We all know that it is important to
get a good dose of exercise in on a frequent basis in order to live a long,
happy life. But how much is too much? Regis’ very own Eric Robertson, from the
PT department, has provided some crucial, and now widely circulated,
information about a recent, popular form of exercise, CrossFit. Just hearing
“CrossFit” before ever reading this article made me shudder, because, having
tried a few of the workouts myself in the past, I know how hard CrossFit
junkies work in the gym. Now, though, Robertson has opened my eyes to a whole
new reason to be weary of these exercises.
Physical exercise activates the sympathetic
(“fight or flight”) nervous system. When the sympathetic nervous system is
activated, heart rate and respiratory rate increase, blood flow is directed
primarily to skeletal muscle, energy is mobilized, pupils dilate, and the list
goes on. Basically, a hoard of changes occurs throughout the various systems in
the body. All this is in an effort to maintain homeostasis, which is a dynamic
state of balance in which our body functions optimally. This sympathetic
response to stress evolved so that animals could respond to acute (a.k.a.
intense, sudden, and short-lived) stressors. Unfortunately, humans, apart from
other species, have a tendency to experience chronic psychological stress; we
can remain in a stressed state for days, months, even years at a time. Remaining
in a chronic stressed state can be deleterious, causing heart problems,
depression, sleep disturbance, and more. However, Robertson’s story is one that
maintains that even too much ACUTE stress can be harmful.
Robertson’s colleague pushed her
body too far during one workout; she was not working for days or weeks on end.
CrossFit workouts being designed the way they are, her bout of exercise
probably hadn’t lasted much longer than half an hour, and yet, she is still
feeling the detrimental effects of it to this day. Rhabdomyolysis, according to
Robertson, may or may not get better with treatment. So, just like a person
undergoing copious amounts of psychological stress may see themselves
chronically affected by something like a stroke, so may a CrossFit athlete
experience lasting effects just from one workout where they pushed their
muscles too far. Overall, it is well understood that, in the right amount,
stress can help us, but this is further proof that too much stress, whether ongoing
and psychological or brief and physical, is not a good thing.
Brieanna,
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for posting something about acute stress. No one ever talks about the acute dangers of exercise. I have always been fascinated by the "work out fanatics" who spend 4 hours a day at the gym lifting weights and running on the treadmill. I have always told them that it will not pay off in the end, which there are many scientific articles to verify. An article by Jim Carpentier shows that these exercise maniacs risk damage to their bones, tendons, and muscles (2011). Strangely enough there is little literature I could find on the dangerous of acute exercise. I am glad that you have put this info out there and have shown that not only chronic exercise is dangerous.
Carpentier J. Feb 2011. Too much of a good thing. American Fitness. 29 (1): 14-16
BrieAnna,
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I had not really thought of the effects that could come from acute stress. Its an interesting topic and lead me to thinking/doing a little research of my own. In my opinion, I think the harmfulness of acute and chronic stress from working out kind of parallel the potential health problems that stem from eating too much or too little. If you eat too little, you are depriving your body of nutrients that promote healthy cell division and cell regeneration among affecting other areas of the body. On the other hand if you eat too much, you essentially store what is left over as fat, which can lead to its own set of health problems (i.e. hypertension). According to the Center for Disease Control, in order to receive the maximum health benefits from exercise, the suggested amount per week is 2.5 hours at moderate activity level. It is also highly recommended that exercise be spaced out and not all done at once. For example, taking three 10 minute walks a day for five days. It may not sound like much to these "work out fanatics," but if you add in the recommended muscle-strengthening than it adds up. Maybe CrossFit athletes and even Robertson's colleague would not run into potential health problems if they started to follow these guidelines. From this discussion I have come to learn that moderation is good and anything greater or less than that can cause potential problems.
Questions: Is a possible stressor, the role society plays on our self-esteem? Do you think the type of shoes, equipment or body mechanisms (posture) used factor into causes we see with high intensity acute exercise? Do individuals need to feel the pain to see the gain?
References:
http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines/adults.html
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/09/27/when-dieting-and-exercise-hurt/