I have first hand experience in the effects of working out too hard, too often. Body aches, dizziness, tiredness, loss of appetite and poor sleep are the most common symptoms and I got every single one of them! Unfortunately there are more serious symptoms that can come from over working your body such as hormone imbalances, heart stress and loss of menstruation. For me, I picked up on how my body felt in time before my symptoms could get to this stage, but if I hadn't then I could be in a very bad place at the moment.
My experience happened here in Phuket, Thailand while I was training at a MMA Camp in Chalong. Two days after landing I signed up to an unlimited one month package which got me access to all the classes, gym equipment and floor time I wanted. I got straight into it, training on average 3-5 hours per DAY! Some athletes don't even train that much, so why did I think I could? Because I ran three times a week at home? No, it's because I'm an idiot and am known for being impatient when it comes to getting what I want (in this case which was to be a gun Muay Thai fighter within the first month. Not realistic FYI). Being very in tune with my body, I started to feel fatigue after the first week. My legs were heavy, and I felt like I had put on weight (when really it was my body telling me to slow down, girl!). I ignored these signs and continued to train 3-5 hours a day for another week.
Two weeks & 3-5 hours a day of gruelling Muay Thai training which includes technique work, shadow boxing, sparring, pad work, bag work and a whole bunch of body weight conditioning exercises. I was done. My body had officially told me it had had enough. My temperature was high, I was constantly tired and felt dehydrated - the typical signs of adrenal fatigue. Fortunately, with a couple days of proper rest and hydration I started to feel myself again.
I am no doctor or sports nutritionist, but I hold a lot of respect for my body so I went to town on googling (so 2018) what is and isn't good for someone with adrenal fatigue. Turns out with adrenal fatigue comes heightened cortisol levels (your stress hormone) which can easily make you feel more sluggish, reduce performance and increase weight gain. Your central nervous system (CNS) also has a lot to do with performance, which I already had worked out from being a Powerlifter. Your CNS regulates hormones (hey, cortisol) and if your hormones aren't balanced then your CNS ain't a very happy sista either! As I said before, only a couple days of rest, hydration and proper nutrition helped me get by, but if you are someone who likes to push and push yourself in the gym, at work or even socially, then you will start to feel the effects of adrenal fatigue sooner or later.
The take away from this is to listen to your body and REST! Rest can be a couple hours on the couch, a sleep in, or 1-2 days off the gym (all with proper nutrition and hydration). If you incorporate these steps into your gym routine you will (hopefully) never experience adrenal fatigue like I did.
You live and you learn, trust me on this!
PS. Move more, move better
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