Generally speaking, I believe a person can exercise out too much.
It’s difficult to define what exercising too much is and what it is not.
To assess the effects of exercising too much, think about the next 1-2 days of a hard workout for someone that regularly exercises, if you can barely move your body, you worked out too much.
This was a question I posed to myself. I like to vary my movement with 2-3 different workouts, I’ll do Barre3, ride my Peloton bike, and then do strength training with weights every week.
Exercising Too Much Happened To Me
I had been working out 7 out of the 7 days and was sometimes working out twice in one day. Needless to say, by the 4th day, I knew I had overdone it.
How did I know this? I could barely turn my neck, I took a couple of steps and winced in pain for two whole days. It was not fun to say the least.
Today, I work out 3-4 days a week and just making sure I meet my goal of eating yummy and nutrient dense foods every day, and drinking water that hydrates my body.
Are You Working Out Compulsively?
Exercise should always be enjoyable. You should never feel miserable after working out. There should be a hopeful feeling attached to your workouts.
If a particular workout makes you feel bad about yourself, immediately stop doing it. The days of class workouts with instructors that make you feel terrible about yourself are behind me.
My mission is to only take classes that inform me about my body while empowering me at the same time.
Every workout you do should energize you. If this isn’t the case for you, switch up your movement and try a couple of different YouTube workouts until you find one that sticks.
Physical Activity Is Important For Black People
With this in mind, physical activity is especially important for African-Americans who face increased rates of high blood pressure.
A recent study that found regular exercise helps African-Americans reduce risk of developing high blood pressure up to 24%.
What’s more, the prevalence of obesity is significantly greater among Black women compared to white women.
Growing up and hearing the above statistic over and over made me scared as a little girl. I’m grateful that my mom knew her children needed to be moving.
I recently discovered a research article that conducted a study on 13 black women; facilitating interventions on physical activity.
The researchers found that African American women are likely to underestimate their body weight which is associated with reduced weight management behaviors, higher weight gain and an under assessment of health risks.”
They found that when the group of women would walk and eat nutrient dense foods, they would stick to the lifestyle.
My Honest Struggle
Like I’ve stated before, I’ve always known those statistics. Perhaps, that is why I still dance and move till this very day.
Not to mention, my husband and I have dealt with family members working on lowering their blood pressure, or having heart issues.
And let me tell you all, it’s not fun worrying about them. All we can control are the decisions we make individually by remaining consistent with our personal goals.
So, Am I Working Out Too Much
Yes, and no, at times. For instance, after teaching all day, I have to stop myself from going home and having a vigorous workout.
It’s a start, right? I’ve made a lot of progress and mindset shifts about this.
I’ve learned that just because I have the time, doesn’t mean I should run to go put on workout clothes .
What’s more, it’s okay to rest. My mindset needed to shift to be able to understand that I’m doing enough whether I’m moving or resting.
That’s self-care progress right there.
The Lessons My Body Taught Me
Ah, there are many lessons my body has taught me.
- Cutting back on the days I move is okay.
- Exercising every day is not for me. Resting is for me and I need to do it more.
- Speaking of rest, 2-3 days of off movement days does my body good.
- Working out too much doesn’t help my body if it leads to burnout.
What have you learned recently about your body and exercise?
2 comments
Yes, I do work out moderately every single day. It’s just enough to get my body moving but not too much to push me to soreness every day. I save that for one push day a week and the rest is a moderate 20-30 min workout. I listen to my body and don’t push if my neck is hurting or my shoulders are aching or I just feel tired. That means it’s an active rest day for me which might mean a walk or a very easy workout!
That sounds amazing Dina, I think it’s great that you know your boundaries and limits as a SN’s mama. Here’s to us both listening to our bodies.