Why Over-Exercising Is Actually Bad for You

Have you been exercising so much that you’re feeling drained and sore? Are you worried that this means your body isn’t getting the rest it needs to stay healthy? Take a deep breath and relax! You aren’t doing yourself any favors by overdoing your exercise routine. In fact, over-exercising can do more harm than good, particularly if you push yourself harder than your body is able to handle or if you continue to overdo it even when you are already suffering from injuries or illnesses.

How to avoid the negative side effects of exercise

Many people who exercise regularly know that extreme fatigue and soreness are just part of working out. But in addition to general discomfort, over-exercising can cause damage to your health in a number of other ways. You may have heard that it can lead to anxiety, hair loss, depression, hormonal changes and even burnout. In fact, some researchers believe that over-exercise might be causing more harm than good when it comes to our physical and mental health. Here's how you can avoid these negative side effects if you think you're doing too much exercise.

While there’s no hard rule on exactly how much exercise is too much, Dr Leah Cahill, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School says we need to start with what we do know: high levels of physical activity often come with many symptoms including weight gain, muscle aches and exhaustion. That’s because high levels of activity increase inflammation in the body which is both physically painful and linked to increased levels of stress hormones. Both excessive exercise and inflammation negatively impact sleep quality which further makes it harder for you to manage stress levels throughout the day. If you find yourself experiencing any or all of these symptoms then maybe it’s time to scale back on your workouts.

How much exercise do you need?

Exercising isn’t just a hobby; it’s one of your key strategies to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. But how much is enough? This can be difficult to answer, especially when so many people in modern society spend a lot of time sitting around. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to exercise like an athlete to see health benefits. Moderate activity levels are perfect for helping you lose or maintain weight and will also decrease your risk of chronic disease. The trick is figuring out what moderate activity level means for you personally—and if your workout routine could use some tweaking if it isn’t getting you where you want to go. One way to tell if you're exercising too much is by taking note of how often you’re sore after working out. If soreness interferes with your daily activities, that's a sign that you might be overdoing it. Exercise should never hurt! If your body hurts all day long because of strenuous workouts, try scaling back and letting yourself recover more often between sessions. Also keep in mind that over-exercising can lead to fatigue and even injury as well as make daily tasks more challenging than they have to be.

How to make your workout fun

It’s a sad but true fact that many people sign up to fitness classes with good intentions and never actually go. If you find your motivation waning, ask yourself why you signed up in the first place. If it was because of pressure from a friend or it seemed like an easy way to meet people, maybe reconsider. But if you did sign up because you wanted to lose weight or get stronger, think about ways to make exercising more fun. Work out with friends or family members who are also motivated (or already established exercisers), and take your workout outdoors on nice days. Mixing things up can help keep you committed over time—because let’s face it: exercise is hard work.