Jasmine Marcus, a New York-based physical therapist, told BI why pain during your workouts is a recipe for disaster.

"Pain is your body's way of protecting you and it most likely means you are injuring yourself," she said.

If the pain is localized to one body part, and you're able to finish a workout, Marcus said, you can continue working out as long as you're sure to seek medical treatment for whatever it is that is bothering you.

"For example, if your shoulder is bothering you, you should avoid irritating it further with shoulder presses, but there's no reason you can't keep working out your lower body," she added. "Just make sure to eventually seek out treatment for your shoulder."

Always listen to your body because toughing it out through an injury could end up sidelining you longer. If your pain is sharp, stabbing, or severe, or if you experience swelling, bruising, or any sort of open wound, you should seek medical assistance.

If you're experiencing dizziness or feeling weak long after your workout, that's not a good sign.

Mitchell Starkman, a sports and orthopedic physical therapist based in Canada, told BI that some dizziness is normal, but it shouldn't persist.

"If you're consistently getting dizzy while working out, it's always a good idea to follow up with your doctor first," he said, "That being said, many people become temporarily dizzy while training during position changes."

Starkman added that, similar to feeling light-headed when you stand up too fast, this dizziness comes from your body readjusting to the pressure change caused by sudden movements (like squats or deadlifts), which can lead to a "momentary lapse of blood flow to the brain."

Another reason for dizziness could be your eating habits. Every person's dietary needs vary, but if you're frequently working out on an empty stomach, it might make you feel woozy during a workout.

Consistent exercise can boost your immune system, however, overtraining can backfire and cause you to get sick.

"Exercise is an amazing thing, and it, when done consistently, actually boosts our immune system over time," Starkman told BI. "That being said, when it's too intense, after our workouts, the body's immunity actually slightly drops for a few hours, making us more susceptible to sickness."

If you're constantly getting sick, you might want to reassess your fitness regime and make sure you're planning enough rest days and properly fueling your body before and after your workouts.  

Exercise is thought to benefit the quality of your sleep, but if you're lying awake at night tossing and turning, it means you might be overtraining.

"Insomnia is a sign that your sympathetic nervous system is not functioning healthily and is directly linked to exercising too much," Chelsea Axe, a board-certified chiropractic physician and certified strength and conditioning specialist at DrAxe.com, told BI.

She continued, "An overactive sympathetic nervous system and trouble sleeping are more closely linked to anaerobic activities, like sprinting, and especially heavy resistance training, like weightlifting."

Since the sympathetic nervous system is closely connected to the brain's fight-or-flight response, these kinds of exercises can easily cause insomnia or restlessness. Working out earlier in the day or scaling back on workout frequency and intensity can help alleviate sleep issues tied to your workout.

"Exercisers with signs of an overactive sympathetic nervous system could benefit from regular meditation, gentle yoga, and massage," Axe said. 

If you find yourself feeling tired all the time or leaving the gym feeling exhausted instead of energized, you might need to scale it back.

"Sore muscles are common with a new routine, but excessive fatigue is not. If you are getting adequate sleep and are still super tired, there [might be] a couple of reasons," Megan Ostler, a registered dietitian and the director of nutrition at iFit, told BI.

One common reason for it, especially in women, is iron deficiency anemia.

"When we are deficient, we can't transport as much oxygen, and without enough oxygen, our muscles and organs can't perform the way they should, including converting nutrients to energy," she said. "Low energy production means low energy for us."

Another common reason for fatigue is not consuming enough calories pre- and post-workout.

"Our bodies work hard to make sure we don't die from starvation, so when our food intake decreases or exercise increases, our bodies must adapt," Ostler told BI. 

Although it's true that you might find yourself hungrier than usual as your body adapts to a new fitness routine, suddenly finding that you're never hungry should set off some alarm bells.

"Many athletes assume that they can just follow their hunger cues to know how much to eat. However, that isn't always the case," Ostler told BI. "If you are working out at a high level your appetite might actually be suppressed."

When we sweat, our body releases endorphins, the feel-good hormones that make us feel relaxed and alleviate stress. However, Axe said, exercise can actually also lead to spiked levels of anxiety or depression.

