World Health Day: How toxic fitness can worsen your health
When it comes to health and wellness, most of us like to hit the gym without having the slightest idea about what, where, when, and how much workout we should be doing. This World Health Day, NewsBytes spoke to Mr. Aminder Singh, founder and fitness coach at Team Aminder, who shared five signs that you may unknowingly be following toxic fitness.
Let's understand what toxic fitness is
Toxic fitness is defined as a practice of working on one's physical and mental health based on what is largely trending. A person may ignore or sideline their stamina, body requirements, and fitness goals, blindly falling for what's advertised or told.
Here's what our expert says
Exercises and dieting can be taken to extreme levels by the desperate and the novice under poor guidance. This practice where the journey to fitness paradoxically harms the body is known as toxic fitness. When starting your fitness journey it is important to understand what is good or bad for your body and follow an expert in the field and not the latest fads.
You are consuming or overdosing on steroids
"Steroids are a quick fix to increase muscle mass, performance, and endurance, as well as to speed up recovery to achieve the desired body goal in a short period," says Singh. However, "they can produce excessive hormones in one's body, causing many uncertainties in the system. Side effects may involve a female suddenly developing facial hair or men developing breasts," he adds.
You are doing the exercises wrong
"Skill learning is essential when it comes to exercises," tells Singh. "Whether you're running, lifting weights, or practicing a yoga routine, using proper form is the key to ensuring you get the results you want - and avoid your risk of injury," he shares. In many cases, people ignore such things and get injured badly, he recalled.
You are overdoing training
Singh says that when you push your body too hard during training, it results in persistent soreness that can seriously hamper your everyday activities, besides making you feel lousy. "Excessive training can lead to tiredness due to which a person becomes more prone to anxiety and depression," he added. To avoid this, understand your body's capacity and rest more often.
You are taking fitness tips from those who aren't experts
Fitness is subjective and everyone has a particular way of it. "You may think that a random person who has achieved a particular fitness goal is an expert. However, one should understand that every body type is different, the requirements for them differ too, and thus there is no one solution that would fit everyone's requirements," explained the Team Aminder founder.
You believe that fitness is all about weight loss
"The majority of people think fitness is about losing weight. They consider weight loss as an indication of improving health - which is not always the case," reveals Singh. "One can lose muscle mass and water if the focus is on weight loss rather than fat loss, which is not healthy. A person should be very clear about their goals," he concluded.
