measuring 150 bpm, something may be wrong). Can't say I've noticed as my heart rate monitor STILL isn't working. What gives, Polar?!
• Feeling of "heaviness." I always feel heavy. What's it like to NOT feel heavy?
• Ongoing muscle soreness (chronic). My back and legs ache, but it's because I'm always using them!
• A desire to skip workouts Again, this is kind of a daily thing.
• Lack of enthusiasm when it comes to both the gym and everyday activities. I'm just tired. All I need is a nap and I'll be fine!
• Decreased concentration. I've always been distracted by shiny objects.
• Tiredness. Always. Again, I'm under a lot of stress though! And the dog woke me up this morning at 6am because the neighbors were moving the trash can!
• Sleep disorder (both too much and not enough). Sleep apena. Yup.
• Lack of appetite. HAHAHAHA never.
• Weight loss (when not trying). This happens to people? They lose weight without trying? I WISH.

 Well crap. Maybe I'm overdoing it a little bit. On top of my workout schedule, I'm dealing with new house stress (I close next week!), work stress, life... I just want to go home, read a book, and sleep.

Maybe I should listen to my body... but I have 19 days until the first half marathon of the season! And less than a week until I move into my new place! I HAVE NO TIME TO STOP TRAINING!

I'm not so sure I buy into overtraining a whole lot. Even with the science behind it. People do it all of the time, so why can't I hack training more than 5 days a week? And if I slow down on my training, what's to stop me from quitting altogether? 

I'm a little flipped out and frustrated with my body. But there's nothing I can do but sit back and relax a little bit...

...after tonight's spin class.