Over-exercise
Exercise is good for us, and research shows that this is true, but did you know that you can exercise too much and this can affect your health? The minimum you should aim for is thirty minutes of moderate exercise three times a week. About sixty minutes a day of moderate or vigorous exercise is enough although athletes training for a special event might do a bit more than this.
Here are some signs that you might be overdoing it:
Here are some signs that you might be overdoing it:
- You are doing several sessions of exercise a day, everyday even when you are not training for a special event.
- You put exercise above friends, work, school… Exercise is your main focus in life.
- You get upset when you miss a workout, and worry about putting on weight, so you eat less.
- You start to get health problems, such as injuries (bone fractures, sprains, soreness) or missed periods.
- Bulimia and anorexia. Over-exercise is linked with eating disorders. A person who over-exercises may have unrealistic ideas about what their body 'should' look like.
- Over-exercise can lead to injuries that take ages to get better.
- People who over-exercise can have illnesses that just do not clear up, such as a sore throat or bronchitis that does not get better for weeks.
- Stopped periods. If a young woman exercises too much and loses weight at the same time, she can have a drop in the hormones that regulate the menstrual cycle. This can cause her periods to stop.
- Bone problems. Osteoporosis is weakening of the bones; low hormone levels can cause this. As a result, the risk of stress fractures and broken bones is greater.