It's been a long time since you’ve worked out. You had every intention of getting out of your
computer chair and going to the gym, but these Infographics Show videos are just so
darn interesting. However, after we tell you what exactly exercising does to your body, you’ll have
all the motivation you need. First, there will be a little pain as your body tears itself apart,
but over time, your muscles will repair, and you’ll get stronger, happier, and healthier.
But make sure you stay with us all the way to the end of this video because too much
exercise can be a matter of life or death. You’ll definitely want to know how much is
too much and what detrimental effects over-exercising can have on your body.
We’re going to start with day 1 of working out. Whether it’s
been a few months since you’ve been to the gym or a few years,
the day you start exercising is the day your body starts to transform into the best version
of itself. But this will be a long process full of ups and downs. In order to understand what is
about to happen to your muscles and cells, we need to know what exercise does to your body.
You step into the gym and take a deep breath of air filled with the smells of sweat and rubber
mats. You scan the room to find an area that isn’t near anyone else, so you have all the
space you need. You pick up some different-sized weights and get to work. In between exercises,
you do a little cardio. As you begin to sweat, there is a slight burn in the muscles being used,
but this is a normal and important process that will make you stronger.
Your body shifts the flow of blood from areas like the digestive system to your skeletal muscles.
Signals from the brain and hormones from your endocrine system tell the body
to start converting stored sugars in fat and carbohydrates into glucose for energy production.
As your muscles are put under strain, they release lactic acid that builds up
and drops the pH in that area of the body. This causes cramps and muscle fatigue which
cues your mind that you can’t do any more reps, and it is time for a break.
Don’t worry, though; after a little rest, your body will metabolize the lactic acid,
and you will be able to continue your workout. Your brain begins creating neurotransmitters
like dopamine and serotonin that allows it to make more connections between brain cells, which
aids in the movement of body parts. Without these increased connections, you would be falling all
over yourself as you tried to do burpees or jump rope. Working out takes a lot of coordination,
and it is for this reason that the brain becomes incredibly active during exercise.
The harder you exercise, the faster your heart starts beating as a result of rising adrenaline
levels in the blood. At the same time, the capillaries in your muscles expand, allowing
for greater blood flow. This allows nutrients and oxygen to reach your cells where energy
production is in overdrive. The muscles in your midsection, which allow you to breathe by causing
your diaphragm to expand and contract, work even harder to bring more oxygen into your lungs.
As your cells generate more and more energy and your muscles work harder than they have in a
long time, your body temperature increases. Your sweat glands release fluid to help it
cool down and maintain homeostasis. This is one of the reasons why you feel so
thirsty as you exercise. Sweat causes the body to lose water, which can lead to dehydration,
so it’s important to replenish your H2O supply by drinking water throughout your workout routine.
You're hoping that by the time you're done, you will be ripped, but that's not how it works.
After an hour of working out, you collapse from exhaustion. As you lay on the floor,
your breathing begins to slow, and your heart rate decreases. You try to stand up,
but you can't move. Your body is still metabolizing the lactic acid that has
built up in your muscles. But if you think you're sore now, just wait until the next day.
When you finally manage to get your muscles working again and stand up, you realize you feel
dizzy, and your reaction time is slow. This is natural as the body is still trying to return
its numerous functions from a high state of stress and awareness to normal levels.
This takes a toll not only on the cardiovascular system but on your nervous system as well.
The heightened amount of dopamine and serotonin in your bloodstream gets used up,
and fewer signals are sent to the rest of the muscles as it’s time to relax.
Since your last workout, your body has been busy breaking down the fibers and blood vessels in your
muscles since they were not being used frequently. This is one of the reasons your muscles shrink in
the month after you stop exercising. But your body doesn't do this just to make you feel weak
and pathetic. The reason it breaks down muscle fibers is to help conserve energy in parts of
the body that aren't being used often. Your body requires a lot of energy just to keep you alive,
so any time energy can be conserved, it takes advantage of the situation.
Because of your previous lifestyle that lacked exercise, your body needs to work especially
hard to get blood and nutrients where they are needed as there just aren’t as many pathways and
blood vessels to your muscles as there should be. And this does not just affect the muscles in your
arms and legs; your heart and lungs have also been working much harder than they have been in a long,
long time. However, even though this first workout session was brutal, everything is
about to get easier, and your body will change drastically as a result of repetitive exercise.
The downside is that while you were exercising, you were also tearing apart what little muscle
fibers you had. They will grow back stronger, and your cells will multiply,
but this process is going to be painful, take time, and require a lot of energy.
