Exercise – How Much is Too Much?

Feel like you may be overdoing your workout? You could be! Researchers studied people training for a marathon. They used MRIs to scan the runners’ hearts a week before their race, immediately after the race, and another one week later. The result? For a lot of the runners, after the race, the part of their heart that pumps blood around the body didn’t work as well as it did before the marathon. Also, a lot of the runners suffered permanently stretched heart muscles, and heart tissue scarring. Which experts say could trigger deadly heart problems at any time, like arrhythmia.

So, why does too much exercise turn your heart into a ticking time bomb? Researchers say that the human body isn’t designed to exercise for hours, day after day. All of that extra work-out time wears down your heart. Experts warn that endurance athletes are most at risk, since they often log in over 10 hours a week training for athletic events that require major stamina, like a triathlon or marathon.

This research shouldn't be a pass to never step foot in a gym again. The key is exercising in moderation, say no more than 2 hours a day, since hundreds of studies have shown the benefits of exercise, including lowering your risk for diseases, like diabetes and obesity.