Fitness

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Can I Exercise Too Much?

Lauren Romano

Last Modified Date: February 05, 2024

While exercise can be advantageous to your life, it is possible that you can do it too much. Despite all of the benefits exercise can give you, it can be detrimental if you push yourself and do too much of it. Before you start your next workout, consider if all the exercise that you are doing is really too much.

If you are a beginner of any type of exercise, you should take it slow at first and gradually build up. If you start exercising too much when your body is not used to it, you could risk injury and can put yourself out of commission for a while. For example, if you want to get into speed walking, start out by walking a few blocks. Each time you go for a walk, gradually increase how far and fast you went previously.

You can risk overworking your muscles if you exercise too much. Whatever muscles you worked yesterday, try to work a different set today. It gives the muscles from yesterday a chance to relax. If you start pushing your body too hard, it may start pushing back and you could increase the possibility of getting an injury.

When you exercise too much, you could simply get bored of it, which can make you less motivated to exercise altogether. If you were to eat the same thing every single day, you would eventually become tired of it. Change up your exercise routine and add some variety. It can help keep you motivated to work out.

Those who exercise often have to remember to stay hydrated.

One big sign that you exercise too much is that you put exercise before everything else in your life. When you are injured, you keep up with the same workout regimen and you usually never miss a workout. If you do miss one, you feel ashamed. It is also possible that you try to keep how often you exercise from your family and friends for fear that they will not agree with your schedule.

When exercising, it's important not to push the body too much and risk injury.

While you may feel the urge to exercise constantly, try your best to resist that urge and occupy your time doing something else. There is no problem exercising smartly and within moderation, but when you go overboard that is when it starts to become a problem. If you are hearing from everyone around you that you exercise too much and that it is a problem, chances are it is true even if you do not believe it. You are better off talking to your doctor so you can hear from a true professional if you really do exercise too much.

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Discussion Comments

OeKc05

April 19, 2012

@shell4life – Maybe you should focus more on your enjoyment of the workout and less on how many calories you will be burning. Obviously, the workouts that burn the most calories are going to be the most challenging, so you will probably learn to dread them all.

Find something that you enjoy doing, like skating or cycling. I enjoy dancing, and when I put on some upbeat music, I can get a great workout. I used to walk thirty minutes a day, and because I was doing this too much, I got bored and stopped working out at all for awhile.

I may not be working out for as long as I once was, but I think I am getting more out of it, because I enjoy it. I am burning more calories than I would be sitting around, even though I'm not overexercising.

shell4life

April 19, 2012

I am afraid that I may be exercising too much, but now that I have started losing weight, it is hard to stop. Regular little fifteen minute walks were not doing the trick, so I started running on a treadmill thirty minutes a day.

For the first few weeks, I was so sore I could hardly walk. After awhile, my legs got used to the workout, though, so I thought I was doing fine.

Now, I am so bored with the treadmill that I dread working out every day. I still do it, because I am so happy that I am losing weight, but I don't know how much longer I can continue.

What are some exercises that burn as much weight as running on a treadmill? Maybe if I could do one type one day and the treadmill the next, I wouldn't get so burnt out on it.

Oceana

April 18, 2012

I had a friend in college who found out just what happens when you exercise too much. She was putting herself through some rigorous training for the track team, and she did more than her coach advocated.

She exercised so much and so often that she stopped having her menstrual periods. They just went away.

She also started getting bacterial infections much more easily than she had before. She stayed sick, and her doctor urged her to stop exercising so much.

She had to take medication to make her periods start again, and she knew that she would have to lay off the excessive routine to keep her body healthy. I think that getting sick and feeling terrible most of the time motivated her to slow down.

kylee07drg

April 17, 2012

I had an addiction to exercise when I was younger. I had lost ten pounds by sticking to a certain routine, and I never wanted that weight to return.

I did miss some of my favorite snacks, and from time to time, I would give into the craving. Afterward, I would do extra exercises to make up for the calories I had just consumed.

I started turning down invitations to sleepovers because I knew that if I went, I wouldn't have time for my workout. When my mother finally forced me to go to one, I slyly escaped long enough to go for a run.

My friends caught me as I was headed down the road, and they told me that I had a problem. They encouraged me and helped me off a dangerous path.

Post your comments

By: Sergejs Rahunoks
It is possible to exercise too much.
By: Givaga
Those who exercise often have to remember to stay hydrated.
By: david hughes
When exercising, it's important not to push the body too much and risk injury.
By: JJAVA
Beginners should exercise by gradually working up to more intense exercise.
By: Minerva Studio
Excessive exercise can cause mental and physical fatigue.
By: Helder Almeida
Pushing too hard while exercising can result in dizziness.