How much cardio-exercise is too much?
Asked by lauralackner on Jun 01, 2009
in Fitness
I average about one hour a day and try to vary it between running, eliptical trainer, stairclimbing, and the arc trainer. I've heard that you can do too much exercise, but I don't know what that is. I am concerned about reversing the postive effects.
Answer
Exercising too much, called overtraining, has several signs. The most common are persistent muscle soreness, fatigue, and an increase in injuries and infections such as head colds. Psychologically, overtraining can produce sleep disturbances, weariness, irritability, depression, and anxiety. In women, overtraining is often results in the loss of menstrual periods. The exercise routine you describe does not seem to be excessive and it is a good idea to cross-train like you do.
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