Reader question - "How much exercise is too much?"

This week's reader question comes from down under :)
I know that I have pondered this same question - since I do love to exercise.
So, I'm sure many of you fitness enthusiasts out there have asked the same question...

Kim -
How much exercise is too much exercise? At some point, is a person being counterproductive by doing too much? I've read a bit about excess cortisol production due to excess exercise but it didn't say at what point this was a worry.

I also have read how exercising a couple times a week is typically sufficient and know that the way we eat is going to help us further along our weight loss goals (Fred Hahn, McGuff, Taubes). Besides having the time and enjoying the exercise - what are the benefit to doing more and if so, how much more? And how much is too much?

Thanks for your input-
Sybil


Alright, Sybil -

First of all, I think it IS important to ensure that you're not overdoing it on the volume of exercise. Too much volume can lead to overuse injuries, burnout, possible loss of lean muscle mass, and yes, excess cortisol. Since exercise is a type of physical stress, then too much exercise can act as additional negative stress. And the high cortisol that develops from too much stress will end up raising blood sugar levels. And as you probably know well by now, controlling blood sugar is the best way to ensure health and body composition.

That being said... our bodies can handle more physical stress than we know. It's not like we have to stick to a regimen of 30 minutes of exercise daily (or any other random suggestion like that). Each person is different. And within that person, the ability to handle certain quantities of exercise will change, depending on what is going on in that individual's life - or depending on what adaptations have accumulated through exercise (we get better at what we practice!). The things that will help to keep exercise from causing excess cortisol production is: sufficient rest in between exercise sessions, sufficient nutrition for proper recovery, and the ability to "listen to your body". Some days, against every good intention, it's just best to take an entire day off from exercise (some of us have trouble stepping away!) ;)

To answer your questions about "what are the benefits to doing more exercise?" and "how much is too much?"... Well, doing more exercise in an attempt to lose fat is, in my opinion, not a great way to go about fat loss and body transformation - and not a great purpose for adding extra exercise. Also, adding extra exercise in order to make up for a poor diet is absolutely worthless!

However, if one is performing lots of exercise because it is mentally stimulating, it is physically rewarding, it is incredibly fun, and because they simply LOVE the activities they are performing - then that is usually the benefit to doing more. There are definitely psychological effects of exercise.

Otherwise, I would much rather that an active person with specific fitness goals first work on tweaking the intensity of their exercise... NOT adding more. More does not always mean better.

Like I said before - the body can handle A LOT of physical demands. And this is especially true when we allow the body to effectively rest and recover. But... we know we're doing too much when:
1) we have tons of trouble recovering or we are always tired and sore, and/or
2) we are not seeing any results

Dr. John Berardi (http://www.johnberardi.com/) has suggested, from his research, that 5 hours a week of physical activity is the amount in which most people have reported they are the most satisfied with their bodies and their abilities. I think this is a good measure for most people.

Now, what all my rambling boils down to is:
If you are getting results and you are happy with your physique and your abilities... there is no need to worry about overtraining. But, if you are not getting the results you want, your eating habits are spot on, but you feel like your body does not match up to the amount of exercise you do... then you might need to cut back on volume and simply increase your intensity.

Quality over quantity!!
Besides - you can only sustain high-quality, intense workouts for shorter periods of time. If you are spending a whole LOT of time exercising... aren't you sacrificing quality and wasting your time?

Quality over quantity...

Also, yes, having healthy eating habits is extremely important in the quest for a fit body. No amount of extra exercise can mask a bad diet. One would be better off with an incredible diet and two solid days of exercise. BUT - more exercise is okay.

I hope that covers it all!
Thanks so much for your question, Sybil. And good luck!
Kim

**Remember!! Any other fitness/nutrition questions can be directed to kim@deliberatemovement.com