and effort, it might actually be worth leaving your heart rate monitor at home for a few weeks. That way you can avoid the psychological distress of failing to balance your pulse rate with your workload.—Dr Patrick Milroy, RW Medical Advisor

other brain cells. Your thinking becomes muddled, your memory suffers and you become vulnerable to self-medicating behaviours, such as overeating.Heart:If you strap on a heart-rate monitor and walk down a dark alley at night (I don't recommend it), you

.com). Scientists monitored people's sleeping habits for two weeks, then exposed them to a cold virus. Those who clocked less than seven hours were three times more likely to get sick than those who slept for at least eight hours. Drink on the runThat healthy boost

, walking, and recumbent stationary cycling. Your doctor should also inform you about limiting the intensity of your exercise and monitoring your heart rate during activity. Finally, avoid drastic elevations of body temperature, such as those caused

't running long distances, you could still be at risk of overtraining. If you're super-busy at work, stressed or having relationship problems, it can impact upon your training and trigger UPS.What are the symptoms?Elevated resting heart rate Overtraining can

, it is generally accepted menstruation has limited impact on exercise performance. Women have run well, set records and won championships at all phases of the menstrual cycle. Clinical studies have shown no change in heart-rate, strength or endurance during

of lavender and rosemary filling my nose. The light was sharp and refreshing. Life felt good and pregnancy was at last fitting into my routine. Running formed the backbone of my day; the familiar sensation of a raised heart rate and sweat on the skin soothed