Should You Quit Exercising?
Get-Fit Guy has reached a milestone: this is episode number 200! He is celebrating this momentous occasion by telling you to…stop exercising? Read on to find out!
Ben Greenfield
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Should You Quit Exercising?
Get-Fit Guy has reached a milestone: this is episode number 200! So I figured why not celebrate this momentous occasion by telling you to…stop exercising.
At least, that’s what I was tempted to do!
Why? Well, in the past week, I’ve been randomly exposed to snippets of research showing how bad exercise can be for you.
First, I read a new study that found that female triathletes are at risk of pelvic floor disorders, such as urinary or bowel incontinence, as well as female athlete triad syndrome–the symptoms of which include reduced energy as a result of eating patterns, menstrual problems and abnormal bone density. Yikes!
Next, a report this week on a cluster of studies on osteoarthritis showed that there seems to be a high prevalence of excessive joint breakdown and arthritis, especially in the lower limbs, among former elite athletes from team and individual sports, compared to those from the general population and other occupational sectors..
And finally, the icing on the cake occurred while I was (ironically) driving to a Spartan race. I was listening to a Ted Talks presentation by Dr. James O’ Keefe entitled, “Run for your life! At a Comfortable Pace, and Not Too Far.” In the presentation (which I’ve mentioned before, in the episode, Is Running Bad For You?), Dr. O’ Keefe points out some pretty compelling research that shows that many of us may really be overdoing our extreme fitness sessions.
Accroding to the talks, “the fitness patterns for conferring longevity and robust lifelong cardiovascular health are distinctly different from the patterns that develop peak performance and marathon/superhuman endurance. Extreme endurance training and racing can take a toll on your long-term cardiovascular health. For the daily workout, it may be best to have more fun (and) endure less suffering in order to attain ideal heart health.”
Now if you’re like me, you certainly like to look for the silver lining in such clouds of exercise doom. The fact is, exercise can certainly make you happier, make you healthier, and make your life longer. The trick is simply not to overdo it.
So what are some practical methods you can use to ensure you’re not overdoing exercise?
Here are five quick and dirty tips:
Look for Signs
As I discuss in the newsletter, Can You Exercise Too Much?, four ways to know if you’re overdoing it are:
- You’re always sore or get injured frequently
- You have trouble sleeping or are constantly fatigued
- Your morning resting heart rate begins to get consistently higher
- You sacrifice family, work, or personal obligations to exercise instead
Control Inflammation
Exercise can increase oxygen utilization to over 10 to 20 times the resting state. All that extra oxygen consumption then increases production of free radicals–which are produced as the oxygen is used to convert energy into ATP for muscle contractions. This enhanced free radical generation can cause oxidative damage to muscles and other tissues. Although regular physical exercise can build the antioxidant free radical defense system, intense and high volume exercise can overwhelm these defenses, and cause significant free radical damage.
So be sure not to over-do exercise, and also eat a diet high in anti-inflammatory compounds. A good place to start to learn about that would be Nutrition Diva’s website, InflammationFactor.com.
Ditch The Sugar
There is a propensity for exercise enthusiasts to spend lots of time at coffeeshops and bakeries, engaging in daily chronic consumption of scones, big “healthy” muffins, baked goodies, bagels and artisan breads. Later in the evening, “post-workout”, they’re back to pastas, lasagnas, spaghettis, pizzas, and more carbohydrate-laden foods. And in between these meals is a constant, steady intake of sugar-packed energy bars, energy gels, energy drinks and energy chews.
Not only do these constantly surging blood sugar levels cause sugar addiction and damage to blood vessels and nerves, but they vastly increase risk for Type II diabetes, as the cell surface receptors for insulin eventually become less and less sensitive to elevated insulin levels, while attempting to shove all that extra sugar into the muscles.
So break the sugar addiction: spend two weeks on a lower carbohydrate diet, even if it means that exercise levels need to be slightly decreased. If you’re addicted to exercise, changing to a lower carbohydrate intake can be near to impossible–so often, you must first break the exercise addiction, and then break the sugar addiction. This may require something as dramatic as an extended vacation to a place where you only have access to healthy food–and where you do not have your bike, your gym, your swimsuit and goggles, or your running shoes.
Don’t Get Addicted
Don’t Get AddictedConsistent exercise causes your body to produce endorphins, which are hormones secreted by your pituitary gland to block pain, decrease anxiety, and create feelings of euphoric happiness. But endorphins are chemically similar to the drug morphine, so for many people, compulsive exercise can be psychologically addictive. For regular exercisers, and especially for bodybuilders, triathletes, cyclists, or marathoners, reducing or stopping exercise suddenly–or even missing one single workout–can result in depression, stress and anxiety.
This “mouse on a wheel” attraction to exercise can result in over-training, missing family obligations and social gatherings because of an intense “need” to exercise, and a worry that fitness will be lost or weight will be gained with a day of missed exercise. The pursuit of exercise moves from a way to experience the beauty of nature or spend time with friends, to a feeling of going to work or being stuck in a rut.
So be sure to have at least one day per week on which you do not exercise, or on which your exercise involves no structure (such as playing a new sport.) Unless you are paid for your physical performance, if your exercise ever begins to feel like a job, then switch to something new and fresh. Finally, engage in alternate ways to satisfy your brain, including cooking, wine tasting, music, reading a new book, social events, funny movies or comedy clubs, and sex.
Take Care Of Your Joints
I was playing on the trail with my boys yesterday, and a man ran by with a scowl across his face. Perhaps his sour disposition was due to the knee brace on his right leg, the exercise strap above his left IT band, and the compression sleeve on his elbow. Despite his body falling to pieces, he was limping along the trail, trying to push his body through a run.
Since exercise is addictive, you’ll often see exercise enthuisats trying to push through and continue their chronic repetitive motion training no matter what, often to the continued detriment and breakdown of the body’s worn and tired joints. If you like the idea of knee replacements, hip replacements, and not being able to play in the backyard with your grandkids without teeth-gritting pain, then strap on that brace and head outside to run through the pain. Otherwise, just stop.
In addition, make a point to run on a wide variety of running surfaces and terrains, and avoid only exercising in one plane of motion (running, cycling, and swimming are typically only “front-to-back” activities.) Instead, choose activities with side-to-side motions, like tennis, basketball or soccer, and attempt to address a wide range of musculature with your exercise patterns. Know how to identify when you’re just pushing through pain because you simply must exercise–and then find something else to do, like cross-training, reading a book or picking up a musical instrument.
Whew!
Please don’t misinterpret me, because I do indeed believe that a lifetime of healthy physical activity is one of the best things you can do for your body, and your brain. That’s why they call me the Get-Fit Guy! But a lifetime of indiscriminate, chronic repetitive motion exercise like a rat on a wheel–or excessive exercise as an addiction–is entirely another matter, and you ought to seriously reconsider your priorities if you are stuck in that rut.
If you have more questions about whether you should quit exercising, or how much exercise is too much, join the conversation over at Facebook GetFitGuy!
Photos of woman with tape measures, knee pain, and inflammation x-ray courtesy of Shutterstock.
About the Author
Ben Greenfield received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of Idaho in sports science and exercise physiology; personal training and strength and conditioning certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA); a sports nutrition certification from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), an advanced bicycle fitting certification from Serotta. He has over 11 years’ experience in coaching professional, collegiate, and recreational athletes from all sports, and as helped hundreds of clients achieve weight loss and fitness success.