"Too much aerobic activity can lead to parasympathetic overtraining," she said. "Symptoms of this include fatigue, depression, and impaired sports performance."

She continued, "Overtrained athletes can also suffer from adrenal dysfunction, in addition to mood disorders exacerbated by excessive cortisol levels in the body."

A telltale sign that you're overdoing your workout routine is if your heart rate is fluctuating at rest.

"If you're new to exercise, variation in resting heart rate is expected as your body gets into better shape," Axe said. "But for seasoned exercisers, heart rate variability may be an easy way to pick up on early signs of overtraining."

Muscle soreness is common in the days after a particularly strenuous workout, but it shouldn't completely sideline you — and it should go away relatively quickly.

If your muscles are constantly sore and achy, you might be overtraining.

"When you work out, you cause small micro-tears to your muscles," Emily Paskins, a personal trainer at iFit, told BI. "This breakdown is then built over, which causes muscle growth. However, if you are constantly 'tearing' the muscles down without allowing adequate time for them to rebuild, you will begin to cause a state of constant wear and soreness."

This story was originally published in May 2018 and most recently updated on January 8, 2025.

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My carpenter convinced me to reverse how the door opens from the hallway, moving the hinges from the right side to the left.

It used to swing into the bathroom, and he needed it to swing out so it would not hit the new wall-hung sink directly behind the door.

Unfortunately, this means the toilet is now in full view to anyone in my living room — not exactly classy to see while enjoying a glass of wine or watching a movie. I close the door when leaving the bathroom, but guests often fling it wide.

If I had a do-over, I wouldn't have changed the direction in which the door opens, instead keeping the toilet hidden and putting the sink on the opposite wall.

I love the retro look of tiled bathrooms, especially in gleaming black-and-white designs. My tile floor was beautiful when installed, with bright-white grout and a polished black center in each square.

Within days, though, heavy foot traffic made the floor dingy — and the white still seems to show every speck of dirt.

I'm on my hands and knees weekly, scrubbing the floor.

I chose to add one ceramic insert to the tiled shower and another for the toilet paper roll. Unfortunately, both are too small.

The shower insert holds about one bottle of product. Had I gone with a taller and wider insert, I could fit two larger bottles, shampoo and conditioner.

The toilet-paper insert is also too small for the mega rolls we buy. I need to leave the roll on the floor until enough sheets have been torn off where it will fit into the smaller holder.

There's only one piece of drywall in the bathroom, and everything else is tiled. During installation, the tile was stacked too high up the wall, meaning the drywalled area is closer to the ceiling.

My 90-year-old mother lives with me and, after we hung a mirror on the drywall, we discover she can't see into it. She is 5 feet tall — on her tiptoes, she can see the top of her head. Although we chuckle, this is impractical.

Unfortunately, to fix this, we would need to rip out all the tiles in the wall.

Speaking of my mother — although she's still agile, she is 90 years old.

Although our shower has a grab bar, I wish I'd paid extra to have a built-in bench installed, too. I've since noticed benches in friends' homes, and I imagine my mother will one day need this option.

I can buy a teak bench to place in the shower, but a tiled one would've been a sleeker solution.

Steve Martin played Tom Baker, a college football coach who has 12 kids with his wife, Kate. 

Martin was a well-established entertainer before he took on the role. He was best known for his work as a comedian and comedic actor on shows like CBS' "The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour" in the 1970s and in films like "Parenthood" (1989) and "Father of the Bride" (1991).

After the film, he continued solidifying his legacy as a writer, comedian, actor, and musician. 

In addition to writing for and hosting various award shows, he continued to be a host and special guest on NBC's "Saturday Night Live." He also continued to act, starring in films like "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" (2005),  "The Pink Panther" (2006), "Baby Mama" (2008), and "It's Complicated" (2009).

In 2007, he earned a Kennedy Center Honors — a lifetime achievement award for the performing arts.

Martin has also had a successful music and comedy career, earning five Grammy awards for his comedy recordings and bluegrass albums.

