Everyone has been told to exercise due to the health benefits and social interaction. You can find fun exercises to do outdoors or indoors, all year around. There are many different things that you can do like aerobic, strength training, and stretching and great sports like golf, tennis, running or basketball that make great hobbies also. Exercise is great for our bodies, but can we over-do it?
Exercise frequently?
Can we over do it when exercising? According to the current research, the answer is yes. It can be difficult to tell how much exercise is too much. It can be dependent on the person and the activity. Sometimes over-doing it can be enjoying your run so much that your normal 5 miles turns into 10 or you decide to push for another long run the next 3 days in a row. Other times over-doing it can be pushing yourself hard at the gym for several days or weeks, pushing through the pain and fatigue with the no pain, no gain attitude. You might not feel terrible but if you’ve over-reached, exhausted yourself, and done too much, it may lead to other issues.
You need to take an exercise break for a day or two to let your body recover which will allow the tissues to heal. Over-training or over-exercising can often occur with weekend warriors but athletes are suspect to this too. Some signs you might be over training/exercising are: extreme fatigue, energy/stamina loss, muscle injuries, prolonged muscle soreness ,sleeping issues, weight gain, back pain, or a loss of menstrual cycle in women. It can lead to a weakened immune system or in some circumstances, heart issues. Inflammation increases in these types of situations which then can lead to other health issues.
When a person is fatigued, the body tends to make training errors like improper posture and technique. A lack of self care like stretching and proper hydration can also be side effect of too frequent exercise, all which can lead to injuries. If you’ve exhausted yourself with exercise or training, listen to your body. You may need to take some time off to allow your body to rest and recover. and then ease back into exercises. Trying different exercises would be more beneficial to work different groups of muscles, allowing for cross training. Working with a chiropractor, physical therapist, athletic trainer, coach, or medical professional can help a person have more individualized exercises and self care.
Exercising at all?
On the opposite side, many of us are guilty of not exercising enough. We sit for our jobs or while commuting to and from work or school. After work, we sit, relaxing on the couch when we get home. This can be just as harmful to our bodies as over exercising. It can lead to stiff muscles and dysfunctional movement patterns potential leading to more severe posture problems. You might even notice the numbers on the scale going up, due to lack of activity. Lack of exercise increases your chances for hypertension, increased heart rate, high cholesterol, anxiety, depression, and many other health conditions. People who don’t get enough exercise are more susceptible to bone loss (osteoporosis), type 2 diabetes, and heart disease among other things too. your chance of falling also increases with the decrease in daily activities, especially in older adults.
What is the right amount of exercise?
It is a fine line to walk with exercising. So what is a healthy amount of exercise? According to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and noted by both Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic, current research suggest a minimum of 150 minutes (30 minutes 5 days a week) of moderate aerobic exercise (brisk walk, jogging, biking, swimming). 300 minutes a week of aerobic exercise is needed for losing weight or keeping off lost pounds. As we age, it is suggested to add 2 days a week of strength training for bone health. The type of exercise may look different for each person though based on their age, goals, and physical limitations.
It is important to have different providers in your corner for your exercising journey. Whether you are just starting out or have been exercising for years, people with chronic or physical ailments may not be able to do this much exercise. Doing what you’re able is better than doing nothing. Consult your doctor, physical therapist or chiropractor about what types of exercise are best suited for your body.
As always, we would love to answer your questions and help you stay in motion to make you feel your best. Give us a call at 402-261-5766 or email us at info@fletcherchiropracticllc.com. You can also find out more information at http://www.fletcherchiropracticllc.com.
For further reading check out the links below.
Signs That Exercise Is Actually Hurting Your Health (clevelandclinic.org)
How Many Days a Week Should You Workout? (clevelandclinic.org)