Who’s the exercise freak?

My mom sent me a magazine article titled “Exercising to Excess: Fitness fanatics are wide to heed the notion that less is more.” Not a very subtle message is it? One person’s idea of excessive is another’s picture of ideal. According to researchers who published a paper, titled, “Who Benefits Most from the Cardioprotective Properties of Alcoholic Consumption-Health Freaks or Couch Potatoes,” their definition of a “heath freak” is anyone who exercises thirty minutes every day (1). That’s ludicrous because thirty minutes of exercise should be the minimum.

I weight-train four to five times a week for an hour, plus an additional thirty minutes of cardio. On Saturday, I’ll walk for an hour, and on Sundays I’ll practice yoga from 30 to 60 minutes. I heard of one woman who exercises at the gym, sometimes, for five hours….that’s excessive! My personal option is that everyone should be exercising 1 to 2 hours five days a week, and to take a week off every two to three months. One thing that I did forget, but remembered after reading the article mom sent, is that exercise does cause stress on the body so maybe I’ll cut back on the cardio this week (2).

Photo: That’s me. You can now purchase my dairy-free diet book at http://www.thehighfivediet.com

Sources:

1. Greger, M.D., Michael. How Not to Die. Book. New York: Flatiron Books. 2015 pg. 144
2. Williams, Doug. “Exercising to Excess: Fitness fanatics are wide to heed the notion that less is more.” The San Diego-Union Tribune. 28 June 2016: E4, Print.