Fitness Brief

       Quantity doesn’t substitute for quality.   Some GCSU students seem to miss this point when it comes to physical health.  Whether driven by an obsession with body image or athletic performance, there is such a thing as “working out too much.” 
    Students who spend two or more hours lifting weights, running, or a combination of the two are putting their bodyies at risk and wasting time, according to Dr. Michael Martino. Martino is coordinator of the exercise science program at GCSU and has trained many world-class athletes in different sports.
    “Anybody who exercises more than 30 to 60 minutes at a time – unless they’re an athlete – does not need to train for that long.  Intensity is the most important ingredient,” said Martino said.
    Even NCAA athletes make the mistake of “overtraining” their bodies, Martino pointed out.  This term refers to when an individual becomes repeatedly stressed by training to the point where rest is no longer adequate for recovery.  “Overtraining Syndrome” is the name given to the emotional, behavioral and physical symptoms due to overtraining.
    Since the majority of GCSU students who lift weights or run often are not NCAA athletes, what else would motivate them to spend too much of their time doing these activities?
    GCSU juniors Rich Dobson and Nick Bell, both exercise science students, say they think students who spend too much time in the gym are motivated by one main reason.
    “It’s body image,” Bell said.  “People feel like they have to look a certain way, so people come in [the Wellness Depot] too much to try to look like what they see in magazines and on TV,” said Bell said.
    Bell and Dobson’s academics involve studying the effects of exercise on the body.  Even though they understand that personal appearance is important to most people, neither of them believes that vanity should be the guiding motivation to be active.
    “It’s a waste of time to be in here for two hours . . . when people are in here for two hours and work out your biceps, you’re only damaging your body,” Dobson said.
This may not come as a surprise for some. 
    However, Dr. Martino brought up that discussions have taken place concerning the relationship between extreme overtraining and cancer.  
    The theory pertains to whether or not chronic, excessive exercise over long periods of time may predispose an individual to certain forms of cancer.
    Before you freak out and throw away your gym shoes, realize that this has not been clinically proven, and if not true, it doesn’t threaten the average fitness enthusiast.
    “We have to find that limit, and be satisfied with it.  We can’t be so consumed by American society by trying to be better and better.  People are never satisfied with who they are, and that is part of what causes overtraining,” said Martino said.
    Most, if not all of these bodies seen on magazine covers do not get that way naturally.  They are the result of many nutritional supplements, photo editing and other forms of enhancement.
“When you’re dealing with exercise, there comes a point where too much is not good for your health,” said Bell.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Feb 2 2007. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry