Can I exercise too much?

According to research, yes you can! This study followed 100 light exercisers (1 to 6 hours a week) and 100 heavy exercisers (18 to 22 hours a week). The conclusion was that the heavy exercisers struggled more with mental health than the light exercisers. Other studies have shown that light exercisers significantly improve mental health more than no exercisers. Another study examined people with ADHD because they struggle more with mental health than non-ADHD controls. Exercise significantly improved stress, anxiety, and depression in those with ADHD. The take-home here is that every one of us should be getting a little daily exercise to improve our mental health but you can overdo it!

Research

Golshani S, Najafpour A, Hashemian SS, Goudarzi N, Shahmari F, Golshani S, Babaei M, Firoozabadi K, Dürsteler KM, Brühl AB, Shakeri J, Brand S, Sadeghi-Bahmani D. When Much Is Too Much-Compared to Light Exercisers, Heavy Exercisers Report More Mental Health Issues and Stress, but Less Sleep Complaints. Healthcare (Basel). 2021 Sep 28;9(10):1289. doi: 10.3390/healthcare9101289. PMID: 34682969; PMCID: PMC8535876.

Ogrodnik, M., Karsan, S., & Heisz, J. J. (2023). Mental Health in Adults With ADHD: Examining the Relationship With Cardiorespiratory Fitness. Journal of Attention Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547231158383