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Get Out and Play: Top 7 Outdoor Exercises
Do you remember when our parents used to yell at us to go outside and play? They would get so tired of us running around the house munching junk food and fighting with our siblings that they would practically kick us out of the house!
Well, we...
Practice extreme self-care.
At times when life seems to be getting us down or we’re going through a period of stress and uncertainty, it’s important to take special care of ourselves! - Take time out. If you can get away from your usual environment then do so. Go away for the...
Stretching & Yoga
Stretching and yoga aren’t just for swamis who can fold themselves up like pretzels, or movie stars who have nothing better to do with their days! It can be a beneficial practice to all who use it, and one doesn’t have to adopt the worldview of the...
Nutrition and healthy eating - What you should know
Many people think that they can achieve a healthy lifestyle simply by maintaining a diet that prevents obesity. While keeping trim is one aspect of being nutritionally sound, there are many other factors that figure into getting your body working in...
Understanding Nutrition
With the release of the new dietary guidelines, in the form of the new food pyramid, I still find that many people don't actually understand what nutrition actually means. Because of this, dietary choices can seem overwhelming. Even greater...
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Can Exercise harm you?
When you exercise, your brain releases chemicals called
endorphins that produce a feeling of euphoria - the so called
"runner's high" that people can become chemically addicted to.
Without it, you feel irritable and out of sorts till you
exercise again. So you go on exercising, never stopping to
listen to what you body is saying. And what its saying is,
"Stop."
The reason exercise addicts keep pushing themselves probably
lies in what happens when they don't work out. Psychologists at
the University of Massachusetts at Boston studied the
psychological consequences of being unable to exercise. They
compared 30 male and female runners who had been laid low by
minor injuries for at least two weeks, with a similar group who
continued to run. Those who could not run displayed more signs
of depression, anxiety and confusion, and they were far less
happy with themselves and their bodies. Like other addictions,
exercise, they say, appears to have withdrawal symptoms.
Of aches and pains
Over indulgence doesn't harm only the mind, but the body as
well. Initially, the exercise will do what it's supposed to,
give you a fit body but once you cross the line, it can get
lethal. Muscle damage, osteoarthritis, heart problems they're
all waiting to make an appearance.
The body has its limitations and if you push it beyond that
limit, you will harm yourself.
Obsessive exercise tends to happen among new exercisers, people
who have only just started working out. So keen are they to get
fit that they overstep the limits.
The initial signs of unaccustomed exercise can be exhaustion,
but that leads to a build up of fatigue. This can do
"irreparable harm to the body."
It isn't only muscles that are at risk, so are bones. Some
"recreational" athletes push themselves to the point of injuries
such as shin splints or stress fractures, then
refuse to rest,
causing greater and perhaps permanent damage.
Even a morning walk is not without risk. Too much walking can
lead to osteoarthritis. When you're walking, you are working
against gravity. So more than exercising your muscles, you are
harming your knee joint. A lot of patients who walk up to an
hour everyday come up with complaints of aches in the knee. In
fact, jogging also harms the knees. Too many sit-ups can also
hurt. More than 10 a day can weaken the spine. Moderation, as
usual, is the key.
You should begin gradually, and combine different types of
workouts, something that obsessive exercisers forget. A
complication factor with people who get hooked to exercise is
that they tend to perform the same workouts day after day,
further increasing the chances of permanent damage.
Thinking right
Never work out so much that you feel completely exhausted at the
end of it. About 45 minutes to and hour, four to five days a
week, should be your limit. Your workout should leave you
feeling fresh and energetic. And make it a pint to take a day's
break every week. This is important because your body needs to
relax and rejuvenate.
The key to achieving this lies in your attitude. Exercising is
the way to healthy life. So if you do it only to please yourself
when you stand on the weighing machine, you defeat the whole
purpose of the exercise. Felling healthy should be the priority.
So stop fighting with your own body and you'll be a happier
person.
About the author:
Indy Stewart is a fitness expert and has a wealth of knowledge
and expertise on the subject of Muscle Building. He has written
extensively on issues relating to Weight Lifting
over the years. For more information visit: http://www.BigMusclesBu
ilding.com/
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