Are You Doing Too Much Cardio?

Am I doing too much cardio? – is a serious concern in the growing fitness industry. Some fitness experts say ‘keep doing cardio if you want to lose body fat/body weight’; some others say ‘cardio is the answer to all health problems, especially if you are overweight’. There are varied opinions and advices—let’s not get into those.

Instead, let us concentrate on how much cardio is too much and can wreck our health.

Can You Do Too Much Cardio?

We know that anything done ‘too much’ has adverse effects on mind and body. Some talk too much, some take stress/tension too much, some work too much, some eat too much, some weight train too much, some do cardio too much, and so on.

Talking of cardio, it is indeed that kind of sport which is good for health. It is ‘aerobic’, and hence, can be done continuously for more than 3 minutes. Take running, swimming or cycling for example. If cardio was not aerobic, you would not have been able to run, swim or cycle for more than 3 minutes.

In fact, cardio exercises boost immunity and energy, improve heart health, give good sleep and can prevent a number of chronic diseases PROVIDED you know how much cardio to do on a regular basis.

What Is Too Much Cardio?

Too much cardio is when you are unnecessarily doing quite a number of exercises on a regular basis that are actually not required. Why are you doing so? You think ‘instead of 5 exercises if I do 10 exercises, my body fat percentage would reduce fast’.

Sadly, this does not happen.

Doing Too Much Cardio — Image Credit – Jason Clemens

Is Too Much Cardio Bad?

YES… it is BUT how would you know you need to stop exerting yourself with cardio? Given are 4 main drawbacks of too much cardio that can become a chronic health issue (as you age) if you are not careful now.

Below, I have given the 4 major drawbacks of too much cardio.

#1 No Effect On Body Fat

What happens is initially you will be happy that you are losing body fat or lost body fat. As time goes by and you think of quick body fat reduction and thereby focus on cardio intensity, your body would plateau—body fat reduction would come to a standstill. Thereafter, you will wonder why you are not losing weight and blame it all on either your diet or your trainer.

Do you really want to plateau and allow your fat loss goal/weight loss goal go down the drain? OF COURSE NOT.

#2 Cope With Pain Throughout The Day

Throughout the day, a pain here and a pain there would keep irritating you, more so if you have an injury. The best you can do to cope with it is take painkillers. This would not have been required if you had reduced cardio intensity, had been careful from getting your injured and exercised as per requirement. Now, what will happen? With time, you will get stuck with painkillers (even after you give up exercising or every time you exercise) and end up with complex health issues.

Do you seriously want to take such health risk? NO WAY.

#3 Feeling Tired Throughout The Day

Yes, you have read it right. You won’t feel like going anywhere, you won’t feel like going to your work, you won’t feel like studying, you won’t feel like doing any household work. And all because you are doing excessive cardio daily that is tiring you for the day!

Have you really achieved your goal? And even if you have, are you really strong and fit? NO.

#4 Trouble Sleeping

THIS IS WORSE! Whole day you will feel sleepy, but you cannot sleep for you have your studies/job. Now that finally you hit the bed at night, you are awake like an owl! Or, you have trouble sleeping and every hour you keep waking up.

YES, it happens to most people who overdo cardio on a regular basis. You will end up with insomnia. Visit a doctor and you will be prescribed sleeping pills. Another addiction! Thereafter, you exercise or not, you will not be able to sleep without popping down a sleeping pill!

Would you really want this to happen? All because you are doing too much cardio! NOT REALLY.

Wrap Up

Too much cardio is very harmful and has adverse effects on the body. The goals you would then be achieving would be sleeplessness, muscle weakness, general weakness, tiredness, soreness, irritation—will you be okay with these? JUST THINK and listen to what your body says.