Can You Actually Exercise Too Much? Yes, And What It Does To Your Body And Brain Is Not Good

While exercising too much will probably never be a problem for most of us (it’s more likely to be quite the opposite), too many intense workouts at the gym can not only halt any gains you’ve been achieving it can also potentially shorten your life. In fact, drinking alcohol might be more important than exercise when it comes to living longer. Everything in moderation, of course.

Don’t get me wrong though. Exercising IS good for you, make no mistake. However, as Tech Insider thoughtfully explains in the video below, it is legitimately possible to over-do it resulting in serious consequences for your body and brain.

Here are some of the findings, as well as a few guidelines you can follow to make sure you are giving maximum effort with doing any damage. After all, in the real world, no one actually has a superhuman “healing factor.”

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• In general, adults should get around five hours a week of moderate exercise or two-and-a-half hours of more intense activity or some combination of the two.

• Running too much, and too intensely, seems to undo some of the health benefits gained from regular running.

• Extreme endurance exercises, like ultra marathons, may also lead to heart damage, heart rhythm disorders, and enlarged arteries, in some people.

• For men, intense exercise has been shown to decrease libido.

• For both men and women, overexercise raises the risk of overuse injuries, like tendinitis and stress fractures.

• While moderate exercise can improve your immune system, excessive exercise can actually suppress it.

• Around 1 million people in the US suffer from exercise addiction. Symptoms include withdrawal, feeling a lack of control and inability to cut down on exercise even when you know it’s hurting you.

Learn even more facts, guidelines and tips on proper exercise in the video below.

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