When you go to bed the night after your first exercise session, you may find that you fall
asleep faster and sleep better than you have been in a long time. This is because your body
does a lot of its repairs while you are asleep. While energy levels are low for
the parts of the body that allow you to move and remain alert, your body can focus on using
its energy to repair itself. While you are fast asleep, your cells are hard at work dividing,
improving fluid distribution, and restructuring your muscle fibers to aid in growth and strength.
When you wake up the next day, you stare at the ceiling and pray for death as everything aches.
This is natural and means that your body is doing what it’s supposed to do by fixing itself
while also building up your muscles. You won't see any physical changes to your body, but you
will definitely feel them as aches and pains. But you are strong and can power through it.
The damage and new growth to your body happens at the microscopic level. You are likely going
to be sore for several days, and the way to reduce the pain is probably not what you are expecting.
You will definitely need to rest your body,
but it’s also important that you continue to push through the discomfort and exercise again.
By keeping the muscles active, you will provide them with more blood flow and nutrients;
this will aid in the restoration process. You will also need to stretch before and after
every workout session to make sure you aren't just damaging your muscles but making them more pliable
and flexible. This will help them grow and allow for a wider range of motion. If you are in severe
pain and can't move after a day of exercising, you did too much and went too hard. Give your body
time to recover, and then try again with a less intense workout regiment once you feel better.
Even after one day of exercise, your body's resting metabolic rate will increase slightly.
This is because it’s using more energy than normal to repair damaged muscle cells.
In order to get the energy it needs, your body will pull from any stores of fats that can be
broken down to produce glucose. Some studies have found that 45 minutes of intense exercise
can increase your metabolism by 40% for up to 14 hours after you finish working out.
But there is something incredibly unexpected that will happen after you start exercising.
Even though your body requires more energy to repair your muscles,
you will actually feel a drop in your appetite. This seems counterintuitive,
but it’s the increase of certain hormones that help the body recover that causes appetite
suppression as a side effect. This doesn't mean you won't feel hungry at all; it just means
you might not eat as much as you normally do. This is great if you're trying to lose weight,
which is why most medical professionals recommend supplementing almost all diets with exercise.
The soreness, faster metabolism, and suppressed appetite will continue through your first week
of exercising. But what happens after? When can you expect to see a six-pack and biceps of steel?
One week after you start working out, your body will begin to feel better overall.
If you are still waking up with pain after an exercise session,
it may mean you need to slow down a bit. But after a full week of this
new exercise-filled lifestyle, most of the pains and aches should subside.
Not only are your muscles growing at this point, but your brain is changing as well.
Researchers have found that your body releases endorphin hormones, which send pleasure signals
to the brain when you work out. This fundamentally changes the way you think about exercising.
After a week of consistently actively working out, your brain might begin to connect the activity
with receiving endorphins. This is one reason why people who exercise regularly report feeling
happier after they complete their workout. But the longer you keep up your exercise routine, the more
beneficial physical and mental health effects will develop, as you will find out later in this video.
Unfortunately, after a week of exercising, it’s unlikely you will see any noticeable physical
changes to your body. This is where people start to falter in their exercise routine. This is
a difficult mental hurdle to overcome, but the long-term benefits will definitely make it worth
it. Since you have been working so hard, it’s only natural to want to see results, but it’s just too
soon for your body to have repaired and built up enough muscle for the change to be visible.
However, you will feel more rested due to getting a better night's sleep,
and you probably have lost a pound or two, but you were expecting more noticeable results. As
long as you can push past the disappointment and finish out the first few weeks of exercising,
the next things that happen to your body will most definitely be noticeable.
After one month of going from a sedentary lifestyle to exercising consistently, you
will notice that your strength and stamina have improved. You might not be at your final goal yet,
but you have come a long way from that first workout session. There are now more muscle
cells and fibers throughout your body, which not only make your muscles more defined, but
you are probably doing more reps, lifting heavier weights, and able to lengthen your cardio routine.
You also will notice that your body takes less time to recover after a workout.
This is because not only are your skeletal muscles getting bigger, but your heart has
become stronger as well. This allows more blood, oxygen, and nutrients to be pumped
around your body more efficiently. And something even crazier is happening at the cellular level.
The mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell. It’s these organelles that turn
sugar and oxygen into energy. As more cells are created to allow your muscles to grow,
more mitochondria are being produced in each cell. The more mitochondria you have, the more
energy can be produced. This will aid with your exercise routine as well as the growing of new
cells and repairing of damaged muscle cells. Just by exercising regularly for a week, your body will
feel less tired in general because your cells are more actively converting sugars into energy.
