If you’ve missed your period, (for women), your resting heart rate is up, and you’re fatigued, cut back.
There is so much push to get off the couch and get active in all forms of media today. From new apps that promise to track your every movement, to virtual subscriptions for online workout videos hosted on multi-million dollar platforms, to diet pills and endless photos on Instagram of people who are buff beyond belief, the pressure is omnipresent. And for good reason, somewhat.
Most people would love to be fitter than they are, and it’s true that many in North America and elsewhere could stand to lose a few pounds (or maybe, actually, many). A lot of us could benefit from a diet and nutrition overhaul and rates of obesity in both children and adults keep rising.
But is it possible to get too much of a good thing? The answer is, yes.
What isn’t talked about much is the fact that you can actually exercise too much. In fact, over-exercising is a dangerous phenomenon that can indicate you may have body image issues and other mental health concerns that require some attention. Over exercising and not giving your body the time it needs to recover can damage your heart, and for women, cause their period to stop, and bone loss to happen.
Only about 23% of all US adults are getting their recommended amount of daily exercise. Of that percentage, however, some are truly over doing it.
If you love going to extremes and chasing that exercise high, here are five signs you should actually take a break.
Losing your period
Women and girls who exercise to extremes experience their period stopping. This happens because your metabolism does the opposite of what you would expect it to do when exercising so much. With too much exercise in females, the metabolism slows down. Your body is doing this to conserve energy, and the end result is you stop ovulating.
When amenorrhea happens, you can’t increase your lean muscle mass. Things can get so bad that your body actually starts breaking down the muscle you do have in order to feed the essential organs. Your body kind of starts eating itself.
You will experience bone loss if you’re not taking in enough calories to match your output in exercise. This happens because your body is not able to produce enough estrogen if your period has stopped.
A lot of females who experience amenorrhea due to too much exercise are also constricting their diet.
“Many women are in denial about developing exercised-induced anorexia from disordered eating. But missing a period is a sign that they are not eating enough and need further evaluation,” said registered dietician Kate Patton to the Cleveland Clinic.
Decreased performance
Yes, you just want to push harder. And faster. But if you find your exercise results are waning when you would expect them to be getting even better, you are overdoing it. Eat more, and take more rest days, otherwise you could end up injured. You aren’t going to get any faster or stronger by continuing to exercise when your body is spent.
An elevated resting heart rate
Most athletes experience an elevated heart rate for a while after an intense workout. A difficult work out day may be followed by you waking up in the morning with an elevated heart rate. The truth is, however, if you do this too often, you can damage your heart in the long run.
Scientific evidence shows that people who engage in chronic extreme exercise such as running marathons back to back, or generally training hard without rest, can eventually experience heart damage and rhythm disorders. Some people are at a genetic disadvantage in this area, making them particularly at risk.
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According to Clevelandclinic.org, one study done on marathon runners found after completing extreme events, the blood samples of marathoners contained biomarkers connected with heart damage. Scary stuff. Overtime, these damage indicators disappeared. If you continually stress your heart too much, however, its walls can become thicker and your heart scarred.
While it’s good to stay active, do so within reason. High intensity exercise can drastically increase your risk of suffering from sudden cardiac arrest or death if you have underlying cardiac disease. You could and not know it. Extended periods of high intensity exercise can also lead to atrial fibrillation.
Fat gain
People who over-exercise often lose weight. At the far end of over exercising, you can actually gain fat, however. Prolonged stress on your body elevates your levels of cortisol. This will lead to your body storing more adipose tissue, or body fat.
Feeling tired
Finally, one of the easiest ways to know if you are overdoing it is if you feel tired. All the time. Exercise should make you more alert, and lead to better levels of energy. If you’re exercising a lot and feeling mentally sluggish as well as physically tired, cut back.
It’s true that most people don’t exercise enough and the average person doesn’t have a real desire to break Olympic records every time they strap on some running shoes.
There is a particular breed, however, who loves a racing heart, continually embraces the thrill of constant competition, and will run with you by the seaside and only stop when one of you ends up swept away by the evening tide. If this is you or someone you know, take a step back and analyze the situation every so often.
Are you healthy with your exercise? Is it an act of moderation or an addiction?
Don’t damage your heart and bones. Engage in moderate exercise activities that allow you to carry on a conversation at the same time. Treat yourself well and you’ll be able to walk, run, and go on those treasured bike rides for years to come.
photo credits: Tero Vesalainen/Shutterstock.com