In 2016, he was nominated for two Tony awards for his work on the score for the Broadway musical "Bright Star."

Recently, Martin returned to his famous role in the short "Father of the Bride Part 3 (ish)" (2020) and released the book "A Wealth of Pigeons: A Cartoon Collection" with illustrator Harry Bliss.

The actor also stars alongside Maritn Short and Selena Gomez on Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building."

Bonnie Hunt played Kate Baker, Tom's wife and the mother to their 12 children. 

Like Martin, Hunt was well-established in the entertainment industry prior to her role in "Cheaper by the Dozen." She starred in films like "Beethoven" (1992) and "Jumanji" (1995), and she voiced characters in films like  "A Bug's Life" (1998) and "Monster's Inc." (2001).

She also starred on several TV shows, like CBS's "Bonnie" from 1995 to 1996 and ABC's "Life With Bonnie" from 2002 to 2004

In 2005, she returned as Kate in "Cheaper by the Dozen 2." After the film, she continued her work in Hollywood as a host on her talk show "The Bonnie Hunt Show" from 2008 to 2010. 

She also continued voice acting in animated movies such as the "Toy Story" films and shorts, the three "Cars" movies, "Monsters University" (2013), and "Zootopia" (2016).

In more recent years, she starred on Showtime's "Escape at Dannemora," appeared in "The Ultimate Playlist of Noise," and voiced her characters on the Disney+ series "Monsters at Work," "Cars on the Road," and "Zootopia+."

The actor is currently an executive producer of the podcast series "Going Reno."

Richard Jenkins appeared in "Cheaper by the Dozen" as Shake McGuire, a colleague and friend of Tom.

Like Martin and Hunt, Jenkins had a long acting career before the film. He is well-known for his role as Nathaniel Fisher on HBO's "Six Feet Under" from 2001 to 2005.

Following his role in "Cheaper by the Dozen," he continued to appear in a variety of hit films, including "Burn After Reading" (2008), "Step Brothers" (2008), "Let Me In" (2010), "Jack Reacher" (2012), and "The Cabin in the Woods" (2012). 

He was nominated for an Oscar for his role in "The Visitor" (2007) and won an Emmy for his role on the HBO limited drama series "Olive Kitteridge" (2014). Jenkins was also nominated for an Oscar, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award for his supporting role in "The Shape of Water" (2017).

Jenkins starred on Epix's "Berlin Station" from 2016 to 2019, and he was in "Kajillionaire" (2020), "The Last Shift" (2020), and "Nightmare Alley" (2021). 

Most recently, the actor appeared on Netflix's "Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" and voiced a character in "If" (2024).

Piper Perabo starred as the oldest Baker, Nora, in "Cheaper by the Dozen."

Prior to the film, Perabo made a name for herself starring as Violet Sanford in "Coyote Ugly" (2000).

Along with starring in "Cheaper by the Dozen 2," she went on to appear in films such as "The Prestige" (2006), "Because I Said So" (2007), "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" (2008), "Looper" (2012), and "Angel Has Fallen" (2019).

Most recently, Perabo appeared in "Spontaneous" (2020). 

On TV, Perabo has appeared on USA Network's "Covert Affairs," Showtime's "Penny Dreadful: City of Angels," Paramount Network's "Yellowstone," and Showtime's "Billions."

Ashton Kutcher played Nora's boyfriend Hank, a self-obsessed actor, in "Cheaper by the Dozen." 

Kutcher became a household name thanks to his roles on Fox's "That '70s Show" from 1998 to 2006 and in the film "Dude, Where's My Car?" (2000).

The same year "Cheaper by the Dozen" was released, Kutcher also started his own production company, Katalyst. 

Following his role as Nora's boyfriend, Kutcher continued to act, starring in films such as "The Butterfly Effect" (2004), "What Happens in Vegas" (2008), "No Strings Attached" (2011), and "Jobs" (2013).

He also worked on shows like CBS's "Two and a Half Men" from 2011 to 2015 and Netflix's "The Ranch" from 2016 to 2020.

