Exercise – Health Keeper.
Purpose: A strong immune system.
So we know that some exercise is better for us than no exercise at all, but where’s the sweet point for the immune system when the benefit stops and overtraining sets in?
Exercise causes significant hormonal changes, specifically to the 2 stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol, increasing both and suppressing the immune system in the process.
Exercise also depletes the levels of an amino acid called glutamine, which also plays an important role in the functioning of the immune system.
So, the two golden rules to remember for your immune system are, don’t overtrain and don’t undereat.
Therefore, unless you are specifically training for a long distance event, try to avoid excessively long workouts (more than 1 1/2hrs) and ensure you allow adequate recovery time in between sessions.
The sweet spot for every individual is going to be different, and a good Manager will learn to listen to their body to let them know when they’ve trained too hard.
If you’re feeling physically or emotionally exhausted, not achieving the results you expect, and not looking forward to the next workout, then you’re probably overtraining.