Exercise is good, right? So, the more you do the better, right? To a certain extent, yes. However, you can have too much of a good thing. Exercise benefits in all kinds of ways. It can make us stronger, happier, and overall healthier than living a sedentary life. So, how can you get too much?
What happens to your body when you exercise?
Working out uses your body’s energy reserves, burning calories. If you’re lifting weights, you are breaking your muscles down during your workouts. You’re also performing repetitive motions in many types of workouts. There can be a lot of wear on joints and connective tissues during repetitive movements. When you exercise in moderation, then your body has time to heal and recover, making you stronger afterwards. It has time to refuel and restore the energy losses (as long as you’re eating enough to make up for those energy losses).
If you’re lifting weights everyday using the same muscles, you’re constantly breaking muscle fibers down. If you’re constantly breaking down muscle and never giving them time to recover, then you will never get stronger. You’re workouts will be counter productive. Excessive cardio can lead to excessive calorie burn that can actually cause you to start losing muscle. Repetitive movements are more prevalent during cardio workouts. These types of movements can increase your chances of overuse injuries if you don’t give your body time to recover.
How do you know if you’re exercising too much?
The whole point of exercising is to make you feel better and get healthier. If the opposite seems to be happening, there’s a good chance that you are overtraining. Look out for signs that you’re doing to much and need to give yourself more time to rest and recover.
Signs of overtraining
- excessive fatigue
- loss of appetite
- difficulty sleeping
- mood changes/irritability
- weight gain
- unusual soreness/pain
- frequent injuries
- decrease in performance
- loss of motivation
- decreased immunity to illness
Exercise is a stressor to your body. In moderation, you’re body can handle it, recover and make you stronger and healthier as a result. If you’re constantly stressing your body and not allowing the needed recover time, you’re not going to see the positive benefits. The excess stress will lead to hormonal changes that can effect your mind and body in a negative way. Not only is it okay to take a break from working out when you need it, it’s recommended if you want to stay healthy and feel good.
