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"Are you crazy?" or even more commonly stated, "you really ARE crazy." This is what people say to me when I tell them what I did after school. I'm an avid mountain and road biker and long distance runner, and I also enjoy swimming and weightlifting. Needless to say, sometimes all the time spent working out is not in one's favor. Here are the main cons to exercising:

1. Social life

Gone. Burned, thrown in a toilet, and flushed. If you have a full work day or school day and exercise, chances are you're not going to be relaxing with your buds at the bar. You'll be at the gym lifting weights, or on the trails running your butt off. People will also not be inclined to call you much, because your idea of "fun" isn't exactly what they had in mind after a hard eight hour shift.

2. Burn-out

Exercising five or six days a week will eventually take its toll on your mind. When you start a regimen, you will feel amazing. Refreshed, fit, and less self-conscious. However, after a few months of training, you will start to get sick of what you are doing - exercising.

3. Addiction

Some people experience number two and this. If you're an exercise freak already, you will know this attitude: "It's snowing and cold. I just got back from work. I don't want to but I have to." Exercise is habitual. Like kicking being a coffee drinker, it is difficult to make the decision to not exercise on a given day.

4. Loneliness

Not only will people not give you a chance socially, if you run or bike long distance, not many people will want to run with you, especially if you are experinenced. At the very least, if you're not going to be lonely, you will experience monotomy.

5. Injury

Torn achille's tendon, shin splints, shoulder injuries. I am still young and have not experience these injuries much yet. When they do occur, you know it's your own darn fault. "If I hadn't been exercising this wouldn't have happened." Exercising frequently, especially if you have a time limit, will increase your risk of injury.

There are solutions to each of these. For your social life, take a day off from exercising once in a while. Relaxing with your friends refreshes you so you also won't get as burnt-out. There isn't much of a solution to the addiction except to find other activities than just one. If it's snowy and cold, go swimming at the gym. If it's beautiful, go running or biking or for a walk. With injury, stretch your muscles and warm up properly. Use your common sense - if the day doesn't fit your routine, be flexible! Remember that exercise has more benefits than flaws, so don't let the dark side get you down!
Good luck, be wise and have fun!

Learn more about this author, David Hon.
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