Why exercise should be done in moderation

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Numerous studies indicate that during sports, endorphins are produced and already literally 40 minutes after starting a workout, you should feel a surge of strength and positiveness. But in fact, not everything is so rosy. Sport has its dark side - the so-called depression of the athlete. We will talk about this phenomenon today.

Everything in life is so arranged that even very useful things in large quantities turn into poison. Sports activities, alas, are no exception. Exercise is usually a great natural antidepressant, but in some cases it can backfire.

A recent study found that 25% of athletes show signs of depression. For several years, scientists have collected data on the lives of 465 athletes. Women were twice as likely to show signs of depression as men. Athletes suffered the most: 38% had clinical symptoms of depression. It should be noted that the participants in the experiment were students, so, in addition to sports, their mood was influenced by tests, exams, and the like.

Earlier studies at Columbia University in New York showed that overworking can lead to burnout. The author of one of the studies, Carol Ewing Garber (Carol Ewing Garber) noted that 2, 5-7, 5 hours of training per week had a positive effect on both the physical and emotional state of the subjects.

More activities ultimately led to a deterioration in well-being.

The most interesting thing is that, knowing about the positive effect of sports on morale, many go to the gym or for a run to cheer themselves up, and isolate themselves from people, while, on the contrary, they should get rid of depression with the help of communication.

This applies to those who usually train alone. For example, he prepares for a marathon or triathlon competition, when training takes quite a long time (2-3 hours a day). People do not realize that they are alone with themselves for a long time and are deprived of the social interaction and support that are so needed in difficult times.

However, the problem is actually much deeper than it seems. If time for rest is not enough for full recovery, overtraining occurs and, as a result, physical fatigue, the body wears out. All of these can cause physiological changes and depression. Carol Ewing Garber notes that if you neglect rest, sleep quality suffers and the autonomic nervous system can take a hit. The result is a hormonal imbalance that negatively affects the physical and psychological state.

The studies are not yet completed and the conclusions are not confirmed by a sufficient number of results, but this information should not be neglected. If you think that only professional athletes have problems, you are wrong.

Amateurs bring themselves to exhaustion no less often than professionals.

And then a very unpleasant state of fatigue and hopelessness appears, a lack of understanding why all this is needed, why participate in competitions. To experience such pain and fatigue for the sake of improving the result for a few minutes or getting a medal ?! As a result, such thoughts lead to the fact that a person can withdraw from the race in competitions or completely quit playing the once so dearly beloved sport. This is complete physical and emotional burnout.

What to do? Do not bring yourself to such a state and rest. Listen to your body, keep training diaries, note both physical and emotional well-being in them. Plus, there are apps and sports gadgets to help you control yourself. They show in graphs and numbers the amount of processing, the time it takes to recover, the peak of physical activity, and other data.