8 Negative Consequences Of Excessive Physical Exercise
Physical exercise is one of the activities that best suits our body and our physical and mental well-being, and that is why practicing sports provides many benefits. Experts recommend moderate physical activity at least 3 times a week; Otherwise, we run the risk of suffering from a sedentary lifestyle and other problems.
However, Excessive physical exercise can also have negative consequences for a person and for his health.
Negative consequences of excessive physical exercise
Controlled physical activity can increase our happiness, improve the health of our heart, help us have a slim body, reduce stress and many other benefits, as you can see in the article: “The 10 psychological benefits of practicing physical exercise”
But what happens when we train excessively? What consequences does it have for our body and our mind? We will see it below.
1. Vigorexia
One of the pathological conditions that are associated with physical training and, especially, weight training, is vigorexia. This condition is a type of body dysmorphic disorder in which the person sees himself as less muscular than he is and becomes obsessed with having a gym body (that is, muscular).
The origin of vigorexia is found in the image culture in which we live immersed. The media continually sends us advertising messages about the perfect body, often in an unrealistic way. Obsession with diet and physical exercise can lead a person to suffer from vigorexia, and vigorexia can lead an individual to become obsessed with physical exercise.
Running has become very fashionable in recent years, and although running is one of the healthiest activities for our body and mind, in excess, it can also cause serious problems for the person who overdoes it. And it is that Anything taken to the extreme can have negative consequences for our body, and running is no exception.
Runnorexia may appear because the person suffers from low self-esteem and, as a consequence, seeks to fill the emptiness they feel with excessive training. Obviously, cultural factors also influence, and the fact that running is fashionable has also caused an increase in cases of people with runnorexia.
In extreme cases, people with runnorexia They can see how their quality of life decreases and they may even stop meeting up with their friends or partner. If you want to know more about this disorder, you can read this article: “Runnorexia: the modern running addiction”
3. Rhabdomyolysis
Rhabdomyolysis is a condition that It is characterized by the alteration of muscle cells that cause alterations to the body and can put a person’s life at risk. Its cause can be hereditary, although excessive and intense physical training can also cause its development. Therefore, to prevent this alteration, it is advisable to perform controlled physical exercises under appropriate conditions.
4. Injuries
Injuries are common in athletes, whether muscular or joint injuries, and sometimes they occur without excessive exercise being present. Nevertheless, when we train excessively and do not rest enough We are more prone to injuries. Sometimes it is due to training overload and other times due to the mental fatigue that occurs, which causes us to have incorrect technique.
Practicing sports in moderation can help us feel young and healthy, not only physically, but also psychologically and mentally. However, excessive effort accelerates joint wear
6. Overtraining syndrome
The overtraining syndrome is comparable to the burnout syndrome that occurs in companies. This phenomenon, which is also called stalenesscan lead the person to have serious health problems and affect their daily life.
When we talk about overtraining, we must distinguish physical overtraining, which can cause problems, for example, muscular, of mental overtraining, which is much more complex oy that produces the following symptoms: feeling of fatigue, insomnia, depression, loss of vigor, etc. Excessive exercise and lack of recovery influence the development of this disorder.
7. Heart problems
While moderate physical exercise is good for the cardiovascular system, and even intense training when done properly, overexercise can cause an increase in circulatory and heart problems
According to research in Heart magazine, practicing a lot of sports can be counterproductive for the heart, especially in those people over 30 who train intensely for more than five hours a week. The data concludes that 19% of the population are more likely to develop heart disease such as atrial fibrillation upon reaching 60 years of age.
8. Decreased immune system
The immune system is also harmed by excessive physical exercise, especially because the body does not rest enough. This causes different problems for the body, because it does not recover properly as should do during a rest period A weak immune system manifests itself with more colds, fever, headaches and more serious illnesses.
