Rob the Expert

An often-overlooked element of a complete exercise program is the cool down. Cooling down is key to a safe, successful, and effective cardiovascular exercise program. The purpose of the cool down is to return your blood pressure and heart rate to pre-exercise level by preventing blood from pooling in your legs and instead returning it to the heart and regular circulation. This process helps prevent an unsafe drop in blood pressure which can increase your risk of blacking out and falling.

The cool down normally consists of continuing the same exercise you are performing but lowering the intensity from work-out level to light level. For example, to cool down properly if you are jogging on a treadmill at 6 mph, shifting to a walking speed of 3 mph for five minutes should be adequate. Typically, a 5 to 10 minute cool down is recommended for all types of cardiovascular activity. If you are older than 55 or are deconditioned, a longer cool down time of 10 minutes is recommended to safely lower blood pressure and heart rate to normal levels.

In addition to the symptoms I mentioned in my last post, overtraining may also be indicated by the following symptoms:

• Overuse injuries. Overtraining increases the risk of overuse injuries such as plantar fasciitis (a type of heel pain), shin splints, low back pain, tendonitis, bursitis, tennis elbow, etc.
• Sleep disturbances. Overtraining may contribute to inability to get a proper nights rest. Walking up more often and failure to fall asleep as quickly as usual may be signs of this type of sleep disturbance.
• Loss of appetite. You lose the desire to eat as often or the same amount of food as you normally do.
• Lowered immune system. If your body is "burned out" from overtraining, you may experience a lower ability to fight off colds, leading to increased risk of upper respiratory infections and other infections.
• Emotional issues. Chronic fatigue can lead to depression and irritability.

Of course, these symptoms and those I mentioned last week can be signs of health problems other than overtraining.  But if you have been working hard at your exercise and physical activity programs and are experiencing any of these symptoms, it's probably time to decrease your training schedule and discuss these issues with your physician.

Similar to chronic injury, overtraining is a condition often overlooked and misunderstood. As a regular exerciser yourself or as the parent of a child or teen who may be exercising or training for various sports, it's important to understand the signs of overtraining. Overtraining can be a short-term event or a chronic condition. The overtraining syndrome is defined as having a long-term decreased exercise performance and chronic fatigue. It may even cause conditions that require medical attention.

If you or a family member experiences any of these symptoms, it's time to cut back on exercise routines, change them up and allow more time for rest. Be aware that some symptoms may be indicators or triggers for more acute medical problems that need professional attention.  Because there are a number of possible signs and symptoms, I share some this week and others next week.

• Decreased exercise performance ¿ You experience the inability to sustain a moderate exercise tempo or have to slow down the pace, duration, or intensity of an exercise.
• Decreased exercise enjoyment ¿ Physical strain and fatigue from your body being run down may cause you to lose the enjoyment and "feel good" hormone high from exercise.
• Loss of strength ¿ You experience an inability to lift the same weight as in previous weeks and have to decrease the amount of weight lifted for several consecutive weeks. You may also lose endurance strength to sustain pace, intensity and duration.
• Soreness ¿ You experience soreness in your muscles and joints that is not relieved for several days or possibly weeks. The duration of the soreness is longer than the usual few days experienced after you begin a new exercises program or change a workout program or routine.

More next week.