Cardio has many benefits to the body, including raising your heart rate and the amount of oxygen in your blood, increasing your endorphins, and strengthening your immune system. TheAmerican Heart Association recommends at least 150 hours of aerobic exercise per week, which averages out to 30 minutes of cardio five days a week. While you can do more cardio than this, there is a such thing as getting too much cardio.
The idea of getting too much cardio may seem unusual, but it is possible. If an intense cardio session lasts for more than 60 minutes, it can impact your health. In fact, doing more than 10 hours of intense cardio a week can cause unrepairable damage to the heart.
Too much cardio can reduce metabolism and make it harder to hit weight loss goals, prevent you from building muscle, and even cause trouble sleeping. While a moderate amount of cardio can lower your stress levels, too much cardio can increase your cortisol levels and result in sleeping problems. Excess cortisol can also lead to a weakened immune system.
If you’re feeling exhausted throughout the day, have a diminished physical performance level, or seem to be getting sick more often, you may be doing too much cardio.
A regular amount of cardio is necessary to live a balanced and healthy lifestyle, but you can have too much of a good thing. Too much cardio can cause problems, from unrepairable damage to your heart to trouble sleeping and higher stress levels. Experts recommend at least 150 hours of exercise per week, but no matter how much exercise you do, it’s important to refill your body adequately before your next workout session. A high-quality snack, such as Jawbox Jerky, can help your muscles start repairing themselves right after you finish your sweat session.