Training too much is as damaging to your performance in an athletic competition as not training enough. More important than the effects of over-training on your performance however, is its effect on your health. Over-training is one of the major causes of overuse injuries.

Over-training is not some thing that only athletes who participate in extreme events like the Ironman triathalon need to worry about. A major cause of over-training injuries is insufficient rest after an injury or ramping up too quickly after a period of inactivity.

Causes of over-training:

• Stress in your personal life can cause over-training. Anytime that you are less vigilant about eating well and sleeping enough hours per night you are susceptible to over-training.
• Aging. As we age our bodies require more time to recover from injuries. We also naturally lose both speed and stamina. If you continue to train, when you are 60, at the level you did when you were 20 you will be susceptible to over-training.
• Lack of sufficient rest either after an injury or repeatedly not sleeping enough hours at night. Rest is an integral part of working out. Make sure you get enough.
• Returning to activity too quickly after an extended period of inactivity like winter. If you took the winter off from working out, realize that it will take a while to ramp back up. There are 8 whole months before next winter arrives. You do not have to get it all in this weekend.

Symptoms of over-training include:

• Decreased performance for the same workout
• Poor mood
• Sleep disturbance
• Depression
• Changes in appetite
• Irritability
• Decreased energy
• Increased resting heart rate

Keys to avoiding over-training include:

• Don't increase the intensity of workouts too quickly. Follow the 10% rule. Increase the intensity of your workout by no more than 10-15% each week.
• Keep a training diary. Your training diary should include more than just your workout. It should also include the amount of pain, time your workout took, heart rate, level of difficulty and level of mental stress. These figures can give you an early warning of trouble ahead.
• Allow time to recover between events and make use of massage, good nutrition and recovery workouts (lower intensity workouts that very gradual increase in intensity until you reach your previous level).
• Make sure your coach or personal trainer, if you have one, knows you are hurting.
• Cross train.
• If something hurts: cut back.

Realize that no one event is important enough to risk significant injury and take care of yourself. Enjoy your spring, summer and fall workouts, but do it safely.

Leslie Hope has been licensed, certified massage therapist since 1988 when she graduated from the Massage Institute of New England. She is the owner of the Healing Hands of Hope in Boston, Mass.