Most of the strength gains you feel during your first few weeks of working are a result
of your brain being able to use your muscles more efficiently. Now that you have built up
more fibers in your muscles and your brain knows what to expect during an exercise
session, your balance and ability to complete your routines becomes almost second nature. Your
muscles are definitely getting stronger, but up until the first month of working out consistently,
it’s mostly your brain using what you have more efficiently that makes each session easier.
Your muscles are now better able to store carbohydrates and use them as a source of
energy when needed. With each good night's rest after working out for the past month, your body
has grown more and more muscle fibers and blood vessels that allow for better blood flow. This
increased blood flow is not just happening in your skeletal muscles but in all parts of your body.
This means your heart is pumping blood more efficiently and able to recover more quickly after
an intense workout. You may also find that your resting heart rate is lower than it was before
you started your new exercise routine, which can improve blood pressure and reduce stress levels.
Life is good now. Your body is definitely running more efficiently,
and you are starting to notice a little bit of toning in your muscles. But there is another
less attractive side effect you notice when you work out as well. You seem to be sweating more
than normal. This is actually a good thing. It means your body has become better at regulating
your internal temperature. The excess sweat is your body's way of thermoregulating itself
so that you can go harder for longer. So, embrace the salty taste of sweat as it drips
from your face. It’s all part of your body's plan to keep you healthy and make you stronger.
Three months after you start exercising, you will finally see the physical changes
you’ve been waiting for. Your muscles are now more defined. The amount of stored
fat you have has been reduced as your body breaks it down to repurpose the molecules
into making more muscle cells and energy. Depending on what your goal is, you might
actually gain weight. If you wanted to build muscle and were already at a healthy weight,
you might put on a few pounds as the larger your muscles become, the more you will weigh.
Also, at this point, your brain has been programmed to look forward and even crave your
workout sessions. The positive reinforcement that comes with the endorphins released during exercise
has become a normal part of your day, and if you don't workout, you oftentimes don't feel as good.
This is because your brain and body still expect the influx of hormones that comes with exercising.
One year after you started working out, you might barely recognize yourself.
You may have started an exercise routine before but never made it this far.
A year is a long time to keep up with exercising,
as life can often throw a wrench in your plans. But you've done it, and your body thanks you.
Your muscle strength and endurance are much higher. On top of being stronger, you will likely
be more flexible and have less back and joint pain. This is because, with regular exercise,
your muscle fibers have become more elastic and stronger. Exercising also has a positive
impact on bone growth, which is one of the reasons your joints also feel better as well.
But the best parts of making it this far are the things you can't see. Since your heart is
stronger and more healthy, you've reduced your risk of developing heart disease or stroke.
Also, since you've been maintaining a healthy weight, you are less likely to become obese or
develop diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Even if you have a cheat meal every now and then,
your body can handle the extra nutrients and just uses them as fuel during your next workout
sessions. You shouldn't be eating fast food all the time, but a year's worth of exercise
does mean you are likely able to eat more than you used to if you want to maintain a healthy weight.
Research also shows that exercising regularly reduces the symptoms of stress, depression,
and anxiety. This most likely has to do with an increase in certain pleasure hormones
that happens as a result of working out. Also, some studies have provided evidence
that exercising regularly over several years can actually cause the brain's hippocampus to grow
in size. So not only are your skeletal muscles getting bigger, but your brain may be as well.
However, can too much of a good thing be bad for you? Or, in other words, can you over-exercise?
The answer to this question is yes. So, how much is too much, and what can happen?
Everyone is different, so the amount of exercise one person can handle may be very
different than what you can handle. This is okay; it just means you need to listen to what
your body is telling you. If you collapse and can't move for hours after a workout,
it may mean you've overdone it. Likewise, if you are always in pain or aching after you work out,
even months into exercising, it means something is wrong, and you should modify your routine.
But what happens to your body when you exercise too much?
If you push your muscles too hard for too long, you can develop chronic muscle fatigue. Your body
will feel heavy, and your heart will have trouble recovering and returning to its normal rhythm.
This is dangerous because too much strain on the heart can lead to a heart attack.
Overworking your muscles can also lead to a rare condition called
rhabdomyolysis. Your muscle fibers begin to break down and leak into your blood.
If this continues, the fibers can end up in the heart and kidney, causing these major
organs to fail. So in this circumstance, over-exercising can actually be fatal.
