Exercising too Much?

Is it possible to be exercising too  much? The answer is yes!  There are exercise addicts.  How can this possibly be with a generation of couch potatoes?  It is possible just like there are food addicts, drug addicts or sex addicts.  People crave the need to exercise and then over indulge.

There are hazards of over exercising.  One very obvious hazard is the risk of injury.  If you are constantly exercising lifting weights or doing cardio work, you are never allowing your muscles recovery time. Overexercising can cause fatigue.  Fitness levels will not improve, but actually decline. Your bones can get weaker and muscle fibers can break down.  For women, overexercising  reduces fat and therefore the menstrual cycle declines or stops completely.  Experts recommend exercise in moderation.

“People really like exercise or they really dislike it. Maybe we need to be somewhere in the middle,“ says Pauline Powers, a University of South Florida psychiatrist and specialist in both eating disorders and obesity.

Training for a marathon is different than the constant over exercising. There is a fine line of distinction that you should be aware.  If your exercise routine interferes with normal family functions and affects your behavior toward others, it may be a sign of exercise abuse.  If exercising becomes more important than your family, your work and other obligations you may be overexercising.

Recognize the signs and keep a diary of when you exercised and if it interfered with other life commitments.  Keeping track of your work outs and family functions is a good way to see if a pattern develops.  Recognizing that there is a problem is the first step.

Twenty to thirty minutes of exercise most days of the week is a “normal” fitness lifestyle where you will receive the health benefits from exercise.