Beyond acting, he has established himself as an entrepreneur by investing in companies like Skype, Foursquare, Airbnb, and Uber. He's also an activist known for cofounding the human-rights organization Thorn, a nonprofit that works to combat child sexual exploitation, in 2009.

Recently, Kutcher appeared in "Vengeance" (2022) and "Your Place or Mine" (2023), and he reprised his role on Netflix's "That '90s Show." 

Tom Welling played the second-oldest Baker kid in "Cheaper by the Dozen." 

Welling made it big by starring as Clark Kent on The CW's "Smallville" from 2001 to 2011.

He's also appeared in a handful of films, including "Cheaper by the Dozen 2," but the bulk of his career has been on TV. 

In recent years, Welling starred on Fox/Netflix's "Lucifer," played Vincent Corbo on Viaplay's "Professionals," and appeared as Samuel Campbell on The CW's "The Winchesters."

His most recent credits were in "Clear Cut" (2024) and "Mafia Wars" (2024). 

Hilary Duff was at a peak in her career when she played Lorraine, Baker kid number three.

She got her big break starring on the Disney Channel's "Lizzie McGuire" from 2001 to 2004. She also appeared in films like "Casper Meets Wendy" (1998), "Cadet Kelly" (2002), and "Agent Cody Banks" (2003).

After appearing in "Cheaper by the Dozen," Duff went on to star in a variety of popular films, including "A Cinderella Story" (2004), "Raise Your Voice" (2004), "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" (2005), and "Material Girls" (2006).

She's also starred on TV Land's "Younger."

Over the years, Duff made a name for herself in the music industry. She released her first pop album, "Metamorphosis," in 2003 and released a few more studio albums from 2004 to 2015.

In 2023, Duff and her husband, Matthew Koma, released a cover of the Third Eye Blind's "Never Let You Go" with the music group RAC.

The actor most recently starred on Hulu's "How I Met Your Father."

Kevin G. Schmidt played Henry, Baker kid number four, in "Cheaper by the Dozen."

Although Henry is still Schmidt's most well-known role, which he reprised in "Cheaper by the Dozen 2," he appeared in a few other films, like "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" (2009).

He also worked on CBS's "The Young and the Restless" from 2008 to 2012 and Cartoon Network's "Unnatural History" in 2010.

More recently, he appeared in "Randy's Canvas" (2018).

Child dance star Alyson Stoner played Sarah, Baker kid number five.

They started their career as a dancer for Missy Elliott before starring in "Cheaper by the Dozen." After the film, Stoner continued to act in film and on television.

They worked on shows like the Disney Channel's "Mike's Super Short Show" from 2002 to 2007, "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" from 2005 to 2007, and "Phineas and Ferb" from 2007 to 2015.

The actor also starred in both the "Camp Rock" and "Step Up" film franchises. 

They continued her dance career by performing with artists like Eminem, Kumbia Kings, Outkast, and Will Smith. Recently, they danced during Missy Elliot's 2019 MTV Video Music Awards performance. 

Stoner has dabbled with music over the years, recently releasing their own song, "Stripped Bare." 

Stoner is also active on social media, with 1.2 million followers on Instagram and over 660,000 YouTube subscribers. They use those platforms to promote self-love and share their own dance videos. 

In recent years, the star has continued voicing Isabella in the "Phineas and Ferb" franchise. 

Jacob Smith played Baker kid number six, Jake.

Before the film, Smith played Owen Salinger on Fox's "Party of Five" from 1998 to 2000. 

Following his role in "Cheaper by the Dozen," Smith only appeared in a handful of projects, including "Troy" (2004) and "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" (2005).

He has had a couple of guest appearances on TV shows like "Miracles" and "Without a Trace." According to IMDb, he hasn't acted in anything since 2006.

Morgan York starred in "Cheaper by the Dozen" as Kim, Baker kid number seven.

After "Cheaper by the Dozen," York starred in "The Pacifier" (2005) and "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" (2005).

Her last credited acting role was as Sarah on the Disney Channel's "Hannah Montana" from 2006 to 2010.

