Over-exercising and under-eating are not efficient ways of obtaining results, much to the surprise of many. The “no pain no gain” mentality is still very popular, as is the “more is always better” idea, and “you can never get enough of a good thing”. All of which are untrue.

Excessive training and calorie restriction starves your body of nutrients. This problem is compounded if you are also consuming processed foods (especially ‘diet’ and ‘low-fat’ foods) which are devoid of nutritional value anyway. Both these things cause similar, negative metabolic effects within your body, which slows down your body’s energy burning.

Our body will try to adapt to situations and stresses which we place upon it, which is its survival mechanism. These include exercise, food and temperature. If we over-exercise and couple this with under-eating then our bodies can become very stressed, and it actually thinks it is being starved. Our body will slow down its metabolism (rate of energy burning), allowing it to be more efficient at conserving energy. It will actually attempt to store fat for energy, rather than releasing it.

Symptoms of over-training and under-eating include fatigue, exhaustion, irritability, sugar cravings, depression, insomnia, and low motivation. This can lead to lowered immunity, higher incidence of colds, muscle loss and increased storage of body fat.

To reduce body fat you must train efficiently with quality weight/resistance training with sufficient amounts of cardio-vascular exercise. The intensity level and duration is different for everyone. You must give your body time to rest and recover. Again, this is a very individual thing and should be monitored at all times. Fuel your body with quality foods which provide you with a variety of nutrients. Don’t try to fuel your body with empty calories. It won’t get you anywhere.

Often people think they need to commit to hours of exercise a day to make significant changes to their fitness levels. High amounts of training and cutting back on food is not the answer to a lean, vibrant, healthy functioning body. To gain long term health and fitness benefits, commit to a regular, balanced exercise routine. Consider all aspects; cardio-vascular exercise, resistance training, stretching, healthy eating and rest.                                     

© Kylie Pogson 2006

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