Constant sport can damage your health

Sporty burnout: When the body is overcharged, physical and mental health suffers

03/20/2014

The spring-like temperatures have been luring joggers and Nordic walkers outdoors for several weeks now. But those who overdo it with running, swimming and playing tennis harm their health. This is what doctors and psychologists point out. Therefore, not only the degree, but also the correct execution of the exercises is important. Otherwise, physical and psychological complaints are imminent.

Sporty burnout due to excessive physical demands
Rainer has been going to gym for three months. He finally wants to lose weight and give his body a sporty look. The clerk has lost five kilos already by his tight training program, of which he does not take a break at the weekend. But Rainer realizes that instead of getting fitter he is getting tired. And yet "sports have to be now," he tells himself when he enters the gym exhausted after a long day at work. Until one day he can not anymore. His body hurts and exhaustion is so great that he has to get sick from his family doctor. Rainer suffers from a kind of athletic burnout. He exhausted himself and invested more energy than he had. The 47-year-old is no exception. Many people are demanding too much of themselves and their bodies. Only when the body strikes, they realize that they have overwhelmed for weeks, months or even years.

"Basically, I would really advise everyone to do sports in view of the positive effects," explains Prof. Herbert Löllgen from the German Society for Sports Medicine and Prevention to the news agency "dpa". "But there are certain training principles to stick to."

Healthy sports: Rule number one "Do not overdo it!"
"Beginners often do not have a pronounced sense of body and therefore can not estimate their exposure limit so well," says Oliver Stoll, Professor of Sport Psychology and Sports Education at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg to the news agency. "This can make them overwhelmed, which ends up with injuries, if it goes stupid." So it's always fresh-boned strength athletes who train with too much weight and therefore pull on strains or muscle tears.

Many people exercise at their limits for long periods of time. "In the long term, this overloads the organism, and it can lead to the so-called overtraining syndrome," explains Löllgen. These included symptoms such as fatigue, cardiac arrhythmia and muscle aches - that athletic burnout that Rainer had to experience.

Improper training will damage your health
Most people do sports to get fitter and healthier. To achieve this, amateur athletes should pay attention to the correct execution of the chosen sport. That's just as important as a healthy measure. The correct posture and the knowledge of basic techniques and movements play an essential role. Swimmers who thrust their heads out of the water during breaststroke, or runners who roll their feet off, are likely to harm their bodies more than they gain any health benefits. If uncertainties exist, an experienced athlete should be consulted. He can analyze the movements and give tips for improvement. Unfortunately some longtime athletes make technical mistakes either unconsciously or because they do not want to be advised. Many also overwhelm themselves.

"As a rule, you know what works and what does not work if you practice a sport for a while," says Stoll. "However, it is advisable to question your training methods from time to time to see whether critical behaviors have crept in." What happens if this advice is not heeded, show the overcrowded waiting room of orthopedic surgeons: Here is a "tennis elbow" a "runner knee". Exposure to stress can lead to serious illnesses. Prolonged and painful inflammation of the periosteum and severe signs of wear and tear on the joints, bones, tendons and ligaments are often the result. Löllgen also points out that the immune system also suffers when the body is constantly overwhelmed.

Sport despite injury or illness damages the health
Some athletes even train when they are sick or injured. Non-healed injuries such as strains and ligament or muscle tears can aggravate through training and even cause permanent damage. "This can be seen, for example, in athletes who feel pressured and afraid of not meeting external demands, and, of course, so-called sports addicts, who are compelled by the daily exercise dose," explains Jens Kleinert, a professor of sports and fitness Health psychology at the German Sport University Cologne opposite the news agency.

Also, inflammatory diseases such as flu should be a signal to every athlete to break the movement. Because those who continue to train risk death. "There are always people who fall over dead because they start ill to a marathon. The reason is that infections can be on the heart," says Löllgen. "If that's the case, physical stress can cause heart failure or even trigger sudden cardiac death." Prominent examples include swimming world champion Alexander Dale Oen and professional footballer Piermario Morosini. Both died of sudden cardiac death, although they were young and supposedly fit.

Sport should be fun
While one of the great friends enjoys exercising, physical activity is the purest grail to the other. It is therefore important to find a sport that suits you. If jogging is not fun at all, a ball sport or rowing could be the right thing instead. Löllgen advises to always listen to the body. This applies both to the load limit and to the motivation. Air distress, chest pain or dizziness are in any case serious signals that may indicate heart or lung problems. Then a doctor should be consulted.

But also the psychological well-being plays an important role in the sport. Normally, physical activity leads to the release of endorphins, which generate happiness. Anyone who does sports, to which he has to persuade himself every time, will most likely not feel a happy-hormone payout. "Everyone has no desire to train, and that's not bad. But if the drive comes completely from the outside and you are always tormented only to sport, that's something else, "says Kleinert. Then also suffer the psyche. Those affected should seek a sport that suits them better, says the expert. (Ag)