Wow..The medical article I read was too long but I copied a portion out. Why Is Exercising Too Much a Bad Thing? 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 arent 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 isnt 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 asamenorrhea) and increase the risk of premature bone loss (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 engaging in unhealthy weight loss behaviors such as restricting intake, vomiting, and using diet pills or supplements. 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.Warning Signs Someone may be exercising compulsively if he or she: wont skip a workout, even if tired, sick, or injureddoesnt enjoy exercise sessions, but feels obligated to do themseems anxious or guilty when missing even one workoutdoes miss one workout and exercises twice as long the next timeis constantly preoccupied with his or her weight and exercise routinedoesnt like to sit still or relax because of worry that not enough calories are being burnthas lost a significant amount of weightexercises more after eating moreskips seeing friends, gives up activities, and abandons responsibilities to make more time for exerciseseems to base self-worth on the number of workouts completed and the effort put into trainingis never satisfied with his or her own physical achievements
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 11:54:27 +0000