In 2020, York posted a life update on Instagram that said she's currently working as an editor in the book-publishing industry. She's also trying to get several of her own books published.

"The publishing world is complicated, so I'm not published or agented yet, but not for lack of trying. So far I've written six YA fantasy books," she wrote in the caption.

In more recent years, she's posted samples of her work on her blog.

Liliana Mumy starred as Kim's twin sister Jessica, Baker kid number eight.

Prior to starring in "Cheaper by the Dozen," Mumy starred in "The Santa Clause 2" (2002).

After the film, Mumy went on to appear in "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" as well as "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause" (2006).

The bulk of Mumy's work since "Cheaper by the Dozen" has been in voice acting for animated films, shorts, and series.

She's voiced roles in "Mulan II" (2004), the "Lilo and Stitch" shows and films, Disney's "Sofia the First" from 2015 to 2018, Nicktoons' "Bravest Warriors" from 2012 to 2018.

In recent years, the actor has been voicing Leni in Nickelodeon's "The Loud House" franchise.

Forrest Landis starred as Mark, Baker kid number nine, in "Cheaper by the Dozen." This was his first professional acting role.

Outside the "Cheaper by the Dozen" films, Landis' most well-known role is from the 2005 film "Flightplan." He also appeared on a handful of television shows including NBC's "ER," NBC's "LAX," and Showtime's "Weeds."

Per IMDb, his last acting credit was in the 2008 film "Spy School."

Blake Woodruff appeared as Mike, Baker kid number 10.

After "Cheaper by the Dozen," Woodruff also played Noah Newman on "The Young and the Restless," the same role that his "Cheaper by the Dozen" costar, Schmidt, took over in 2012.

His other film credits include "Cheaper by the Dozen 2," "Whisper" (2007), and "Victor Crowley" (2017). 

Brent and Shane Kinsman rounded out the Baker's dozen as identical twins Nigel and Kyle.

After the "Cheaper by the Dozen" films, the brothers appeared in the film "Knocked Up" (2007) and played twins on ABC's "Desperate Housewives" from 2004 to 2011. 

Neither Kinsman has acted since 2011, and both appear to have left the entertainment industry. 

This story was originally published on April 25, 2020, and most recently updated on January 8, 2025. 

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Burrell played the dad-est dad of all the dads, Phil Dunphy, on the show. His character became known for his goofy and lovable humor.

Prior to this role, Burrell had appeared in a few movies and shows.

If anything, his humor became a signature of both Dunphy and Burrell and has carried over into his side projects.

Famously, Burrell voiced Bailey in "Finding Dory" (2016), and he was also in a series of humorous Gain detergent commercials that almost felt like a subplot of a "Modern Family" episode.

Recently, he voiced a character on Fox's comedy "Duncanville." The actor is currently set to star in "Tightrope!" — a Roku comedy executive produced by Bryan Cranston.

Before starring as Claire Dunphy, Bowen made the rounds on a variety of television series, including "ER," "Weeds," and "Ed."

She hadn't landed the job that would be her claim to fame — until "Modern Family" aired.

Since "Modern Family" debuted, she's won two Emmy awards for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series.

In 2021, she wrapped up voice work on Disney's animated "DuckTales" series and appeared in "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and the movie "Mixtape."

In 2024, she was in the Peacock series "Hysteria!"

Winter started on the show as middle child and girl genius Alex Dunphy when she was 11 years old.

As she made her way through her teen years as the practical perfectionist on "Modern Family," she lent herself to other big-name shows as a voice actor, like "Phineas and Ferb" and "Sofia the First."

Winter began pursuing her college degree at UCLA in fall of 2017, according to Entertainment Tonight.

She paused her studies after a few months, but did say, "I think education's really important. I love being there. I love learning," Winter said. "I will continue to keep learning."

She's been in a few movies since "Modern Family," including "The Quarry" and "Bully."

In recent years, she's spoken about her choice to leave Los Angeles — and, in 2022, she purchased a mansion in Tennessee.

Hyland played the troublemaking Haley Dunphy, who had a few mishaps throughout the series, including an underage-drinking arrest.

