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Too Much Exercise Is Gross, Dangerous

Intense celeb workouts take toll on Elle, Sarko

By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff

Posted Aug 30, 2009 11:22 AM CDT

(Newser) – Madonna’s sinewy arms, Elle Macpherson’s “saggy knees,” Nicolas Sarkozy's collapse: Extreme exercise regimes are taking a noticeable toll on some celebrity bodies, highlighting the negative effects of an overly heavy workout, the Times of London reports. Experts say too much exercise does nothing to make us look better—instead, a 3-hour-a-day workout can take a toll on health.

Some celebs “work out to the point at which their body-fat levels become so low, there are signs of muscle wastage and fatigue,” notes a personal trainer. An exercise expert says if you’re not a pro athlete, you shouldn’t be burning more than 3,000 calories weekly, which translates to “walking, running, or cycling more than three miles a day,” the Times notes.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the 'hyper president who collapsed recently during a workout.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the 'hyper president" who collapsed recently during a workout.   (AP Photo/Philippe Wojazer; Pool)
Madonna performs during a concert in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009. Just look at those arms.
Madonna performs during a concert in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009. Just look at those arms.   (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Model Elle Macpherson poses for pictures to promote her lingerie line, Elle Macpherson Intimates, Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2007, in New York.
Model Elle Macpherson poses for pictures to promote her lingerie line, Elle Macpherson Intimates, Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2007, in New York.   (AP Photo/Peter Kramer)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 5 comments
northeast
Aug 31, 2009 4:11 AM CDT
Anything TO EXCESS is bad for you, but working out (and running in particular) is an excellent way to maintain good health and prolong your life. Considering the average American adult lives a sedentary lifestyle, "over-exercise" is not really a public health concern. I fear that this article will only be used to justify another couch-based existence.
usualsuspects
Aug 31, 2009 3:23 AM CDT
I'm glad at least one person actually understood the article.
Bambi
Aug 30, 2009 6:03 AM CDT
This article is pretty straightforward. It is advocating health over vanity, and making the case for when vanity-motivated workouts are potentially injurious to health. On a side note, I have long admired Madonna as a creative chameleon and fashion-savant , so I have no wish to bash her here, but since her forties, her appearance has had the look of desperate vanity rather than of health. There is something to be said for aging gracefully--our evolution and acceptance of life's stages puts the 'right' kind of lines on aging faces, rather than the ones that peek out from within plastic surgery, that look self-conscious and self-loathing.

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