Are You Exercising Too Much?

Are You Exercising Too Much?

How Much is Too Much?

These questions have been asked a lot, i found a few very interesting articles that may be useful:

http://exercise.about.com/cs/exercisehealth/a /toomuchexercise.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onelife/health/he althy_body/exercise.shtml


http://www.healthyplace.com/Communities/Eatin g_Disorders/children_performers_2.asp


Here are a few more facts:

[     ] Do you feel guilty if a day goes by when you don't work out?
[     ] Are you depressed if you are unable to exercise?
[     ] Do you feel tired and lethargic, yet still have trouble sleeping?
[     ] Do you have injuries that don't seem to heal?
[     ] Are you reluctant to take time off to heal injuries?
[     ] Are you ignoring aspects of your work, social life or family life?
[     ] Do you increase or decrease your exercise, based on your weight or what you have eaten?
[     ] Do you feel compelled to work out even if you are tired?
[     ] Do you suffer from insomnia, undesired weight loss, fatigue, lethargy, irritability, loss of menstrual periods, multiple chronic injuries, or stress fractures?

If you answered "Yes" to several of the above questions, you are probably exercising too much.

We all know that regular exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. But few people realize that too much can cause physical and psychological harm:

• Excessive exercise can damage tendons, ligaments, bones, cartilage, and joints, and when minor injuries aren't allowed to heal, they often result in long-term damage. Instead of building muscle, too much exercise actually destroys muscle mass, especially if the body isn't getting enough nutrition, forcing it to break down muscle for energy.
• Girls who exercise compulsively may disrupt the balance of hormones in their bodies. This can change their menstrual cycles (some girls lose their periods altogether, a condition known as amenorrhea) and increase the risk of premature bone loss (a condition known as osteoporosis). And of course, working their bodies so hard leads to exhaustion and constant fatigue.
• An even more serious risk is the stress that excessive exercise can place on the heart, particularly when someone is also limiting how much he or she eats. In extreme cases, the combination of anorexia and compulsive exercise can be fatal.
• Psychologically, exercise addicts are often plagued by anxiety and depression. They may have a negative image of themselves and feel worthless. Their social and academic lives may suffer as they withdraw from friends and family to fixate on exercise. Even if they want to succeed in school or in relationships, working out always comes first, so they end up skipping homework or missing out on time spent with friends.

SUGGESTIONS TO BREAK OVER-EXERCISING:

·       & nbsp;Focus on health and fitness versus appearance

·       & nbsp; Trust your body cues.  Listen when your body says "I'm tired," or "I ache."

·       & nbsp; Take rest days.

·       & nbsp; Avoid linking eating and exercise.

·       & nbsp; Don't let exercise determine your self-worth.

·       & nbsp; Vary the intensity of your workout.

Hope that helps!

according to this i excerise too much

I guess i'm in the same boat as you.. I'll have to plan some days off, or at least not excercise "Too Much"..

Take care sophie!

It's soooo hard to take a day off. I feel the need to go. even if its just a 30 min run.

I've been on spring break for 2 weeks (late i know). I go back to school monday, so my normal work out routine will be back. but these last 2 weeks, ive gone every day except like 2 maybe 3 days.

Yeah i know exactly what you mean, but as the article mentioned, you don't have to literally take a day off, just go for a leisurely walk or do a light swim. I'll try to do that!

Best of luck to both of us :)

Topic updated " SUGGESTIONS TO BREAK OVER-EXERCISING "

to break over exercising-- i find that this method works for me.  I make a list of to do things like errands or get togethers with friends that i don't see alot.  this way you are still accomplishing something and not sitting on your butt at home.  you don't feel the guilt of not exercising as much

I don't see the point of breaking exercising.   I may work out 6 days a week but that doesn't mean I am doing the same things every day.

So my advice for breaking the too much exercise thing is to change your focus to build a better routine.   Go to the gym and do only weight lifting machines/free-weights and so on... but target certain muscle groups.   The next day run and if you hit the gym also target some other muscle groups.   Wash and repeat but take a day off a week atleast and don't work the same muscle groups during weightlifting more than once every 4 days.

Variety and pacing

nightc1 I can agree and disagree. I love to work out and I don't fatigued often as long as I rest every 7-10 days or so. But the prob is even at a good weight and with perfect diet I still have amenorrhea (loss of period) so I think I might still be over doing it. Especially seeing that my diet is perfect.... and I mean like book perfect. I only do 1 hour of slooooow weights in conentrated areas per day 5x a week and 20-35 mins of cardio on those days, and then one 2 hour stindt of running/hard-core cardio on sundays (my final day before resting). I know a lot of people who work out harder than me but don't get amenorrhea. So I guess it all just depends??

Wow... uhm.... I don't know what to say.

I can say yes to a LOT of those things, but it doesn't LOOK like I exercise too much. I'm still pudgy, does it still count if I'm a bit flabby and say yes to those things? Or am I still in the clear?

Dire, it goes the other way. If you don't get quite enough rest, your fitness will stagnate or decline. If you get enough rest, and keep on working out regularly over time, you will achieve your goals.