Jogging is a very popular way for the average person to become comprehensively healthier. It promotes weight maintenance or weight loss, relieves stress, enhances cardiovascular fitness and tones and strengthens the butt, calf and thigh muscles. Nevertheless, jogging is not for everyone, particularly those with certain physical or psychiatric conditions and, in some instances, may actually be bad for you.
Impact Injuries
The single greatest drawback to jogging is that it places tremendous stress on the joints, especially in heavier people. Almost everyone jogs on pavement or asphalt, which the body is not designed to endure. According to Raphael Brandon of the website Sports Injury Bulletin, joggers are prone to over-training and trying to train through injuries, habits that inevitably worsen existing problems. Brandon says that past a certain point, too much jogging can, in addition to wreaking havoc on muscles, joints and bones, permanently weaken your body.
Excessive Weight Loss
Many people -- most, but not all, of them women -- develop eating disorders and turn to jogging to promote weight loss. Alternatively, many competitive runners develop an eating disorder at some point after they have started a regular training regimen. According to former NCAA All-American distance runner Ann Gaffigan of "Women Talk Sports," as many as three in five women develop either a full-blown eating disorder or behaviors associated with an eating disorder. Exercising while at a very low body weight is extremely dangerous, and most people with eating disorders eventually require medical intervention.
Pregnancy Complications
While it's natural if you're an active woman to want to continue exercising during pregnancy, taking things too far can be hazardous to both you and your growing baby. The medical advisory board of the website "Baby Center" cautions pregnant women who exercise to look out for the following physical warning signs: nausea, dizziness, sudden change in body temperature, heart palpitations, calf swelling, vaginal bleeding, blurred vision, fainting, abdominal or chest pain and vaginal fluid leakage. Stop jogging immediately at the onset of any of these symptoms.
Dehydration and Heat Exhaustion
In most parts of North America, it's not unusual for the mercury to climb about 90 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer months; in the Southwestern United States, temperatures of 110 degrees are not uncommon. According to exercise physiologist Pete Pfitzinger, jogging in the heat can be extremely dangerous, because dehydration catches a lot of runners unawares. This is because thirst lags behind the body's loss of significant amounts of water. Many joggers are chronically dehydrated, and a loss of 4 to 5 percent of body weight owing to fluid loss can lead to serious physical damage and even death.
References
- Sports Injury Bulletin: Train Yourself to Stay Free of Distance Running Injuries
- Women Talk Sports; Eating Disorders in Female Distance Runners with Guests Lauren Fleshman and Lize Brittin; June 2011
- "Baby Center": Ten Signs of Danger During Pregnancy Exercise
- Distance Coach: The Dangers of Dehydration
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