Overexercising: just don't do it! Too much physical activity can produce some serious, unexpected problems

Only three months after making that New Year's resolution to begin an exercise program and get into shape, that commitment, for many people, has faded like smoke from a cigarette. But on the other side of the spectrum, there is a group who not only has kept the resolution, but many have become somewhat obsessive and are overexercising to the point of possibly causing bodily harm.

In this era of increased body-consciousness, exercise is at the core of everyday activities. There are many benefits associated with proper exercise, including strengthening muscles and the cardiovascular system, lowering body fat and lessening the risk of a variety of diseases. But medical experts and fitness trainers say, unfortunately, exercise can become compulsive for some people, many of whom start exercising with the intent of losing weight. As a result, it is becoming more common for many impatient and frustrated people to overexercise in an attempt to accelerate their weight loss. And when they do, there's a price to pay.

Compulsive exercise, particularly if it's combined with an eating disorder (anorexia or bulimia), can cause serious and permanent health problems, and in some cases, death, doctors say. The typical signs of overexercising include continued achiness or pain in the muscles and/or joints, fatigue, insomnia, elevated morning pulse rate, headaches, loss of appetite, lack of energy and increased susceptibility to sore throats, colds and other illnesses.

Since everyone's body responds differently to exercise, it's difficult to establish a uniform level of activity that's considered to be too much, fitness trainers say. But they stress that as part of any workout routine each person should schedule a proper amount of rest time to allow the body to recover. "If you are feeling rundown instead of being excited and pumped up after a workout, then you're probably overtraining and your body is breaking down," says Norm Widerstrom, a personal trainer at Lifetime Fitness in Warrenville, Ill.

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Ironically, just as not enough exercise can create health problems, too much exercise can produce its own detrimental effects.

Most experts agree that the simplest way to avoid overexercising is to realize that moderation is the key. "You should go about your workout one step at a time, and go a tittle slower instead of faster," Widerstrom says. "A workout should be approached like it's a part of your lifestyle, not a sprint. And if you focus on three areas--nutrition, cardiovascular and resistance training--you'll get greater results."

SIGNS OF A COMPULSIVE EXERCISER

* You exercise even if you don't feel well How much you eat determines how much you exercise

* You worry that you'll gain weight if you don't exercise every day

* You force yourself to do multiple workouts during the day, every day.

* You become depressed if you have to miss a workout.

Here are some tips from fitness experts that will prevent you from overexercising:

If you're not feeling energized when you complete your workout, lessen the intensity or the amount of your workouts.

Take a day off at least once a week.

Establish realistic fitness goals.

Alternate difficult workouts with easier ones.

Be patient. Overexercising won't produce faster results.

COPYRIGHT 2008 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning