Cardio is one of the most effective forms of exercise for increasing your lung capacity and torching calories for a sweaty and satisfying workout. However, not every gym session has to make you sweat in order to be effective, and if you’re using that as your only gauge for whether or not you had a good workout you may run the risk of over exerting yourself.
Although cardio is certainly great for creating a healthy body, especially as you grow older it’s important not to overdo it as you begin to put yourself in danger of some unwanted side effects. We spoke with CPT Kate Meier to get the rundown on the true risks of doing too much cardio, particularly as you age, so you’re never putting your body in danger as you work towards a healthier you.
Overuse Injury
Naturally if you’re putting too much pressure on certain muscles you inevitably become at an increased risk for injury, but as you age your body no longer has the ability to bounce back as effectively as it once did. “The main side effect of overdoing cardio is sustaining an overuse injury. This can come in the form of sore joints and shin splints or more serious stress fractures in the lower limbs,” explains Meier.
Unlike injuries sustained by moving the wrong way or landing improperly, overuse injuries are onset by an improper lack of recovery time. Just as exercising is important for training a healthy body, the days of rest within your week are just as important for getting enough sleep and allowing your muscles time to recover in between tough cardio sessions. “Over time if these areas are neglected, the body will break down faster than it can be repaired,” adds Meier.
One of the best ways to know if you’re beginning to overdo the cardio is if you’re in a constant state of discomfort or soreness, with aching joints that flare up even when you aren’t doing anything particularly strenuous in your day. “Not every workout should be incredibly hard and it may be doing more harm if it is hindering your ability to move afterwards,” warns Meier.
If you’re also noticing extreme fatigue throughout the day this may be another sign that your workouts are a little too intense, and it may be worth scaling back on cardio for a few days to see how you feel once you’ve recovered. It’s easy to fall into a habit of pushing yourself daily in the gym (we love that endorphin boost, too), but if you wind up injured or too exhausted to be your best self in the gym, it’s hardly worth the struggle.
Creating a good balance of cardio and strength training will allow you to challenge different areas of the body in the gym, allowing you to work hard without running yourself into the ground. “For general fitness and health, you shouldn’t be doing more than 10 hours of cardio a week, especially if it is intense,” suggests Meier. “Ideally, 3-4 cardio workouts of 30-60 minutes will lead to great results for improving fitness.”
That being said, doing cardio regularly is vital to the long term health of your body, but if you’re just beginning to integrate it into your routine it’s best to slowly ease in so as not to run yourself down right off the bat. Listening to your body is essential not only in following a balanced diet, but knowing what type of exercise routine and intensity you should be doing as well.
Not every workout of your week has to be at maximum intensity to be effective, and limiting cardio to several times a week will preserve your body while allowing you to really push yourself in the sessions you are doing. Balanced with weight training to help strengthen your muscles, you will have a better time recovering if you alternate the workouts you’re doing while also making sure to integrate rest days as well. As Meier says, “It is important to know that in order to become fit the body needs to be able to relax after workouts so that it can build itself back up stronger.”
