enchanted

i had a great workout today, and finally got back on the stairs after being too sick/congested for the past week and a half.

however, i felt a little weak, or at least not stronger than last week. this is a result of several factors:
- having a respiritory tract infection for the past 10 days
- not eating much the past week, and the last 24 hours in particular
- not taking a day of rest this week

it's sort of counter-intuitive, but i get in better shape when i eat more and take a day off.

10 minutes stairmaster

muscle group worked: biceps

50 flights of stairs with 20# weight vest: 19:34
50 flights of stairs with no vest: 18:02

total time to complete: 37:37
These are pretty good times considering what i wrote above.

overtraining

Overtraining is a physiological and psychological condition that occurs when the amount and intensity of a person's exercise exceeds his/her capacity for recovery. A person who is overtraining may experience symptoms similar to burnout and may begin to lose strength. A person must get an adequate amount of rest to balance out the amount of training.

Signs and symptoms of overtraining:

Low white blood cell count
Persistent muscle soreness
Fatigue
Elevated resting heart rate
Reduced heart rate variability
Increased incidence of injuries
Inability to complete workouts
Irritability
Depression
Breakdown
Insomnia
Decreased appetite
Loss of motivation
Loss of enthusiasm
Reduced performance
Decreased concentration

I am not currently experiencing any of the above symptoms.

Information adapted from wikipedia and other online articles.