When Too Much Exercise Is Bad for You

One of the most important ways you can keep your body healthy is by exercising. It’s great for your heart, helps keep your weight under control and puts you in a better mood.

But it’s possible to get too much of this good thing.

While exercise is great for your health, you have to keep in mind that your body is not invulnerable. If you exercise too vigorously or too often, you increase your risk for a range of injuries.

When you exercise, your muscles, tendons and bones experience healthy stress that leads to inflammation. When combined with appropriate rest and recovery, your body can heal itself, resulting in stronger tissues. This cycle of stress and repair is essential for building strength and endurance.

On the flip side, problems can arise if you aren’t giving your body time to heal between exercise sessions. This inflammation can continue to build up within your tissues, resulting in injury. Fortunately, this can be prevented with intentional recovery and learning how to train properly for your chosen activity.

Common Injuries

Among the most common injuries are those that involve repetitive motions or stresses on specific joints, ligaments and tissues. These injuries tend to build slowly over time, with little in the way of symptoms in the earliest stages. The irritation and inflammation increase when you don’t give your body time to recover. Among the most common:

• Achilles tendonitis: This common condition involves inflammation of the large tendon that runs down the back of your lower leg, connecting your calf muscles to your heel bone. It can be caused by sports or exercises that require running, jumping or pushing up on your toes.
• Shin splints: This common running-related condition, also known as medial tibial stress syndrome, involves inflammation of the muscles, tendons and bones around your tibia, or shin bone.
• Tennis elbow: Also known as lateral epicondylitis, this painful condition is an inflammation or micro tearing of tendons that connect the forearm muscles on the outside of the elbow. The injury can be caused by overuse and improper mechanics.
• Runner’s knee: Also known as patellofemoral pain syndrome, this painful condition involves the front of the knee, around the kneecap. The dull, aching pain often increases while you are running, walking up or down stairs, sitting for long periods or squatting. It can be caused by injury or muscle imbalance, but is commonly linked to running, basketball or other sports involving jumping.
• Stress fractures: These tiny cracks can form in bones as a result of overuse and repetitive activity. They are commonly found in runners and in people who take part in sports that involve a lot of running. They also may occur when you try a different activity or increase the intensity of your workouts.

Strategies for Staying Healthy

Protecting your body starts with having an exercise plan. Before heading to the gym, running track or soccer field, take time to establish some ground rules and guidelines to help you achieve your goals.

One easy way to do this is the SMART goal system. The idea is that your goals should be: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. For example, if you aren’t a runner, you can’t just suddenly decide to run a marathon next month without risking hurting yourself. Instead, you need to take stock of your current fitness level and then set reasonable and attainable goals to help you gradually build up the strength needed to tackle a marathon – or whatever it is you want to do.

You should budget time to rest and let your body recover. That means periodically taking time off as needed. But it’s also critical to allow your body a cool-down period after you exercise – similar to the warmup period ahead of the activity. After completing an intense session, give your muscles 5 to 10 minutes to cool down. This could be done with a brisk walk, light jog or stretching exercises.

And finally, listen to your body. We’ve all heard that old saying: “No pain, no gain.” That’s fine when we’re talking about general muscle pain and soreness after a workout that improves after a day or two. But sometimes that pain is your body’s alarm system warning you that something isn’t right. Pay attention, particularly when you notice a sharp pain or discomfort that lingers in your joints. It may be time to back off.

A Word About Equipment

Don’t underestimate the importance of having proper, well-fitting equipment. Runners, for example, need shoes with good support and match the runner’s gait pattern. Long-distance runners should be changing shoes every 300 to 500 miles. If you don’t keep up with this, worn treads can alter your gait, increasing your risk of injury. Most running shoe stores can perform a gait analysis and help you choose a running shoe that fits your running style.

If you are playing sports on grass, make sure you have the right cleats to reduce the risk of falls that could cause injuries. In tennis, a racket that’s too heavy or with an improperly sized grip can put extra stress on your forearm. With cycling, make sure your bike is properly fit to avoid excess pressure on your knees.

If you enjoy sports and exercise, the last thing you want is to be forced to the sidelines. By taking a few precautions, you can reduce the chances of developing chronic pain or an injury that demands treatment.