Before landing her part on "Modern Family," the actor appeared in a number of small roles in TV shows, like "Law & Order," and TV movies, including "Annie" (1999).

In the past few years, Hyland has created viral videos with Boyce Avenue on YouTube, covering popular songs like "Closer" by The Chainsmokers and "Don't Wanna Know" by Maroon 5.

She also performed the catchy song "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" on the television remake of "Dirty Dancing" in 2017.

According to her Instagram bio, she's also the cofounder of the vitamin-infused chocolate brand Sourse.

Like Winter and Rico Rodriguez, Gould started on the show at just 11 years old.

As the youngest child in the Dunphy family, Luke started out as a rambunctious and dim-witted kid who was often the center of mischievous antics.

As the series has progressed, however, he's shed his playful ways and the writers have progressively leaned into Luke's lack of intelligence, much like his older sister, Haley.

Even though his "Modern Family" character is famously not bright, the actor is actually very intelligent.

Gould graduated with a GED at just 13 and told Ellen Degeneres in 2013 that his IQ was 150. He's also a member of high-IQ society Mensa International.

He has acted in a handful of projects since "Modern Family" wrapped — recently, he was on an episode of "Grey's Anatomy" and in a few films, including Camp (2023) and "The Nana Project" (2023)

As the patriarch of the Dunphy-Pritchett clan, O'Neill's character, Jay Pritchett, was problematic at worst and simply ignorant at best during the beginning of the series.

Over the course of the show, Jay became more accepting of the other characters — especially those most different from him.

Prior to this role, the actor appeared in many films but was perhaps most known for playing Al on the series "Married ... With Children" for over a decade.

O'Neill has taken on just a few roles since "Modern Family" ended, including one on FX's "Clipped."

Before "Modern Family," Colombian-American actor Vergara had small roles in various American television shows and movies and even hosted two shows on Univisión in the late 1990s.

Once she owned the role of Gloria Delgado-Pritchett, she became a household name in the United States.

Since then, she's been the face of CoverGirl, been nominated for both Emmys and Golden Globes, and has starred in successful movies like "Hot Pursuit" and "Chef."

She spent years on Forbes' list of the highest-paid television actresses in America. She's also been a judge on "America's Got Talent" and host on "Extra."

In 2024, she lent her voice to "Despicable Me 4" and starred in the Netflix limited series "Griselda."

When 11-year-old Rodriguez was introduced as the unbelievably mature Manny Delgado at the start of the show, his wisdom and class hilariously mismatched the young kid on the screen.

Since then, Rodriguez has had small roles in several small projects over the years but hasn't acted in a major production since "Modern Family."

Before he played lawyer Mitchell Pritchett on "Modern Family," the actor had a successful theater career, originating the role of Leaf Coneybear in "The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee."

Ferguson and his character Mitchell Pritchett share the same love of theatre and film.

In years since the show first aired, he's taken on off-Broadway roles in "The Tempest" and "Spamalot" and again originated a Broadway role as Sam in "Fully Committed" in 2016.

He also appeared in Taylor Swift's music video for "You Need to Calm Down."

Recently, he released a cookbook with recipe developer Julie Tanous and was in a Broadway revival of "Take Me Out," which opened in 2022.

In 2023 he appeared in the movie "Cocaine Bear."

The chronically optimistic, bubbly, and caring Cameron Tucker on "Modern Family" brought Stonestreet from guest-star status to recognizable TV star.

Before he landed the role, Stonestreet was most recognizable as Ronnie Litre on "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and as a hotel desk clerk in "Almost Famous."

Stonestreet won two Emmys for his role in "Modern Family."

He's also done voice work for a few shows, including "You're Not a Monster" and "Sofia the First."

In recent years, he appeared in the comedy "American Auto."

Anderson-Emmons played Lily Tucker-Pritchett, who Cam and Mitchell adopted in season one of the show.

Although twins Jaden and Ella Hiller originally played Lily, Anderson-Emmons took over the role when she was 4 years old.

She has not acted in major projects since the show wrapped in 2020.

She's built up a fairly large following on TikTok and is fairly active on social media.