Exercise is an essential pillar of health and wellbeing. After all, our bodies are designed to move. However, just as too little movement can be detrimental to our health and longevity, the opposite end of the spectrum - over-exercising - poses its own set of risks and is a very real and common problem.

This month, we're delving into this topic because many individuals are unaware that more exercise isn't always better and it can, in fact, sometimes do more harm than good.

Even if you're not currently engaging in regular physical activity, this discussion is still relevant. It's about understanding that effective exercise doesn't need to be synonymous with exhaustive routines for achieving positive health outcomes. In fact, you may find, through following this blog series, that the opposite is actually true!

Understanding Over-Exercising

Over-exercising, also called exercise addiction or compulsive exercise, happens when people work out more than what is necessary for health or physical performance, often ignoring other important parts of their lives. Sometimes, in the short term, someone can overdo it simply by not listening to their body when it needs rest.

Many health and wellbeing practices, including exercise, fasting, calorie restriction, as well as exposure to extreme temperatures (think saunas and cold showers), impose stress on the body. While this kind of stress - known as hormetic stress - can foster positive bodily adaptations, such as increased physical resilience and longevity, the problem comes when we take the science too literally.

Adopting a one-size-fits-all approach to these practices overlooks a crucial factor: individual variability. What may be beneficial for one person could prove detrimental for another, particularly if they're already dealing with heightened levels of stress - be it physical, mental, or emotional.

Furthermore, western societal norms often glorify going to extremes, encouraging people to push themselves beyond their limits in pursuit of health and fitness ideals. Yet, paradoxically, this can and often backfires, tipping the scales from beneficial stress to harmful overload.

Recognising Over-Exercising: Who's at Risk?

Identifying what constitutes "too much" exercise is inherently subjective and depends on an individual's general condition of health and ‘current state’ of wellbeing at any given moment.

For instance:

- Those experiencing burnout should steer clear of any workouts until they’ve recovered, choosing gentler activities like walking or stretching instead and prioritising recovery.

- Individuals feeling rundown or unwell should should honour their body's signals for rest, rather, rather than pushing through with any kind of strenuous exercise. Allowing time to get better rather than depleting themselves further.

- If someone is sleep deprived, this warrants a break from their usual gym/exercise sessions, in favour of getting an early night, to avoid further fatigue and additional stress on the body.

However, beyond paying attention to our day-to-day symptoms and state of wellbeing (we’ll touch on this more in upcoming posts), I’ve noticed through my work that certain personality types and mindsets are more predisposed to over-exercising.

These include:

1. Type A Personalities: Driven, competitive individuals who like pushing themselves to extremes, often tying their self-worth to performance and excelling. This level of ambition can bleed into all areas of their lives, including exercise.

2. Weight-focussed Mindsets: People who are fixated on weight management or calorie counting, often use their diet and exercise to control their weight, yet in the process, they ignore their body’s natural cues in pursuit of arbitrary goals. They can also get stuck in a punishing cycle of calories in, calories out.

3. Addictive Personalities: Exercise addiction is a thing. Whether it's religiously sticking to your 6.30am spin classes 5 times a week no matter what, or compulsively checking off those daily step counts. Like any other addiction, exercise addiction can hijack one's life, exacerbating stress and undermining a person’s overall wellbeing.

4. The Chronically Stressed: Living in a chronic state of stress can drive individuals to seek intense exercise either as a means of coping or because the continued stress from the exercise perpetuates the familiar feeling of being stressed – we can also become addicted to stress hormones, making it challenging to break free!

These four personality types are generalised, of course, and not mutually exclusive. Some individuals may recognise elements of a few of them. There are often many contributing factors driving the over-exercising.

Assessing Your Own Risk of Over-Exercising

This initial post sets the stage for understanding the concept of over-exercising and highlights the individuals who may be more susceptible to it. Importantly, it's a gentle nudge to take a closer look at your own exercise routines. We should all take notice of any warning signs that might indicate we're pushing ourselves too hard.

In the upcoming posts, we'll talk about how over-exercising shows up, what impact it can have, and, most importantly, how we can find a healthier balance in our approach to physical activity. So, ‘stay tuned’ for next week's post on spotting the signs of over-exercising and the potentially harmful and negative consequences.