The Dangers of Over-exercising

So I have been on an exercise kick lately. Ever since I started personal training I am really starting to learn how far I can actually push my body, and it is way more than I thought. I am finally in a place where I am motivated, and I am kind of addicted to going to the gym; if i miss a session it really bothers me (a part of this is because I am learning to love exercising but another part is all of the eye candy at the new gym!).

Kim and I have been talking and we have both been going hard at the gym, and really making our workouts count, but I began to wonder if this is really going to pay off. So me being the person I am, I decided to do some research. So according to most of the articles that I found there is such a thing as overexercising, and when a person exercises or works the same muscles too much without giving them enough rest in between it can actually undo all of your hard work.

To sum up all of the information that I found, in order to lose weight effectively and give your muscles enough time to rebuild in between workout routines, you should aim to burn at least 3500 calories a week, which equals the same amount of calories in One Pound. Once you begin to burn more than 3500 calories a week this may lead to reduced physical benefits or even injury. Muscles normally need 1 to 2 days to recover after a workout, thus the reason why you should add variety to your workout and not target the same muscles. I found this great article for some strength training tips.

Over a period of time over-exercising can actually have some lasting effects on your body and over all well-being. Over-exercising can weaken your immune system and change your sleeping patterns, which can make you much more susceptible to diseases and other illnesses. It can also affect you emotionally and cause changes in your behavior. The reason for this is because when you over-train, your body releases cortisol, which is the same hormone that is released when you are stressed When you over-work your body and muscles, it takes a longer amount of time for your muscles to recover, and you may feel a constant level of soreness.

When I am referring to over-exercising, this means becoming consumed with exercising and really pushing your body way beyond its limits. I had no idea of the numerous risks of over-exercising some additional ones  are insomnia, depression and fatigue, shin splits, bone fractures, and arthritis. After all of the reading that I have done, I am really going to rethink my long gym sessions. It is really true you do not need to kill yourself in the gym to see real results.

Thanks for reading!