Health experts cannot overstate exercise’s advantages, especially for people battling chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and rheumatoid arthritis(1). However, overexercising like with other things, can be risky if you are overdoing it!
Exercising is meant to be beneficial for every individual’s health. Physical activity can assist individuals in boosting cardiovascular health, maintaining a healthy weight, and even preventing depression.
. Exercising too much can be harmful to the body and mind.
As an example, one negative effect of overexercising is lower back pain. Some workout routines are more likely to create a force that could damage the lower back.
While exercises such as sciatica nerve stretches may help restore physical activity performance, it is best to avoid the painful effects of overexercising.
Health Risks Arising From Overexercising
Individuals who want to get more robust and efficient rigorously train their bodies. However, rest is also essential for obtaining sustainable health benefits from physical training.
Fitness experts can never over stress the importance of rest. Rest enables the body to recover in preparation for the next task.
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Conversely, it is possible to have poor performance and health issues if an individual does not rest. Exercising excessively over an extended period can have negative consequences.
Northumbria Healthcare lists the following health risks that could result from too much exercise:
- Muscle breakdown, especially cardiac muscle breakdown, and protein deficiency
- Exhaustion
- Hormonal changes
- The body becomes undernourished
- Collapse
- Persistent risk of osteoporosis due to calcium loss in bones
- Risk of losing too much weight, veins may protrude, and skin may appear aged
- Lowering of mood
- Longer recovery time(2).
Psychological Impact of Overexercising
Individuals who exercise too much have frequent mood swings with excessive anger or irritability. The psychological effect may include a loss of excitement for the training.
This situation may also impede the individuals’ effectiveness in other aspects of life, including school or work.
Overtraining, a form of overexercising, can aggravate stress and hormone imbalances. Cortisol levels, or stress hormones, tend to rise sharply due to overtraining.
Overexercising is likely to drop testosterone levels, negatively affecting men and women(3).
Symptoms of Overexercising
It is difficult to determine when exercising is too much. However, a highly rigorous workout program could be a warning sign.
Working out too hard for a long time can have negative repercussions. Here are some signs of overexercising:
- Inability to function at the same rate
- Tiredness
- Depression
- Mood swings
- Sleep issues
- Sore muscles
- Lack of motivation
- Weight loss
- Anxiety(4)
Individuals who exercise a lot and are experiencing any of the listed symptoms above may reduce exercise or take a break for 1 or 2 weeks. Frequently, this period is all that is required to recover.
After 1 or 2 weeks of rest, individuals who remain tired may need to continue resting or reduce their workouts for a month or more. Healthcare providers can advise on how and when it is safe to resume exercising.
Recommendations to Prevent Overexercising
The updated Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans showed that adults require 150 minutes of moderate-intensity workout per week and two days of muscle-strengthening exercise.
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Physical exercise of approximately 300 minutes (5 hours) of moderate-intensity training per week can improve health advantages(5).
One way to avoid overexercising is to commit to a workout plan containing required recovery time and various training intensities.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) listed the following suggestions to prevent overtraining:
- Consume a suitable number of calories for your activity level.
- Reduce workouts in the days before a contest.
- When exercising, make sure to drink plenty of water.
- Aim for a minimum of 8 hours of sleep a night.
- Avoid exercising in extreme heat or cold.
- Reduce or discontinue your exercise routine when sick or under a lot of stress.
- Rest for at least six hours between bouts of exercise. Take a full day off once a week(6).
Excessive exercise and insufficient nutrition may impair muscle tissue’s ability to restructure effectively. Muscle is less likely to tone appropriately, which also increases the risk of muscle and joint injury.
Overexercising can also make a person feel weak, exhausted, and unable to function normally.
Final Statement
Every adult should engage in some exercise every day. Even a few minutes of training once or twice a week can help lower the risk of heart disorder or stroke.
A variety of indicators determine the kind of workouts suitable for individuals. Activity can be negotiated with a healthcare professional and tailored to the demands of the individual.
Exercise is vital for maintaining a healthy body and mind. However, it is also crucial for individuals to choose to train programs compatible with their physical thresholds.
References
- Lack of exercise is a major cause of chronic diseases
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4241367/ - Over-Exercising
https://www.northumbria.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Over-exercising.pdf#:~:text=Over%2Dexercising%20can%20cause%20damage,a%20chance%20to%20repair%20properly. - Testosterone and the brain
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17178554/ - Are you getting too much exercise?
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000807.htm - Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (2nd Edition)
https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_2nd_edition.pdf - Are you getting too much exercise?
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000807.htm
