The perfect fitness balance occurs when there are proper amounts of exercise, rest and nutrition.  Too little exercise can lead to cardiopulmonary disease, osteoporosis, excessive body fat resulting in obesity, high blood pressure and on and on.  What happens when there is too much exercise?

Too much exercise can actually lead to injuries both physically and emotionally.  Physically the body needs time to rest.  When we exercise in excess tendons and ligaments are strained putting them at risk for tears and bones for stress fractures.  In addition, too much exercise can actually result in loss of muscle mass, especially if the amount of nutrition being consumed is inadequate to replace necessary nutrients.  A much more serious consequence of excessive exercise with out proper nutrition is heart failure.  The heart is a muscle like any other in the body and overtraining it leads to weakness and potential failure.  Although many people exercise to feel stronger and look better, too much can have the opposite effect.

The immune system is also weakened by excessive exercise leaving you prone to contracting more colds and viruses.  If your body is exhausted it has nothing left to fight off bacteria and other illness causing agents.  In effect, what overtraining can do is reverse what you think you are achieving by working out.

Emotionally, excessive exercise can lead to irritability, depression, low self esteem and even be a warning of a possible eating disorder

What are the warning signs of too much exercise?

1. Do you feel guilty if you miss a workout?
2. Is your performance declining?
3. Do you feel obligated to exercise if when you don’t want to?
4. Do you make up for one missed workout by doubling the next?
5. Are your thoughts preoccupied by your workouts and body weight?
6. If you overeat, do you feel the need to exercise to make up for it?
7. Do you ever miss work or school to get another workout in?

How can you keep yourself from the very real risks of over exercising?

1. Make wellness your goal, not your body image
2. Have an exercise program put together for you that is reasonable
3. Listen to your body, when it needs a rest, give it one
4. Allow your body to rest

So, how much is enough but not too much?  There is more debate over this topic than there is on how much exercise should be the minimum.  A general rule of thumb is workout as long as you are feeling good, not becoming obsessive or compulsive about it and are enjoying it.  A balanced program has a rest day each week, more if you are competing in an event.  Your rest day doesn’t mean you need to stay in bed, just take it easy, do something for the pleasure of it, not the workout. 

By Christina Leon, Staff Writer