When Is It Too Much Exercise For You?

That’s an easy question to answer…..when your body starts to break down, you need to back off and let your body heal and rest! I was talking to a friend yesterday and she refuses to taper off on her exercise schedule. Why? Because she is afraid her body will gain the pounds back. That won’t happen to her. She has a great weight training and cardio exercise routine going but wait there’s more! She also plays in 2 sports leagues! Many days, she might do 4-5 hours of intense exercise. And, guess what? Her body is starting to break down in the predictable places—the joints. Knee problems, tendonitis and back problems are starting to affect her. If this type of pace is left unchecked, degenerative conditions, like arthritis, will happen to her body. So, how much is enough exercise? Here are some general guidelines: 1. Do not work out every day. Take at least one day off each week. Three days of strength training (45 minutes to 1 hour each session) and 3 days of interval cardio exercise (20 minutes each session) is enough. 2. After 12 straight weeks of exercise, take a week off. You can do “active rest” if you want—like playing golf, doing overdue yardwork or just walking 30 minutes a day. 3. If your joints begin to hurt when you exercise, something is wrong! You are either injured or you just need to take a few days off. You will come back stronger after a little rest. 4. The more intense the exercise, the more rest your body needs to recover. For example, speed exercises and plyometrics (jump training) should be done 2 days a week at the most. 5. Change up your exercise routine (weekly) to avoid repetitive stress injuries. 6. “No pain, no gain” is NOT a good exercise philosophy! If you have sharp pain in your muscles, tendons, ligaments or joints, something is wrong! Get medical help.