How to tell...

If I did not believe that working out was good, I would not be a personal trainer and Pilates instructor.  However, I do not believe that more working out is always better.  We want to do the right amount of work.  How much is that?  Here are some ways to tell:

We feel tired afterwards.  Not flat-out exhausted.  Not suffering intense pain.  But not like we could do it all over again, no problem.

We get sore, but not too sore.  Soreness usually comes on some time after the workout is over.  We might notice it the next morning.  Some of us hit peak soreness two days after the workout.  If we’re still really hurting after three days, we did too much and should back off a bit.

We make progress.  If, in general, we are getting stronger or faster or leaner, we’re doing it right.  We have to be careful not to obsess over this part, though.  All of us have off days when we are tired or slow or puffy or whatever.  Sometimes we hit a plateau and have to change something up to get past it.  The trend, however, should be positive.  If it’s not, we’re probably not doing enough of the right things.  (Note:  sometimes diet is the culprit here.  We may have a terrific workout plan and a terrible eating plan.)

We don’t hate every second of our workouts.  It’s okay to hate some parts (looking at you, burpees…).  It’s okay to prefer some workout days to others.  But if we spend the whole time miserable, it’s time to explore other options.  There are many, many ways to work out; nearly everyone can find at least a couple that are mostly fun.

We can do this.