Are You Over-Exercising??

Ashley Davis

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Ever though that someone could tell you that you are exercising too much? Although exercise is crucial to your overall health and well-being, too much of it could in the end do the opposite. Over Exercising is also known as compulsive exercising and it is when an individual engages in strenuous physical activity to the point where it becomes unsafe and unhealthy. How do you know when you have reached compulsive exercising? Well in order to maintain your cardiovascular health, you should be burning 2,000-3,500 calories through some type of aerobic exercise such as running, dancing or cycling. Thirty to forty minutes a week 5 or 6 days a week should be sufficient to burn the required calories. However, if you are burning more than 3,500 calories a week then the risk of injury and decreased physical benefits will start to occur such as muscle dysmorphia.

What are the signs and symptoms of compulsive exercising? If you feel extreme guilt after not being able to work out one day, or even go way out of your way in order to workout, then you might be compulsive exercising. Some of the consequences associated with over exercising can be both physical and emotional. Many who start to over exercise become socially withdrawn because working out take almost all of their free time. There are also many physical risks associated with over exercising. Dehydration is one of the most common as well as insomnia, depression, muscular and skeletal injuries such as shin splints, bone fractures, arthritis, or damage to cartilage and ligaments. Too much exercise can lead to the release of excessive free radicals, which have been liked to cellular mutations and cancer. Females may develop a condition called amenorrhea in which they no longer have their menstrual cycle.

Make sure you know the fine line between healthy and unhealthy exercise so that you do not fall victim to compulsive exercising.