LurkyLou mentioned in PWYC that her trainer had realized she was overtraining and quickly helped her to correct. It is something we need to think about and remember to avoid. So easy to find ourselves overtraining. "Less is More." I thought I'd look up and reprint this short explanation of overtraining by Lannette Madden, Cardiac Rehabilitation RN, and ACE certified Clinical Exercise Specialist .
Overtraining isn't a black and white or you are or you aren't phenomenon. There are different degrees. If you catch it quickly you can take a days rest and be right back at it BUT if a person pushes seriously into the overtraining continuum (you can see this in distance runners) it can take as much as 6-months of rest to get back to normal.
The typical signs of overtraining include:
Insomnia
Achiness or pain in the muscles and/or joints
Fatigue
Headaches
Elevated morning pulse
Sudden inability to complete workouts
Feeling unmotivated and lacking energy
Increased susceptibility to colds, sore throats and other illnesses
Loss or sometimes a gain in appetite
Decrease in performance
Personally I feel that many people who start to exercise and then lose interest do so because they push it so hard that they flirt with overtraining syndrome. Loss of interest in your workout program and inability to force yourself to do your planned workouts is one of the first common symptoms I've seen in folks who push too hard.
I always say that you can plan any rotation of workouts just give yourself the option of an extra day off each week if you feel you need it or plan an "emergency workout" that's very easy for a day where you don't feel up to a full workout.