A frequent question in the fitness world has been, can exercising and working out wear down our bodies? Of course, using improper techniques and avoiding our body’s warning signs are bad, but is there such thing as too much exercise?
Last year, the federal government released physical activity guidelines that recommended the average person get a minimum of two hours and 30 minutes a week of moderate physical activity or at least one hour and 15 minutes of vigorous activity. There has been a large amount of evidence proving that exercise can keep us healthy as we age and prevent early death.
The person that posed the question to MSNBC was a 53-year-old woman who was 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighed approximately 118 pounds. The woman walked or participated in step aerobics five days a week for one hour per day, along with a weight routine every other day. The woman said she had been exercising for 30 years and many people told her she still looked in her 30s.
Dr. W. Ben Kibler, a spokesperson for the American College of Sports Medicine and medical director of the Lexington Clinic Sports Medicine Center in Lexington, Ky. told MSNBC that the woman’s amount of exercise was spot on and the fact that she used strength training along with her aerobics completed a well-rounded workout. He said that by sticking with a workout routine for so many years helps keep her body strong and more resistant to injury.
