We always knew this, right?
Too much of a good thing.
I recently saw this link in Silent Sports Magazine: Gungho lifelong skiers are running into heart trouble. The docs theorize: Is it due to the 4-limb max effort? Or to the self-selected Type-A stress? Skiing has become very detailed-oriented AND highly competitive PLUS max-effort.
I’ve had several top skier pals develop afib or worse. And the reports of skiers keeling over out on the trails steadily trickle in.
I’ve also heard that fitness is losing its “middle class” just like the economy is: the public is dividing into ultra-intense fitness freaks … and couch potatoes. …Both unhealthy and exploited (read “self exploited”).
…And marathon runners are getting artery plaque.
” rel=”nofollow”>” rel=”nofollow”>marksdailyapple.com blog due to too many intervals and long, hard workouts. He’s a big Primal guy: sprints, power, long-slow. He says workouts longer than 2 hrs done at a high heart rate release highly corrosive cortisol into the blood. The body reacts by “scabbing” and trying to protect itself: maybe this leads to the plaque. This also relates to the rapid aging we see in endurance athletes. It’s not just the sun and wind causing it.
Here’s another link to info on hardcore enduro athletes (skiers in particular) and heart health:
fasterskier.com/article/lifelong-skiers-show-increased-risk-of-developing-heart-arrhythmias/
And, of course, none of this mentions all the joint damage and other bad health and injuries that can come from overdoing sports.
Exercise has many health benefits. But overdoing any of it swings the curve back down. It’s a bell-curve that recommends moderation, like so many others.
…And moderation of moderation as well. There’s no need to muddle along doing everything easy or medium-hard. Stress is good. Epics are good. Sprints, power-work, fine detail. Ligt weights. Punch the heavy bag. Kickbox. Wrestling and tumbling. Just not too much of any one thing. Cover your whole range of motion and effort levels. Include a variety of styles.
Every real culture has its folk dances, right? Don’t forget yours! (Swing counts.)
Even if you bike, run, ski and paddle, guess what? –You’re working in narrow, linear ranges of motion. (And so many of us focus on just ONE of those!)
DANCE is a great way to actively and culturally maintain range of motion.
Heck, even singing certainly has big health benefits for all sorts of reasons. Playing musical instruments. (When our kids were little we went through a phase of marching around the house playing a trumpet. Now, that’ll test your lungs!)
