Over-exercising: Too much of a good thing?

Are you over-exercising and hurting your heart in the process? Rajendra Prasad tells you how to keep the pulse on the exercise regime

Exercise is to the body what meditation is to the mind. Since our childhood, it is a general belief that exercise improves health and gives us a long life. But this belief was challenged when rumours around the death of an actor supposedly due to excessive workout changed perceptions. Doctors believe that our body is a machine and it has some limits and these limits should be respected. If you want to transform your body in a very short period of time then intense exercises and heavyweights are the go-to things followed by youngsters. But our body has limits and these limits if crossed regularly can harm us more than do any good.

When we start doing intense exercises regularly, it puts a lot of pressure on the heart which works faster to pump blood to all parts of the body and in the process the heart becomes enlarged and this is sometimes called an Athlete Heart. According to doctors, people with an Athlete Heart are prone to heart attacks and cardiac arrest. The key to good health and long life through exercise is in ensuring moderation. Although an intense workout may provide fast results in the short term, it may cause negative effects on our health in the long term. So what constitutes moderate will be the next question. Exercises are classified as moderate and intense based on the number of heartbeats per minute while performing the exercise. It generally varies with age and sex for a particular exercise.

Before performing any exercise we should have some knowledge about ourselves like our maximum heartbeat and health condition, if there is any health disability you should consult a doctor before starting a new exercise regime. Maximum heartbeat can be calculated by subtracting your age from 220. For example, if your age is 30 then your maximum heart rate will be 220-30=190.

Exercises are categorised as intense if your heartbeat reaches 85%-90% of your maximum heartbeat. Doctors suggest 60%-80% of maximum heartbeat for good health.

Doctors also believe that there is no alternative for exercise and it should be done in moderation at least five days a week and benefits of exercise includes the prevention of strokes, blood pressure, anxiety, Type 2 diabetes and it also battles depression which is a mental condition majorly seen among youngsters.

The best moderate exercises include walking, swimming, cycling, slow jogging, brisk walking etc. As the saying goes, anything in excess is poison and it is true in the case of exercise.

It is clear that exercise is extremely good for your health but when done in excess it harms the body. So, the next question would be how to overcome the negative effects of over-exercising? Here are a few suggestions:

Whenever you feel tired while exercising, stop and take a break for a few minutes. Do not push yourself excessively.

Drink enough water during your exercise sessions.

Ensure you get at least 8 hours of sleep which allows your body to recover.

Eat nutrient-rich food for your level of exercise.

Take 6-8 hours gap if you are working out for two sessions in a day and take a complete day off on weekends.