Is too much exercise bad for you?

It’s been exciting watching the Olympics over the past couple of days. I am riveted by the finesse of these performers and what physiques they have!

But it’s also hard on me because I was once an elite athlete. To see them excelling at the sports that used to come fairly easily to me is somewhat painful. Granted, I didn’t go to the Olympics, but I was one of those sports addicts who did heavy exercise every day.

And I’m paying for it now. When I was young, I defined myself as an athlete. Every day I would run six or 7 miles, play tennis, swim, bike, or do another activity that required a lot of exercise. It was a great way to combat the stress of a high-pressure sales career and get the endorphins going.

But in 2001, I had a severe accident that put me in a wheelchair. It’s called a tibia plateau fracture, which means the area below your kneecap crumbles like a stale cookie.

When you are used to something coming so easily to you, it’s very humbling when it is taken away from you. I managed to get most of my mobility back, but I had to start modifying my exercise regimen.

I was no longer a runner, but I could still play tennis and do many activities like swimming, biking, and other types of exercise. Then in 2019, I broke my other knee in the same fashion. I began to wonder if all that exercise that I did as a young person was all that good for me.

In my 30s, I grew up watching those Jane Fonda workout tapes. I believed that the more exercise you did, the better it was for your body. I never thought that running on cement would be bad for my knees.

It never entered my mind that taking a day or two of recovery in between sports might be a good idea. I just wanted to keep moving, keep the adrenaline going, and keep my energy up.

As I watch the Olympics now I wonder what will happen to these elite athletes as they age. They certainly put themselves through the wringer far more than I ever did.

Training for several hours a day in one sport can’t be great for your body in the long run  Watching Simone Biles limping around while doing her gymnastics routines is grueling for me. Is she going to do permanent damage to her 27-year-old body? For those who have not sustained athletic injuries, it probably doesn’t register, but for those of us who have endured the debilitation that comes from being sidelined, it’s a difficult thing to witness.

Were you athletic as a kid? Are you paying for it now? Most of us have had to adjust to a different regimen as we’ve aged. If you weren’t that athletic are you breezing through Zumba, water aerobics, and all types of sports now?  If so, I envy you.

But I don’t regret my decades of exercise, I just hope I’m not too uncomfortable going forward. I would love to hear your stories.