This has got to be a joke, right? Sorry to tell you that we’re not kidding. While you do need a certain amount of exercise per day, some people become obsessed, taking it to dangerous extremes – students, you need to know about this, now! Listen up.
We know that you want to feel fit and healthy: it makes you feel more confident, energetic and focused so that you can study properly and ace your exams, but there comes a point where excessive exercise can wreck your body and take over your life – it’s actually be seen as a disorder. There are two different types: compulsive exercise and exercise bulimia.
Compulsive exercise and Exercise Bulimia
You’re probably thinking. “What? This is insane!” – and you’d be right. This goes way beyond wanting to drop a dress or jeans size and it can happen to men and women. Let’s explain.
Both of these types of exercise disorders have similar symptoms such as:
- Picking exercise over going to lectures or studying, which will only make you fall behind and wreck your chances of graduating
- You’re choosing to exercise instead of spending time with friends and family
- You’re obsessed with losing calories and are sacrificing essential macronutrients that your body (especially your brain) needs to get you through the day
By doing this, you’re going to start feeling ill and have difficulty focusing on your work and end up bombing out on important tests and assignments.
How to know which one you may be suffering from
According to an article written by Health and Fitness writer, Leanne Beattie, A compulsive exerciser is someone who centres their life around exercise and can become depressed if they don’t get the chance to exercise.
An exercise bulimia suffer feels much the same way, but instead of eating very little, they binge eat and then exercise to the absolute extreme to burn off all the calories they have just consumed. “Exercise becomes a way to control calories, justify eating, and punish oneself for eating too much or eating the “wrong” things,” says Beattie.
How to know if you’re exercising too much
Health experts generally agree that you need approximately 30min-60min of exercise per day to maintain your body weight. While this does depend on your goals and types of exercises that you do, the key factor is that you progress and don’t become injured.
You should also not be experiencing health problems arising from exercise – this is an important sign that you’re exercising too much and not allowing your body to recover properly.
Too much exercise can cause
- Heart problems
- Fatigue
- Dehydration
- Reproductive problems
- It can even weaken your immune system!
The best way to fix this problem
If you’re experiencing any of these problems, go and see your doctor immediately. It’s also a good idea to make an appointment with a nutritionist who will be able to explain to you the importance of a healthy and balanced diet. Here’s some information on nutrition to get you started.
Remember, exercise is meant to be an enjoyable activity that helps you to live a healthy lifestyle. We want you to feel better every time you finish a workout, not worse!
Sources:
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=1542
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=1542&page=2