Overtraining In Fitness

Having an everyday fitness level is needed to carry out daily tasks, such as walking to college or work, and to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. According to the University of Minnesota (2016), it is very important for one to be physically fit for several reasons. Physical activity provides many benefits, including; decreased risk of disease, better sleep, feeling great physically, increases mood, keep in shape to enjoy leisure activities, avoid injury, have stronger muscles and bones, live longer, and increase social and mental wellbeing, amongst many other benefits. When physically fit, the risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, obesity, depression and osteoporosis reduces dramatically.
William A. Satariano and Marlon Maus

There is a fine line between training hard and overtraining. Overtraining goes beyond just excessive ‘chronic cardio’ or too many hours spent at the gym; certain high intensity exercise routines may push the body’s stress response too far leading to a cascade of biochemical responses that can cause serious damage to one’s health, short and long term. Overtraining has been shown to affect blood levels of important neurotransmitters such as glutamine, dopamine and 5-HTP, which can lead to feelings of depression and chronic fatigue; overtraining can also have harmful effects on the immune system (Kresser,2012). Feeling ill or rundown, losing muscle mass, gaining fat, and constant exhaustion can also be signs of excessive exercise of any type; any activity that makes you more fatigued and more prone to infection is something to be avoided (Sisson, 2012). Allison Amy (2012) also agreed that the immune system can be weakened from over exercising; those who work out at a normal rate have a weakened immune system that lasts between three to 24 hours after working out, while those who over exercise have a weakened immune system for a longer amount of time. Your body becomes exhausted and can 't fight off illnesses or help prevent you from a cold, cough or fever; instead, you become more prone to developing an illness because of the constant fatigue. Some people who run marathons have been shown to develop infections that last weeks after the race is finished (Amy,