FOR THOSE OF US looking to slim down, over-exercising, a daily workout (or two) might seem like a no-brainer. But there are occasions when you should hit the gym with caution. Believe it or not, while working out might whittle your middle and tone you up, there can be too much of a good thing.
It is possible that working out excessively can cause what’s called adrenal fatigue. Symptoms include body aches, dizziness, and extreme tiredness. And when these symptoms hit, all those hours spent at the gym could backfire – big-time.
Lesley Maxwell, author of Get the Body You Want and personal trainer to the 50-plus age group, says adrenal fatigue isn’t common, but it is possible. “If you’re training once or even twice daily and not giving your body time to fully recover between sessions, and so feeling continuously exhausted, then you could be suffering from adrenal fatigue.”
She recommends lots of rest, a good amount of sleep, and nourishing your body with healthy foods such as fresh fruit, vegetables, good fats, and lean meat. And when you are ready to start exercising again, get help from a qualified trainer who can put together a tailored exercise programme for you.
“Incorporating weight training three or four days per week and going for a brisk walk or swim on the other days is ideal for staying fit.
“Exercise is also great for relieving stress, so going for a walk and weight training for 30 to 60 minutes daily would not only help strengthen your body, but help you sleep better, too.”
Over-exercising, also referred to as overtraining, happens when physical activity is greater than what the body is capable of recuperating from. In today’s world, exercising beyond a useful level is ineffective.
For example, instead of gaining power and constancy, people may experience tiredness and muscle stress, joint injuries, and a depressed immune system. In some over-exercising cases, people may complain of severe soreness, suboptimal performance, exhaustion, and even hormonal changes that disrupt the body’s natural processes.
Over-exercising is linked to elevated strain and stress, weakening mental, physical, and emotional well-being as a whole. Physically, the body of an individual is likely to experience a strain on the heart, chronic inflammation, and a long-term, destructive skeletal system from a lack of metabolic bone remodeling as a whole.
Other effects of over-exercising or exercising the body without resting include bone density disorder, the disruption of the natural menstrual cycle in women, and an advanced stress fracture, as well as cardiovascular intricacies.
Exercise experts recommend keeping a healthy routine by listening to the body, which includes scheduling days off from exercise and considering nutrition, sleep, and rest. In this case, exercise becomes a hidden risk when it is incorporated too.
In substance, the strain of physical tiredness has the possibility of erasing the positive effects exercise has on the body. Furthermore, exercising should leave an individual feeling active, rather than tired. Editor’s Choice
