A healthy lifestyle extends our lifespan. Regular sports and exercise is essential for our physical and mental wellbeing. It also helps us to avoid illnesses such as fibromyalgia (FMS), obesity and back pain. However, we must be careful. Overdoing sport and exercising excessively can be damaging, especially if you are not in good shape to start with. A classic example is people who push themselves too much whilst jogging, if you overdo it this could result in knee problems that could need to be operated on with orthopedic surgery.
Recently, Doctor Manuel Leyes, head of the orthopedic department of the Cemtro Clinic in Madrid affirmed ‘high level professional sports are not good for your health’. Leyes explained that excessive training and competition increases the likelihood of cardiac arrhythmia (abnormal heart beat). He also confirmed that athletes who compete in running events develop serious problems in their hips and knees.
Above all, said Reyes, the problem is that elite athletes put winning above their own health. This stress on the body is one of the factors why many top-level athletes suffer from serious injuries such as tearing of the cruciate ligament for footballers and handball players. Other sports have their own common serious injuries; severe joint sprains for basketball players and for athletes it’s possible to suffer from osteoporosis or excessive bleeding during menstruation
Exercising is good for you. It releases endorphins from your pituitary gland and your hypothalamus. Getting out and being physical helps combat stress, anxiety and it can even boost your self esteem.
We need to find balance. Our sedentary lifestyles are a massive cause of many of our illnesses and aches and pains ,whilst excessive exercise can cause very serious injuries to your body. Every body is different, and everybody has different limits, find the exercise that’s right for you and increase your training intensity gradually.
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