How Do You Know If You’re Doing Too Much?
There’s a funny little trap we can fall into when it comes to looking after ourselves.
Something is good for us… so we assume more must be better.
Exercise is good → exercise more.
Mobility is good → stretch every day.
Walking is good → hit 15,000 steps.
Recovery is important → buy all the recovery gadgets.
Healthy eating is good → suddenly every meal requires 14 different powders and a spreadsheet.
You get the idea.
We’re very good at turning things that are supposed to make us feel better into another thing we feel we have to be better at. But sometimes more isn't better. Sometimes… it's just more. So how do you know when you've crossed that line?
Your body is giving you clues
Your body isn't particularly subtle.
It will usually give you a few hints when you're asking a little too much of it.
The problem is that we're often very good at ignoring them.
You might notice:
You're constantly tired, even after sleeping.
Your muscles feel heavy or unusually sore.
You're feeling more stiff rather than less.
Your performance is going backwards rather than forwards.
You're struggling to concentrate or feeling more irritable.
You're picking up little niggles that don't seem to disappear.
You don't feel particularly excited about training anymore.
You're needing more caffeine just to get through the day.
Your usual workout suddenly feels much harder.
You're taking longer to recover between sessions.
None of these things automatically mean you're “doing too much”. Life, stress, sleep and lots of other factors can influence how you feel.
But they're worth paying attention to.
Because feeling rubbish isn't a badge of honour.
More exercise isn't always more progress
Exercise is brilliant but your body doesn't get fitter or stronger while you're exercising.
Training gives your body a stimulus. Recovery is where your body gets the opportunity to adapt to that stimulus.
So if you're constantly piling more training on top without enough recovery, you're not necessarily speeding things up.
You may actually be making it harder for your body to adapt.
Think of it less like:
TRAIN → TRAIN → TRAIN → TRAIN → TRAIN
and more like:
TRAIN → RECOVER → ADAPT → TRAIN → RECOVER → ADAPT
Rest isn't the bit you do when you're being lazy, It's part of the training.
And sometimes doing less is exactly what you need
This doesn't just apply to exercise. If your whole life is running at 100mph, adding another wellness habit to your already overflowing to-do list probably isn't going to make you feel more balanced.
Sometimes you don't need another thing. Maybe you need space.
Ask yourself: “Why am I doing more?”
This is probably the biggest question because sometimes doing more is exactly what you need.
Maybe you're training for a competition. Maybe you're building strength. Maybe you're preparing for a big hike. Maybe you're genuinely enjoying moving your body and want to do more.
But sometimes we're doing more because we feel like we should.
“I haven't trained today.”
“I need to hit my steps.”
“I should stretch.”
“I've been eating badly, so I need to work out.”
“I can't take a rest day.”
That's when it gets interesting.
Because if the motivation behind your movement is guilt, punishment or feeling like you're never doing enough, it might be worth stepping back and asking whether more is actually helping. There's a big difference between challenging yourself because you want to and pushing yourself because you feel like you have to.
Progress doesn't always look like doing more
We've become obsessed with measurable progress.
More weight.
More reps.
More steps.
More flexibility.
More distance.
More intensity.
And yes, those things can be useful but progress can also look like:
The same workout feeling easier.
Recovering more quickly.
Having more energy.
Having less pain or fewer niggles.
Feeling more confident in your body.
Moving with more confidence.
Taking a rest day without feeling guilty.
Knowing when to push and when to back off.
Not all progress can be measured with a number. Sometimes progress is simply feeling better in your body and your life.
Find Your “Enough”
You don't always need the maximum amount of something to get the benefit. Sometimes you just need enough.
Enough movement to make you feel good.
Enough challenge to stimulate your body.
Enough rest to recover.
Enough yoga to reconnect with yourself.
Enough food to fuel you.
Enough time doing absolutely bugger all.
And this is where I like the idea of the minimum effective dose, what's the smallest amount you need to get the result you're looking for?
Maybe you don't need an hour-long mobility session. Maybe ten focused minutes is enough.
Maybe you don't need seven workouts this week. Maybe three really good sessions, plus some walking, will serve you better.
Maybe you don't need to stretch every muscle in your body before bed. Maybe a couple of movements that actually feel good will do the job.
This isn't about doing as little as possible.
It's about doing enough to get what you need, without turning it into another thing to tick off your list.
And here's the important bit Enough isn't fixed.
What feels like enough on a Monday when you've slept brilliantly and have loads of energy might be completely different from enough on a Thursday when work has been manic and you've barely slept.
Some days your body might want a sweaty workout.
Some days it might want a strong yoga practice.
Some days it might want a gentle stretch.
Some days it might want a walk.
And some days it might want the sofa.
That's enough too.
When Less Does More
I think this is the bit I really want you to take away.
You don't need to constantly fix yourself.
You don't need to be more flexible, stronger, fitter, better at yoga or have perfect posture. You don't need to move perfectly or optimise every bloody minute of your day.
Movement should add to your life, not become another reason to feel like you're failing
Maybe the real skill isn't learning how to do more, maybe it's learning how to adapt because your body isn't the same every day.
Some days you'll have loads of energy and want to push yourself.
Some days you'll need something slower.
Some days you'll want to sweat.
Some days you'll want to stretch.
Some days you'll want to practise yoga.
And some days you'll want to do absolutely nothing.
None of those days are wrong.
The goal isn't to follow the same routine regardless of how you're feeling. It's to become better at listening, adjusting and giving yourself what you actually need.
So next time you're tempted to add another workout, another stretch, another yoga practice or another thing to your already very full to-do list, pause for a second.
Ask yourself:
“Will doing more actually help me right now?” If the answer is no, doing less isn't giving up.
It might be exactly what you need.
Push when you have the energy to push.
Rest when you need to recover.
Move when movement feels good.
Slow down when life feels a bit too much.
Being adaptable doesn't mean you're being inconsistent.
It means you're paying attention.
And perhaps that's a much healthier goal than constantly trying to do more.
You don't have to do the same thing every day to make progress.
Your “enough” might look completely different tomorrow and that's okay.
Because sometimes less really does do more.