Why Exercising Can Be Bad For You
Yes, you read it right! Your exercise is doing more harm than good
Exercise is primarily considered good for our health and well-being, but what most people don’t know is that it can be bad as well. There are conditions where exercising does more harm than good. Be with me for a few minutes to learn how exercising can be bad.
Exercise can be bad; you must be thinking about how it can be. Let me just say it can severely injure, or in some cases, it can even kill you. I want to bring to your attention that this year alone, many people died while doing a workout. Whatever the reason, No one wants this to happen to them.
An Indonesian bodybuilder died while attempting squat press, an Indian actor died of a heart attack on the treadmill, etc. I don’t want to scare you or anything, but those people died doing something that was meant to be good. It can happen to anyone so we need to try and be extra careful.
Fitness will always be in trend, and because of that, we see only one side of the coin that is good and attractive; we need to see the other side too because it also tells a story worth listening to.
We have all exercised at some point in our lives and know how it is beneficial and has positive effects. Learning the harmful effects of exercising is as good as learning the good and positive effects it has on our bodies. So, here is how exercising can be harmful and bad:
Doing no warm-up or stretching:
One of the most important things to do before doing any exercise is to warm up and stretch, which many people ignore. Warm-ups & stretching prepare the body for exercise and at the same time, increase the body temperature, blood flow, range of motion, and flexibility for exercise.
Research proves that warm-up is beneficial and reduces injury risk. Not doing warm-ups properly puts unnecessary strain on the joints, bones, and muscles, which is harmful and increases the risk of injuries. A high-intensity warm-up is harmful because it increases your heart rate quickly.
If you are cycling or using a treadmill, start by cycling and walking slowly at a moderate pace so that your heart rate increases slowly. Stay within the heart rate limit according to your age and body. Do warm-up and stretching for at least 10 minutes, then start your workout.
Incorrect form:
Having the correct form for any kind of exercise, with or without weights, is important when exercising. It is important because the right form enables us to hit and target the right muscles that the particular exercise is for and the incorrect form puts strain on your body, joints, and muscles.
There’s a right position and form for every exercise for a reason. Before exercising, see a video of how to perform it or ask a gym trainer to assist you. If the right muscles aren’t hit, you’ll get no results from the exercise, and it will all be a waste of time, and energy, which will discourage you.
Overtraining:
Overtraining occurs when there’s an imbalance between training and recovery that leads to a decrease in performance lasting weeks. Some research papers prove that overtraining is harmful. We must let it sink in that excessive exercise doesn’t give more results than moderate exercise.
Too much exercise has severe consequences for your body and reduces your gains. When you overtrain, your body gives you some signs. These are the signs you need to look out for decreased performance, extreme soreness in the body even after 3–4 days, joint pain, and poor sleep.
Having no rest days:
Rest days are crucial after exercising. After any exercise, the body needs some time to repair and recover. Some benefits of rest days are: relieving muscle pain and soreness, repairing and building muscles, restoring the body’s energy, and helping prevent any injuries.
Exercising leads to wear and tear in the muscles and joints, so it’s crucial to rest and let them repair. Without a rest day, our body parts, like joints, and muscles, have no time to repair. The body is already exhausted and pushing on without rest days will often lead to injuries.
Signs that you need rest are sore muscles, pain, fatigue, poor sleep, and reduced performance. Rest for at least 1 or 2 days a week for a 7-day workout so that your body and muscles get enough time to repair, recover, and build muscle.
Of all the things mentioned above, you must have done some of those things while exercising, because I have done them and I’m beginning to change that, as should you. Exercise is not always good for us, and in some cases, as we learned above, it can be harmful.
You can’t see internal changes, but that doesn’t mean they’re not there. You need to listen to your body and spare yourself all the unnecessary injuries, pain, and problems. So that the exercise is good and healthy instead of harmful. This way, you can achieve your fitness goals as planned.
I’m not saying that exercising or working out is bad; what I’m saying is that everything has its process, and likewise, exercising and working out have their process and we need to follow it properly for our safety and well-being. So that we can become a good example for others to follow.
To conclude:
Exercise is indeed good and beneficial if we do it right and follow all the processes properly. The process is there for a reason. Following the process and doing it properly has benefits that can point us to our fitness goals and provide us with positive results instead of negative ones.
If we don’t follow the process of exercising properly, there are severe consequences for our bodies that can injure us or even worse. Warm-up and stretching, correct form, not overtraining, and taking rest days are all beneficial and important parts of the exercise process.
