Exercising to relieve stress could do harm in long run without enough recovery time or a balanced lifestyle
Exercise is a stress on the body just like nervousness or anxiety, so people who work long hours and then hit the gym might need to rethink their routine
Personal trainers in Hong Kong worry that busy workers are adding exercise onto an already stressful existence to the detriment of their health.
Ed Haynes, founder and head trainer of Coastal Fitness Performance Training in North Point, says adding exercise to an already demanding and stressful life can end up doing more harm than good.
“Exercise is actually stress on the body,” Haynes says. “People need to understand that. To get better at anything, you need to stress the system.”
Haynes says the problem is people working long hours and hitting the gym either before or after work. Without adequate recovery time, or a balanced lifestyle, they may be harming themselves in the long run.
“Our body can’t differentiate between different types of stresses,” he says. “My body doesn’t know the difference between exciting things like competing in some type of fitness competition or going on stage in front of 500 different people and, say, the fear, anxiety and nervousness of meeting my boss and thinking I’m going to get fired all day.”
