Too much exercise

I know… too much exercise; I can barely get my butt to the gym some days. Let alone worry about over doing it, but for some people if a little is good, more must be better.

Not the case. Really…I promise. You are not the exception to the rule.

The purpose of exercise is to stress the body beyond its norm, forcing it to get stronger and leaner.

Doing cardio for more than two hours a day, an equivalent of burning around 6,500 calories week, is not necessary. It does not provoke any added benefits, but there is potential for many serious side effects.

Keeping up such intensity will induce too much oxidative stress in your body. The undue stress on your joints can actually make them weaker leading to acute and chronic injury. Overtraining causes the adrenal gland to pump out excessive cortisol into the system. Result: a decrease your longevity.

Thirty minutes of moderate exercise a day is all you need to infer the healthy benefits of exercise such as reducing heart disease risks, diabetes and hypertension. Forty-five to 60 minutes for weight loss.

Resistance training follows the same theory. Keep your strength training sessions to 45 minutes to reduce unwanted cortisol (stress hormone) released into the system.

Excessive exercise, like extreme diets, attracts people who feel an extreme need for control in their lives.

Signs you might be exercising too much might show up as exhaustion, depression, a drop in performance and injuries.