A 60-year-old man who used to work out for 8 hours a day, walking,
jogging, and doing hundreds of situps, developed severe degenerative
arthritis and is barely able to move because of the pain.
They say too much of a good thing is usually bad for you, and
apparently, exercise is no exception. Chinese newspaper Shanxy Daily
recently featured the tragic story of a 60-year-old man from Henan who
only discovered exercising in his early 40s, only to start overdoing it
to such an extent that he pretty much ruined his joints. The Zhengzhou-based
man reportedly exercised about two and a half hours every morning,
walking, running, and doing pull-ups, then swam for about two hours and
then did 800 sit-ups a day, plus hundreds of push-ups, and some
badminton to top it all off. Unfortunately, his body eventually gave in
and he started experiencing severe pain in his joints.
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It’s unclear whether the man followed this extreme training regimen
daily, which seems impossible unless he was a fitness instructor or
unemployed, or if he exercised up to 8 hours per day. Regardless, he has
been going at it for about 20 years, until a few weeks ago when his
knees and elbows became unbearably painful, to the point where he could
no longer move.
The fitness fanatic’s family took him to the Luoyang Orthopedic Hospital
in Henan Province after his joint pain became excruciating, and the
doctors there diagnosed him with severe degenerative arthritis,
hyperplasia, and degeneration of the elbow joint, all caused by
excessive exercise.
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Lian Jie, the director of the Luoyang Orthopedic Hospital took to Weibo
to remind the general public that exercise should be moderate and that
people should start with easy exercises and find a sport they enjoy. For
most people, exercising 3 to 5 times a week, for just 1 or 1.5 hours is
optimal.
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