Doing it in moderation will make you healthier

When we try to exercise, we must pay attention to how to protect ourselves during exercise and how to guard against excessive exercise.

Overexertion means overworking the body. If your muscles and joints feel tired and sore, they cannot function properly. Therefore, when exercise is excessive and continuous, the body will face a greater risk of injury. Over time, excessive exercise will weaken the immune system and cause various injuries to the ankles, knees, and ligaments. Some scientists even say that excessive exercise in teenagers will cause anemia. Excessive exercise often occurs in athletes and novice sports enthusiasts. Some young girls who want to lose weight or teenagers who are obsessed with sports may also show symptoms of excessive exercise. The main signs include: persistent muscle aches; fatigue; depression; acute injuries, such as a sprained knee; difficulty sleeping at night and nervousness; loss of appetite and persistent or heavy sweating; irrational anger and guilt if exercise is missed; and that exercise not only does not make the body healthier, but instead causes constant minor illnesses such as colds.

Of course, the main harm of excessive exercise comes from knee and joint strains and adolescent anemia.

Excessive exercise can hurt your knees

Orthopedic scientists at the University of Pennsylvania used mice to perform high-intensity knee joint force exercises that simulate humans. They found that the injuries to the knee cartilage of mice that performed high-intensity joint exercises were twice as severe as those in the non-exercise control group. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, more than 4.1 million people seek medical attention each year due to knee pain. This pain is often the result of overuse.

It is known that many high-intensity sports, especially those that involve extensive use of the knees, such as running, mountaineering, basketball, football, etc., are particularly susceptible to injury to the knee joints of athletes, who may easily develop degenerative knee arthritis in the future. Therefore, if you experience the following knee discomfort, such as knee pain, inability to bear weight, pain spreading to the calf muscles below the knee, and fever, you need to see a doctor.

Excessive exercise in adolescents may lead to anemia

Japanese medical experts point out that if teenagers engage in excessive physical exercise, it may cause anemia. This is because adolescence is a period of rapid development of the body, and the human body needs a large amount of iron, which is essential for the transportation and storage of oxygen. If you engage in strenuous exercise during this period, it will cause damage to red blood cells, excessive muscle consumption, etc., which will eventually lead to a decrease in iron in the body and tissue hypoxia.

To treat sports anemia, symptomatic treatment is mostly used. As long as iron is properly supplemented, the symptoms will improve. If you are confirmed to be iron deficient, you should reduce your exercise appropriately and try to avoid early morning training which puts a great strain on your body. In daily life, you should eat more iron-rich foods and avoid inappropriate weight loss activities.

How to prevent and treat excessive exercise

The way to prevent and treat excessive exercise is very simple, which is to pay attention to the amount of exercise. For all exercise, the general duration should not exceed 1 hour. Friends who exercise in the gym can control their exercise volume through a heart rate monitor; friends who exercise on their own, if they feel shortness of breath, sweating profusely, or dizziness, it means they are about to reach the maximum intensity of the exercise, and they should slow down or take a short rest. In addition, you can exercise 3 to 4 times a week.

In addition, some small methods can also help you prevent excessive exercise.

1. Wear shoes that fit properly and are in good condition

Some elderly people like to wear cloth shoes with very thin soles when exercising. Cloth shoes have no shock-absorbing effect and cannot effectively cushion excessive movements when exercising too vigorously, which can easily damage the spine and brain. It is best to replace your cloth shoes with a pair of sports shoes with good shock absorption. Furthermore, even the best sneakers should be replaced regularly, ideally every six to twelve months.

2. Avoid rapidly increasing the frequency and duration of exercise

During exercise, pay attention to slowly increasing the exercise time so that the muscles supporting the knees can become stronger. At the same time, pay attention to changing the types of exercise, try different forms of aerobic classes, use a rowing machine, ride a bicycle, lift weights, and jump rope, as long as you don't do the same exercise every day.

3. Exercise smartly

You should be very careful when doing repetitive and intense exercises, such as kicking, squatting, etc. You must maintain the correct posture. It is best to ask a teacher or coach for advice when exercising and let them tell you how to adjust your movements. For those who are used to doing squats, do not do more than 5 sets at a time, and no more than 12 times in each set. Also, when connecting between squats and stands, slow down and not do them too fast or too hard. Otherwise, blood sugar will drop rapidly in an instant, which can easily lead to black eyes and dizziness.