Your periods could become irregular if you work out too much
One way a woman might know that she has been working out too much is if her periods become irregular or cease altogether (a condition known as amenorrhea), certified personal trainer and nutritionist Matt Wismer told Health Digest. That being said, it would be unusual for a woman to experience amenorrhea from excessive exercise alone. Instead, amenorrhea is more commonly seen in women who are both exercising excessively and restricting their eating to the point where they are at a low body weight relative to their frame (this doesn’t necessarily mean that the woman has an eating disorder, although it could).
The combination of intense exercise and low body weight makes the body believe it is in a starvation state, USC Fertility explained. In response, the body begins conserving energy any way it can, including pausing organ systems that are not absolutely essential for survival. One of those organ systems is the reproductive system. Some medical experts believe that the stress hormone cortisol also plays a role in pausing the reproductive system. Infertility may result, but it can be treated with medications. However, USC Fertility explained that “optimizing body weight by improving nutritional intake before trying to get pregnant is the preferred approach.”
When you work out too much, you risk developing premature osteoporosis
Infertility is just one of the problems that comes with exercise-induced amenorrhea. When the female body’s reproductive system essentially goes on furlough, the production of estrogen vastly diminishes. Lower estrogen levels can lead to osteoporosis, a bone disease involving loss of bone density such that the bones actually appear porous when viewed under a microscope. Porous bones are weak and prone to breakage. In advanced cases of osteoporosis, bones may break from something as minor as a cough.
Osteoporosis is relatively rare in women under the age of 50, but when it is seen, it tends to be one-third of what certified personal trainer and nutritionist Matt Wismer and medical experts refer to as the “female athlete triad” (the other two-thirds consist of exercise-induced amenorrhea and disordered eating). Something else that goes along with the triad is an increased risk of heart attack later in life (as a result of long-term estrogen deficiency).
You could lower your sperm count by working out too much
About 9 percent of American men experience fertility problems, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Most “male factor” infertility is due to a problem with the quality or volume of sperm. There are a number of reasons why these issues can occur, but one you may not have imagined has to do with exercise — specifically overexercise.
While scientists have long suspected this, a 2017 review of the existing literature on the effects of intense physical activity on male fertility confirm that working out often and at high intensity can impair male fertility by lowering sperm count, reducing the speed at which sperm is able to move, and reducing the number of sperm that are healthy and functioning. By contrast, the literature also reflected that moderate exercise can have a positive effect on semen quality and quantity.
Working out too much could kill your libido
While moderate exercise has been shown to provide a nice boost to the male sex drive (by increasing testosterone levels), and while it has also been demonstrated that being overweight and sedentary may be tied to a lower libido in men, it seems that, once again, it’s a case of “everything in moderation.”
A 2017 study out of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consists of an analysis of existing data culled from a survey of 1,077 healthy men regarding their exercise habits and libido. When reviewing the data, the experts found that men who routinely take part in long or highly intense workouts were less likely to report a normal libido than their peers who exercise more moderately.
Or to put it another way, it appears that going long and hard at the gym may lead to precisely the opposite in the bedroom. How? Dr. Joan Khoo, a researcher at Changi General Hospital in Singapore explained to Reuters, saying, “Over-training suppresses production of testosterone and other hormones which stimulate libido and sperm production in men, in a similar way to how high levels of intensive exercise training suppresses estrogen production, menstrual cycles and fertility in women.”
Working out too much can mess with your hair, nails, and skin
While amping up your workouts can often do wonders for your hips, thighs, and abs, it can also do terrible things to your hair, skin, and nails, according to sports chiropractor and certified strength and conditioning specialist Alex Tauberg. The culprit appears to be hormones, and once again, the stress-hormone cortisol comes into play. As Tauberg explained to Health Digest, high levels of cortisol can wreak havoc on the hair, skin and nails.
Under the influence of higher levels of cortisol, the hair can become dry and brittle. Even worse, stress is also associated with hair loss. High levels of cortisol can cause acne — even in those who are not normally prone to acne, dermatologist Flor A. Mayoral revealed in a speech at the American Academy of Dermatology’s SKIN Academy (via ScienceDaily). And excess cortisol can cause the nails to become brittle and more prone to breakage and peeling.
You could develop this rare but terrifying condition from working out too much
One of the scariest side effects of working out too much is a life-threatening condition called rhabdomyolysis. Rhabdomyolysis is, thankfully, relatively rare; just 26,000 people develop it each year. It involves a breakdown of muscle tissue, causing the release of a toxic protein into the bloodstream. The protein, myoglobin, can cause serious damage to the kidneys, which is why one of the symptoms is a distinctive dark reddish or tea-colored urine.
Rhabdomyolysis can be caused by any form of muscle damage, but it’s most commonly associated with overexertion, particularly in extreme heat, which causes the muscles to break down even more rapidly. Rhabdomyolysis can be exacerbated by dehydration, which is also associated with working out too much. It’s seen primarily in endurance athletes, members of the military, and firefighters. However, others can be susceptible, including the elderly who fall, are unable to get up, and are not discovered for an extended period of time.