What Too Much Exercise Does To Your Body And Brain

“Get more exercise” is a common rallying-cry for good health, but it is possible to overdo it. And, this is not just a matter of extreme cases of “exercise addiction”, but even going much above certain limits can already result in sabotaging one’s healthy gains. But how, and where does the line get drawn?

Too Much Of A Good Thing

The famous 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise (or 75 minutes of intense exercise) is an oft-touted figure. This video, on the other hand, springs for 5 hours of moderate exercise or 2.5 hours intense exercise as a good guideline.

We’re advised that going over those guidelines doesn’t necessarily increase health benefits, and on the contrary, may reduce or even reverse them. For example, we are told…

• Light to moderate running reduces the risk of death, but running intensely more than 3 times a week can negate these benefits.
• Extreme endurance exercises, like ultra-marathons, may cause heart damage, heart rhythm disorders, and artery enlargement.
• Women who exercise strenuously every day have a higher risk of heart attacks and strokes compared to those who exercise moderately.
• Excessive exercise in women can lead to the “female athlete triad” (loss of menstruation, osteoporosis, and eating disorders).
• In men, intense exercise can lower libido due to fatigue and reduced testosterone levels.
• Both men and women are at increased risk of overuse injuries (e.g., tendinitis, stress fractures) and impaired immunity from excessive exercise.
• There is a 72-hour window of impaired immunity after intense exercise, increasing the risk of infections.

Exercise addiction is rare, though, with this video citing “around 1 million people in the US suffer from exercise addiction”.

For more on finding the right balance, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

You might also like to read:

• The Doctor Who Wants Us To Exercise Less, And Move More
• No-Exercise Exercise!

Take care!