Too Much Exercise is Just as Bad as Not Enough

re: Too Much Exercise is Just as Bad as Not Enough

Laserman — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 17:38:39 GMT

I want to join the side of the argument that says it is possible to get too much exercise. In addition to the high-profile cases like Waitz, there are many overuse injuries suffered by the average person, which should be a signal to cut back some, your body is talking to you. Also, your muscles can only store so much glycogen, and when you deplete these stores, say, during a marathon, what does your body turn to for fuel? Fat? Muscle? Bone? I think you need a balance between exercise and rest, as well as a balanced diet, and adequate hydration to stay healthy. Exercise is definitely a drug, evidenced in part by what is commonly referred to as the "runner's high". I have experienced it, and I am sure that one could become addicted to it, and in turn, the running or other exercise required to bring it on.

re: Too Much Exercise is Just as Bad as Not Enough

Weatherman — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 19:46:20 GMT

Prescribed? sounds like I might be giving up control of my health to someone else. How about going by how we feel. If it feels bad, it probably isn't good for you. I think we all know where our limits are but the competitive factor can be destructive and make us want to push through pain. I like Tai Chi for it's emphasis on awareness of how one feels internally.

Chris.

re: Too Much Exercise is Just as Bad as Not Enough

Desert Rose — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 04:39:43 GMT

I feel that everything we do must be done in moderation. That includes exercise. It stand to reason that if you exercise to the extreme, you will deplete your energy reserves and will soon be run-down. In this state, it is easy for diseases to get a food hold. That is a real no brainer. We also need to remember that we are all different. What is extreme for me may be moderate for someone else. Listen to your body and do what feels right for you--not someone else, even if that someone else is an "expert."

re: Too Much Exercise is Just as Bad as Not Enough

andrewlee — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 05:35:45 GMT

it took scientist to disover that? man, people would have to be educated to figure out something this obvious! among top cancer experts it is well known that cancer is a healing process that hasn't turned off... when you put your body under this much strain without the appropriate nutrients, it WILL get cancer no matter how healthy you are. I wouldn't blame the exercise though, rather the diet... the obvious thing to tell people who insist on such rigerous exercise would be to encourage them to take potent antioxidants such as grape seed extract, to safeguard the body against such free-radical damage, alongside high nitriloside foods.

re: Too Much Exercise is Just as Bad as Not Enough

friendly curmudgeon — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 01:40:44 GMT

Exercise? A drug? Then bring back the 60s, as this would be a pretty good (and vastly underutilized) drug.

Those who overdo exercise are the few and the far between. At least I don't see them walking down the street very often (unless I can't see them due to all the "Supersize me!" people blocking my view...).

re: Too Much Exercise is Just as Bad as Not Enough

Felix_203 — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 19:17:12 GMT

Seems like another possibly alarmist and speculative post by Dr. Mercola, who in the past has suggested that both Grete Waitz and Lance Armstrong's cancer cases were caused by too much exercise, despite not presenting any of evidence for this. I wonder how he came those conclusions when there have been many people who don't exercise or exercise moderately who have succumbed to cancer; and there are plenty of elite runners and cyclists who have not gotten cancer earlier than anybody else.

While there is no doubt that one can overtrain and "over-exercise" (resulting in stress fractures, chronic fatigue, etc.), the "destruction of heart muscle," doesn't seem like a compelling argument when anyone working out is going to be breaking down and building up muscle -- which is how people get stronger. Indeed, the article does note that all indicators of heart trauma are gone after just a few days of rest and recovery.

It seems like better lessons to be gained from the study include 1) don't be afraid to challenge the body as it has the remarkable ability to recover after just a few days, 2) the heart, like all other muscles in the body, are subject to breaking down and rebuilding in the process of improvement (getting stronger), and 3) rest and recovery, especially after hard efforts, are important for helping the body to rebuild.

Also note that Dean Karnazes just successfully completed running 50 marathons in 50 days (and has run 350 miles without stopping once) and there are plenty of other athletes who have done equivalent feats like that in other sports without injury or illness in the short term. It would be a interesting to see some studies about how well they fare in the long term (frequency of illness, life span, etc.) compared to the average person or a people who only exercise frequently.

I wish Dr. Mercola would refer to such studies (if they exist... I haven't been able to find much information on that) instead of continually speculating about the health of such great athletes like Grete Waitz and Lance Armstrong.

re: Too Much Exercise is Just as Bad as Not Enough

RichJedi — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 18:58:22 GMT

This is no surprise to anyone that has studied Chinese medicine. Since I've studied that Chinese Martial arts, breathing, meditation, Chi-gung, health and nutrition and more, we know that to overwork the body to exhaustion is just as bad or worse for the body then no exerise at all.

A Mr. Li, no, not Bruce Lee, lol.. He was the oldest modern living human. He was well over 150 years old when he died, I'll leave his exact age for another time. But at that age he looked no older then fifty, was said to be very physically strong, fasted regularly, took a regimen of several herbs daily including Ginseng, Fo Ti Tieng and an herb from the pennywort family as well. He was also a martial arts and tai chi master as well.

He never advocated any exercise that tires or causes one to get out of breath, knowing that this drains the chi and essence faster then doing nothing at all. The key is balance of course and to build UP ones chi and store of life energy, not drain it by working out till your huffing and puffing or till you drop.

In the west they say "No pain, no gain", well that's only truy if your pushing yourself to your limits. In China they say "Less strain, more gain". That's the idea behind tai chi and other soft or internal art exercises likes the "Eight Pieces of Brocade" and many others.

I don't bother with target heart rates or anything along those lines, yet when the time comes for me to do things I have more endurance and strength then those who do focus on such things. No, I can't run a marathon or out distance a jogger, but I am stronger physically and when I do sprint or have to exert myself, I hardly sweat, my heart rate hardly increases, even when I've been on a treadmill for ten minutes or more at 10mph, my heart rate was barely over 100bpm.

Science and doctors would tell you that's impossible, but it's very possible and plausible when you understand that the chi is what TRULY governs the body. When the muscles and body are full of chi, the heart does not have to beat much faster to provide energy for the muscles, because the energy is already stored within the meridians and vessels of the body, which are like resevoirs for the chi which store is for use when needed by the organs, the immune system or the muscles. The less chi in the resevoirs, the more the heart has to work to supply the body and muscles with this energy. That's why I can exercise pretty vigorously and my heart rate stays low.

This is vital in fighting martial arts because the last thing you want to have happen is for you to lose because your endurance failed you, even if taking on multiple opponents. The Chinese discovered this over many centuries that by focusing on storing chi, breathing and meditation, the greater the energy store of the body, the greater the endurance, health and logevity.

Part of why this works is because by keeping the chi abundant, the heart works far less then a normal person, which saves it, regenrates it and makes it last much longer. In China, age is measured not in years, but in heartbeats.

re: Too Much Exercise is Just as Bad as Not Enough

mmc88121 — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 18:19:27 GMT

As the study shows, those who were the least prepared for the race showed the most adverse effects in their troponin levels immediately after the race. It shows that exercise is a drug and to much of a good thing can be to much.

mmc88121