11 Dec Can Exercising be Bad for You?
We know exercise is good for us, no doubt. Exercising regularly boosts our heart health, reduces our risk of many chronic illnesses, aids healthy weight management, improves sleep and the list goes on… Unlike other health topics like sleep and dieting, there is hardly any conflicting studies that debate about the importance of exercise.
However, as the golden rule of healthy living says, everything in moderation. Can we possibly be over-exercising and doing our body more harm than good? If you are an active goer, fitness guru, gym fanatic, you have to read on.
Understanding Exercise-induced Stress
Exhaustive exercise generates excessive number of free radicals as a result of increased metabolism, which increases the degree of oxidative stress imposed on the muscle cells[1]. In this context, the degree of oxidative stress and consequential muscle damage do not depend on the absolute intensity of exercise but the level of exhaustion felt by the person.
Most of the time, we have the impression that free radicals – the cause of many chronic illnesses including cancer – originate from external sources like UV rays, tobacco smoke. In reality, free radicals are also produced naturally within our body via cell metabolism[2].
During many metabolic processes, our cells take in oxygen to break down complex substances and produce energy. Occasionally, such processes also produce toxic oxygen radicals which are must be decomposed immediately to prevent damage to cells[3].
Since free radicals are produced any way, why is over-exercising a cause of concern? The key here is excess.
Under normal circumstances, our body has the ability to decompose free radicals and prevent damage to the cells[4]. However, in extreme conditions such as over-training to the extent that our body lacks time to rest and process the free radicals, will induce oxidative stress – scientifically proven to be linked with inflammation and tumour formation.
Combating Muscle Fatigue
If you experience muscle cramps, twitching, trembling and unusual weakness, chances are your muscles are tired. There are steps we can take to combat the negative effects of exercise-induced oxidate stress and muscle fatigue while maintaining an active lifestyle.
The fundamental principle is to have a well-planned exercise regime. Engage in a balance of cardio and strengthening exercises, and allow the body to recover for 48 hours between strength training sessions. Proper stretching before and after strenuous activity is also important in preventing inflammation and reducing muscle fatigue.
Make conscious dietary choices to increase antioxidant intake. Consume more fruits (berries, grapes, oranges etc.) and vegetables (broccoli, spinach, carrot etc.) that contain powerful sources of vitamins and minerals. Besides your three meals a day, you can also supplement your natural antioxidant intake with Rejuvenate, Antioxidant Infused Shot.
Rejuvenate is an award-winning healthy beverage made in USA. Naturally extracted from 7 super berries, one ready-to-drink sachet of Rejuvenate meets your daily recommended antioxidant intake[5]. Learn more about this antioxidant-rich, energy-boosting beverage here.
As always, the never-changing rule is to keep our body hydrated and nourished after every workout.
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