Exercise regularly, be fit, watch what you eat. So, tell us something we don’t know. However, many of us still need to understand why too much exercise is not necessarily a good thing. Are we aware of the hazards of going over-the-top with strength training and cardio work-outs? It is said that people who do aerobic exercise five days a week for more than 40 minutes each, had lower antibody production than those who did aerobic exercise three days per week. Deanne Panday (Bipasha Basu) and Payal Gidwani (Kareena Kapoor) put the exercise theory under the scanner.
The warning signs by Deanne Pandey
A drop in your workout performance is one of the earliest signs of exercise overload. These are apparent in high endurance activities like running, swimming and cycling.
Others signs: Alarming heart rate: An increase in your normal resting heart rate, say, from 50 beats per minute to 65 beats per minute, could indicate that you’re placing excessive stress on your body. Not just high BP, it also aggrevates the over production of thyroid.
Fluctuating moods: Cardio or weights after a long day at work might see you feeling stressed due to depleted energy levels. But you may also find yourself depressed, angry, and irritabile as your body is not used to the strain.
Low appetite: Overtraining can also lead to a decrease in appetite, and slows down your metabolism.
Muscle loss: Muscle imbalance is a major problem. If you are only working out your biceps, you tend to neglect your other muscles, resulting in imbalance and muscle pulling.
Fatigue and insomnia: It’s a myth that the more tired you are, the more effective your workout. You are obviously overdoing it if you don’t feel rejuvenated. It also affects your sleep patterns.
Weight gain: People are under the mistaken notion that the more you work out, the more you lose weight. A decrease in muscle mass can cause you to shed a few pounds, but this isn’t a good sign as it means your body is less efficient at burning fat.
Body speak by Payal Gidwani
Working out to an extent is fine but not knowing when to stop it is the problem. People need to stop and listen to their body. Some signs to indicate you’re overdoing it:
Feel the pain: Your workouts suddenly feel harder than usual, and you’re losing ground. If you’re feeling the pain, it’s time to analyse your workout routine.Stress and weight gain: Individuals who often perform hours of cardio each day can experience increased secretion of corti-sol – a hormone associated with stress and weight gain. Additionally, over-training can suppress your appetite by increasing the secretion of two hormones known as epinephrine and norepinephrine. Inadequate caloric intake during difficult training programmes can reduce your recovery rate.Suppressed immune system: As your body struggles with fatigue and inadequate muscle recovery, energy reserved for proper immune-system function redirects to repair overworked muscles and bones. Reoccurring illness during a workout programme indicates a lack of rest and possible over-training. Additionally, training while sick can lengthen your recovery time.
Muscle damage: Muscles and bones experience microscopic damage during extreme exercise and require 24 to 48 hours of rest between workouts for adequate recovery. Frequently forgoing adequate rest periods reduces your strength and causes previously easy exercises to become difficult. Attempting exercise in a weakened state can lead to sprains or muscle tears.