There’s no denying that exercise is good for you. If you think that doing it more than necessary allows you to double the many benefits it offers, think again. Exercising more doesn’t necessarily mean it will make you healthier. In fact, fitness experts and medical authorities are adamant about the ill effects of having too much exercise. The following are some of the complications you might encounter:
Decreased Performance Level
One of the things you will notice as you get too much exercise is your performance level continues to wane each session. Whether your preferred workout is jogging or pumping iron at the gym, you will notice a definite decrease in the way your routine is carried out. The more you attempt to enhance your performance, the lesser each session’s intensity becomes.
Noticeable Alteration of Mood or Behavior
The moment your body complains it is being overworked, you are likely to notice that everyone around you is also complaining about your attitude. Excessive physical abuse can have an impact on your mood, causing things such as depression and irritability. Stressing your body through excessive exercise can also take its toll on your mood or behavior.
Increased Resting Heart Rate
Experts say that individuals who get regular exercise generally have lower resting heart rates than those who are leading sedentary lives. This is a clear indicator that the heart is pumping blood optimally. However, it’s not unlikely for you to notice an increase in your resting heart rate if you are constantly putting your body in a lot of stress via too much exercise.
Difficulty Getting Some Sleep at Night
Having a hard time getting some shut-eye is one of the indicators that you may be exercising more than necessary. Putting your body in a great deal of stress can disrupt sleeping patterns. With insomnia, you fail to get much-needed rest because you cannot fall asleep. Having sufficient sleep is important for someone who works out to have the body repaired.
Decreased Desire to Eat
Experts say that you may notice loss of appetite only during the middle to the later phases of overtraining. Whether the reason why you exercise a lot is to become healthier or slimmer, a decrease in appetite is disadvantageous. It keeps your body from getting all the vital nutrients it needs and causes your metabolic rate to shut down to conserve energy.
A Waistline that Continues to Expand
You may notice that you are dropping pounds but your belly area seems to get bigger. That’s because fat accumulation in the belly area results from stress, and too much exercise puts your body in a lot of stress. So why are you losing pounds despite of gaining fat most especially in the midsection? Muscles weigh more than fat.
Loss of Important Muscle Mass
Rather than gain muscle mass, exercising in excessive amounts can actually result in the complete opposite. This is brought about by the fact that your body breaks down your muscles to continually supply itself of energy. Because you also tend to lose appetite and sleep, loss of muscle mass due to overtraining can become quite inevitable.
Increased Risk for Physical Injuries
Because working out excessively tends to leave you with things such as fatigue, lack of sleep, decreased appetite and loss of muscle mass, you are likely to end up injured. An injury may happen not only while you’re trying to exercise but also when performing your day-to-day activities such as carrying grocery bags or doing household chores.
Weakened Immune System
Rather than get healthy, working out excessively may even cause you to catch more diseases and infections. Experts say that getting too much exercise can cause the immune system to weaken. Aside from being more susceptible to problems caused by invading microbes, a weak immune system makes it more challenging for you to recover from them.
Risk for Heart Problem
When you workout your body, you also give your heart some exercise. This means that overtraining your body is putting a great deal of stress in your heart. Moderate exercise is good for the heart, but the same cannot be said for overtraining. Your heart is a muscle that could be weakened by exercising too much.
Lessened Interest in Working Out
Time will come when you will lose more and more interest in exercising. No matter if your primary goal for regularly working out is to attain optimum health or maintain a stellar figure, getting excessive amounts of exercise may rob you of your motivation to achieve your objective. Without interest, you won’t have the strength and will power to complete your routine.
