New Year's resolution could cause mood swings, weight gain and kidney disease

06 January 2024 , 11:33

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As the festive period draws to a close many people's toughts will turn to their resolutions but experts warned about doing too much (Image: Getty Images)

As the New Year begins many of us will be looking to get over some of that Christmas excess by working it off with exercise.

While hitting the gym may be the nation’s favourite New Year’s resolution, experts have warned that excessive exercise can lead to mood swings, muscle wastage and even excess weight gain. But physical exercise specialists warn that setting realistic targets is crucial to staying healthy while achieving fitness goals. But going overboard could lead to a whole host of unintended side effects that could have the opposite desired effect of your new workout regime.

Exercising too much could cause you to actually gain more weight, personal trainer Danielle Gray warned, as there is a risk of burning out and give up completely. Gray defined excessive levels of exercise as increasing the distance you run from five miles a week to 20, or visiting the gym for over an hour in a day, several times a week.

One of the key factors to take into account when setting out on a new fitness regime is diet. Without increasing your caloric intake properly you may not see the intended benefits of your new workout. She said: “Pushing the body too hard with prolonged and intense workouts could lead to overuse injuries, impacting tendons, muscles, and joints. Abruptly changing your exercise regimen can be counterproductive, causing harm rather than progress, potentially leading to extended periods of forced rest due to injury.”

Exercising too much and not eating enough can have a disastrous impact on the body, from a biological standpoint. When we eat our body converts carbohydrates into sugars, the source of most of the body’s energy. Without a readily available source of sugars the body will switch to burning already-stored fat - something many of us are looking for in the post-festive period.

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However, when fat is burned substances called ketones are also released - these acidic molecules are safe in small amounts, although they can make your breath smelly. But if you keep up the carbohydrate deficit, more and more ketones get released - which will eventually make your blood toxic.

This can lead to all sorts of health problems, people with type 1 diabetes can develop a life-threatening condition called ketoacidosis, if left untreated. There is also a small risk of rhabdomyolysis in people with high ketone levels, experts have warned - a potentially fatal kidney condition.

It is important to set realisitc goals and be kind to yourself, experts have said (Getty Images)

Early-onset osteoporosis in women is another side effect of over-exercising, while a decreased sex drive can be a side effect for men. It can also compromise the immune system over long enough periods of time. The key to avoiding unintended consequences of a new health kick is to know when you’re doing too much and to cultivate a slow and steady approach.

"Healthy approaches are always gradual and intentional, never drastic and desperate," Gray said. That means listening carefully to your body and taking breaks when you need them and setting goals with a bit of leeway.

For example, saying you’ll go to the gym every day might prove too hard to keep up with, so rather than risk failing and crashing out completely - why not aim for seven days but set your firm goal at five, giving yourself some space if you don’t hit that seven days every time.

You can also adapt existing habits, for example phasing out one restaurant meal or takeaway per week turning want might have become a regular habit into an occasional treat. Or building new ones slowly, adding a new day of exercise each week or two, to allowi your body time to adapt to the new strain.

So when approaching your New Year’s resolution this year remember to keep goals realistic and long-term, be kind to yourself and work steadily towards the targets you set for yourself, rather than risk overdoing it and the possibility of unintended side effects.

Joe Smith