Dr. Amy Lee, board certified doctor in internal medicine, medical nutrition and obesity medicine and partner of Nucific, authored this story.
Exercise can be both a positive or negative stress and it comes down to how much and how aggressive of a regimen. The positive benefits of exercise is increasing the body’s way of metabolizing fuel. It utilizes the food we eat and maintains our muscle mass which contributes not only strength but also a boost in our immune system. Another positive thing about exercising and the overall movement of our muscles, joints, and ligaments is the way it makes us feel and how our own body’s endorphins can increase after a good workout.
What happens to your body when there is excessive exercise?
When we undergo too much or too aggressive of an exercise regimen, it could cause the following:
•Micro tears or damages that don’t recover causing overall pain, weakness, and inflammation.
•Rhabdomyolysis, which is a medical condition at which damage outweighs the repair and the by product of exercise can physical cause harm. It can lead to electrolyte imbalance and even organ damage.
•Constant dehydration causing organs to fail and fatigue.
Tips To Follow If You Exercise Regularly
Listen to your body.
Rest after your session. When it comes to working out, you can always designate certain body parts for specific days of the week. Let your body rest 1 to 2 days in between. Muscle soreness is a sign of damage or micro tears so don’t push through it and ignore it.
Use ice and heat post-workout.
Icing and heating the body part after the work out can be helpful to speed up recovery. Cryotherapy has been shown to help speed up the healing process and a lot of athletes do embrace that new way of recovery.
Eat nutrient-dense meals.
Eat good proteins, vitamins, and minerals when working out consistently, especially those who are training for a long duration sport.
Stay hydrated.
Drink your fluids and electrolytes so you know you are not depleted.
