Do you dread going to the gym for what feels like hours at a stretch? Or do you avoid working out altogether because you just don't have the time? Then what I'm about to tell you should be music to your ears: when it comes to exercise, less is more.
It's becoming increasingly clear from the recent flurry of scientific studies that overdosing on exercise can have detrimental effects on your health. Too much exercise, particularly long bouts of cardio such as marathon and triathlon training, can do more harm than good—particularly to your heart.
While most Americans would be well served to exercise more, there's no need to work out for more than 45 minutes at a time, and if you exercise effectively, your workouts should be even shorter, which I'll be discussing in a moment.
Getting your heart pumping and your body sweating with regular cardio exercise provides multiple benefits. As your heart rate rises:
- Your heart pumps more efficiently
- The amount of oxygen in your blood increases
- Your body's ability to detoxify improves
- Your immune system is activated
- Endorphins increase, elevating your mood
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the benefits of exercise, but there is a cutoff point beyond which exercise can actually harm your body.
Recent studies are giving us a much better understanding of exercise physiology, and many of our past notions have been turned upside-down, in terms of how long and how hard to push yourself before the benefits of exercise turn into damages.
As you probably know, I am a passionate advocate of exercise and staying fit. But too much of a good thing can have the opposite effect of what you want.
No comments:
Post a Comment