Dr. Klika is an orthopedic surgeon with BayCare Clinic and joined us on “Wisconsin Tonight” to talk about what to do if your body says you're doing too much, too soon.
* We generally advise people to ease into things, especially if they haven't been training in a while - weeks, months or even years.
* Particularly important for spring/summer season as people become active with outside activities (running/biking/etc.)
* May sustain an overtraining-related injury (tendonitis/stress fractures or less-than-peak performance). (Orthopedic visit/Physical therapy)
How do we know if we are overtraining?
* Muscle aches or joint pain. Atypical pain especially with less-than-peak training levels.
* Illnesses and upper-respiratory infections. Overtraining stresses the body's systems making it tougher to protect against infection.
* Restless sleep. Allowing your body adequate time to sleep enables it to effectively repair itself.
* Less-than-peak performance. Overtrain and expect results to slow and performance to decreases. Build rest time into your fitness routine.
* Excessive fatigue. If your body can't recover properly through rest, you'll continue to feel fatigued. Some experts refer to this as having "heavy legs."
Outline for us some basic training tips for those trying to get in shape
* Consult your primary care doctor: The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that you see your doctor before engaging in vigorous exercise if two or more of the following apply:
o You're older than 35 years
o You have a family history of heart disease before age 60
o You smoke or you quit smoking in the past six months
o You don't normally exercise for at least 30 minutes, most days of the week
o You're significantly overweight
o You have high blood pressure or high cholesterol
o You have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, or you have impaired glucose tolerance (also called prediabetes)
* Set realistic expectations and start slowly: Don't expect to reach your fitness goals overnight. Physical change takes time. Stick with your plan and see it through. Measure your progress and enjoy the gradual changes.
* Appropriate warm up/preparation and post exercise: Proper diet and hydration, quality stretching (static) pre/post, icing, anti-inflammatories if you can tolerate.
For information, call Orthopedics & Sports Medicine BayCare Clinic at 877-229-2273.