Another side effect of working your body too hard is that your sleep suffers. Your body uses the
time you are asleep to repair itself, but if there is too much damage, this can cause pain that keeps
you awake. The hormones in your body may become so out of balance that it results in insomnia. If you
don't sleep enough, your body can't recover, which exacerbates the problems in the healing process
even further. And even when you are asleep, your body might not be able to increase blood flow
or produce enough human growth hormone to repair all of the damage that has been done.
If you find yourself restless at night and not getting enough sleep,
it may be time to dial back the exercising a bit. Experts recommend that doing high-intensity
training for short periods of time may help reset the body and allow for your sleeping
patterns to return to normal. Then you can ramp up your exercise regimen once again
while monitoring your body to make sure you don't overdo it.
But sleep deprivation from over-exercising isn't the only thing throwing your internal
balance out of whack. When you exercise the appropriate amount,
your body uses up stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline that are circulating in your blood.
These molecules are necessary for normal life functions. However, by exercising consistently,
you’re keeping them at low levels, which in turn reduces the amount of anxiety and stress you feel.
The problem with over-exercising is that it has the reverse effect.
With too much exercise, your body is constantly being strained, which means stress hormones
are dumped into your bloodstream. This can then cause your stress and anxiety levels to increase
drastically. Cortisol also plays a role in helping insulin regulate glucose levels in your body.
However, when cortisol levels are too high, your liver continuously releases glucose which could
lead to your cells developing insulin resistance. This means glucose levels will be too high in
the blood, and your body will begin storing it as fat. If insulin resistance persists,
it can lead to type 2 diabetes, and all of your hard work will become detrimental to your health.
On top of all this, it is unlikely your body will be able to get enough nutrients
and generate enough energy to repair all of the damage done to your muscles
and make you stronger. So, exercising too much actually ends up making you weaker over time.
If your body needs more nutrients than you can provide it with, energy production slows,
and you feel tired and fatigued. Nutrient deficiency connected to over-exercising
has been linked to numerous other side effects such as hair loss, bone pain,
and vision problems. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s time to drastically
reduce the amount of exercise you're doing and give your body the time it needs to recover.
You might also realize that not only does your body hurt from working out,
but that you feel like you're getting sick more often. This is because over-exercising
can reduce the effectiveness of your immune system. This may have something to do with the
body using an extreme amount of resources to repair the damage begin done to your muscles.
According to the Journal of Applied Physiology, your body experiences a period of immunodepression
when you workout. This normally isn't a problem, but when you overwork your body, this window
lasts much longer than it should, which could leave you vulnerable to infections and diseases.
The most important thing to know about how over-exercising can affect your immune system
is that the more times you push your body too hard, the longer the period that your
immune system is weakened becomes. If you put yourself through an extreme workout
for multiple days in a row, your immune system doesn't have time to recover, which could leave
you in danger of becoming sick. Like with the other side effects of over-exercising,
the damage to your immune system can be reversed. But it is important to recognize that if you are
exhibiting symptoms of over-exercising like nutrient deficiencies, sleep deprivation,
and severe pain, your immune system is also suffering, and you may find yourself with
a nasty infection to go along with all the other harmful effects of too much exercise.
What it comes down to is that if you are planning to start exercising regularly,
you start slow and work your way up to a more difficult routine.
The real damage to your body comes from doing too much too quickly. A good way to
find your threshold is by starting out with some high-intensity workouts for short periods of time
and seeing how your body feels. It is also important to implement some cardio, even
if it is just a short jog or speed walking. You never want to go from doing no exercise to lifting
hundreds of pounds or trying to run a marathon because your body just won't be able to take it.
Listen to your body and what it's telling you. If you workout and the next day you don't feel
any soreness at all, you might want to try pushing yourself a little harder.
Conversely, if you work out and can't move the next day because you are in so
much pain, then you probably overdid it. You should get some rest and give your
body the time it needs to recover. Then dial back your workout routine a bit.
Make sure you supplement your workout with healthy foods full of nutrients and vitamins
to help your body repair the damage and growth of your muscles. Also, remember how important sleep
is to the restoration of your body. When you begin your new workout routine, try and get to bed early
and get a good night's rest since this is when your body carries out most of its repairs.
And when you wake up sore the next day, just know that it’s normal, and you should try and
push through it because the more you stretch and use your muscles, the stronger they will become.
Now watch “What Happens To Your Body When You Stop
Drinking Alcohol.” Or check out “What Happens to Your Body After You Die?”