If You Work Out Too Much, You’ll Burn Less Calories

Working out too much can actually make you less active during your non-workout hours—walking the dog, running errands, playing with the kids—resulting in fewer calories burned by the end of the day.

The more often you exercise, the more calories you burn, right? Not quite, finds a new study. Working out too much can actually make you less active during your non-workout hours—walking the dog, running errands, playing with the kids—resulting in fewer calories burned by the end of the day.

You heard that right: If you work out too much, you’ll actually burn less calories overall.

According to a recent study, 72 women ages 60 to 74 were split into three groups: women who strength trained once a week and did aerobic activity once a week; women who strength trained twice a week and did aerobic activity twice a week; and women who strength trained three times a week and did aerobic activity three times a week. Each workout took about 40 minutes.