Just a few more reps, you tell yourself. Just one more mile. Your body is already feeling the strain of the grueling workout you convinced yourself you could handle. The truth is, you should have ended your workout several minutes ago. But you keep pushing on. Why? Because as the saying goes, “no pain, no gain”, right?

Militarization of Success

The mentality that we have to wage war on our bodies in order to be fit has been constantly ingrained in our culture. We regularly hear the message that in order to be successful, we have to work overtime until complete exhaustion. But working out until extreme exhaustion will only lead to a good-looking body on the outside and a weak one on the inside.

Side Effects of Excessive Exercise

“I’m going to break down my muscle tissue and damage my kidneys faster than you!”…said no one, ever.
These are two of many possible negative side effects of excessive exercise. The effects can be both physical and mental, including:

• Unexplained weight loss
• Increase in thirst, decreased appetite

We know, those two may not sound so bad, but what about:

• Increased resting heart rate
• Lack of perspiration
• Sleep disturbances
• Irritability, depression, anger, and loss of ability to concentrate

Prevent overexertion in your workouts by varying your exercise and including mandatory rest periods in your training schedule!

Fitness Is A Lifelong Process

Being chronically exhausted is not the key to success. Learning about the body and what it takes to strengthen, nourish, and heal it is a lifelong process. It’s okay to get intense with your workout, but know your limits – it doesn’t have to look like a military operation!

Exercise does not have to be war. In fact, it can be a fun adventure! Listen to your body’s signals, so you know which days it can handle intensity and which days you need to recover.

If you start thinking of health and fitness as an adventure that lasts a lifetime, you’ll be able to enjoy a healthy body no matter how old you are.

Let go of the “no pain, no gain” mentality now and stop destroying your body. Make your health lasting and fulfilling!