Can Exercise be Bad for You?

Exercising requires responsibility in order to take good care of your own health. Otherwise the physical activity might end up being harmful for you.

Exercising is a positive way to spend your time since it can help you to maintain good physical and mental health. However, exercising excessively or incorrectly can be bad for you. Keep reading to learn more about the risks!

Physical activity is necessary to keep a healthy body. Sedentarism can have harmful consequences such as obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. That’s why exercise becomes a great ally in maintaining good health.

Can exercise really damage you?

Food, work, hobbies…everything in life has pros and cons, and sports are no exception. Exercising has so many benefits that we barely discuss the negative side. But, this doesn’t mean that it doesn’t potentially have a negative side.

Exercising is not necessarily a bad thing. But there are certain factors that with time, can damage your body or your mind.

It’s important to know about these factors so that you can avoid them. That’s why we’ve listed the factors that you should be aware of:

Poor execution

Some people complain that they are not seeing results, that they are experiencing DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), cramps or that they’re repeatedly injured. This can be attributed to incorrectly performing the exercises.

All types of exercises have an order, structure and pattern, and you should respect those guidelines in order to avoid injuries.

The simplest details in exercises such as squats and push-ups are the keys to follow, to avoid suffering from any kind of mishap. It’s important that you pay attention and learn how to properly execute each of the exercises.

Skipping necessary steps

Warming-up, hydrating, eating a balanced diet and resting adequately are some of the factors that influence how your body reacts and recovers from exercising. Meaning, if you miss any of these necessary steps, it’s likely that it may harm you.

Not warming-up before you start your workout session can cause an injury. Not having a healthy diet can weaken your muscles. Poor hydration can cause you to have cramps or make you feel dizzy. If you want to avoid all of those, you must never skip the steps that might compromise your physical health.

Joint pain and muscle fatigue

Exercise helps you to strengthen your muscles, ligaments, joints, and bones. However, the parts of your body that you constantly use can become injured because you wear them out. For example, cyclists tend to have problems with their calves, and runners with their knees.

Sometimes this cannot be avoided since it happens because of the constant use of a joint or muscle during the specific type of activity.

Excessive practice

When you exercise, your body releases endorphins, which eliminates stress and makes you feel happy. For some people, compulsive exercise can be psychologically addictive.

Exercising for longer than you should is negative for your mental and physical wellbeing. Everything has a limit, and you should respect that limit to avoid damaging yourself. Excessive exercise can cause injuries, muscular and mental fatigue, tiredness, heart and breathing problems, among other issues.

Bigorexia

Bigorexia, or muscle dysmorphia, is a type of mental disorder linked to exercises and physical appearance. It’s a subtype of the body dysmorphic disorder and it’s the delusional belief that one’s body is not muscular or big enough. This disorder makes people train harder and for longer than what they need or what’s considered healthy.

Exercising regularly is not a bad thing, but when it becomes an obsession, it then transforms into a psychological problem. You must exercise because it’s good for your health. Don’t use exercise as a means to obtain a body that follows certain conditions imposed by society.

Remember, you have power and control over your own life. It’s your responsibility to not make exercising a damaging activity for your body. Your body is your temple; enjoy everything with moderation, even exercising.