Exercise Addiction
Exercise brings vast physical and mental enrichment to the lives of many. But how much exercise is too much? Exercise addiction describes a state where exercise is taken to the extreme. Let’s dive into what exercise addiction is and how to prevent overworking your body.
What is exercise addiction?
Exercise addiction is a phrase used to describe a condition where a person has uncontrollable urges to exercise intensely, often to the point of harming themselves. Exercise addiction can often lead to serious physical injury if not addressed and can ultimately take a heavy toll on mental health.
Diagnosis and symptoms:
Currently, there aren’t any formal criteria for diagnosing exercise addiction, with the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” (DSM-5-TR) not having an official section for exercise addiction. Rather, it is referred to as a behavioral addiction or just an excessive behavioral pattern.
Symptoms and experiences can vary widely from person to person. Here are some symptoms associated with the condition:
Urge to exercise frequently and intensely, leading to distress or impairment
Inability to reduce intensity of training, despite harmful effects
Irritability, other mood changes when deprived of exercise
Persistent thoughts related to exercising
Excessive reliance on exercise to relieve stress
Strain on school, work, social life due to exercise-related habits
Similarly to other addictions, symptoms often arise as a result of withdrawal. Anxiety, restlessness, sleep issues, and mood swings are some other examples.
What causes exercise addiction?
Exercise addiction can develop from feelings of guilt, shame, and pride. These emotional factors contribute to disorder in exercise, causing a person to compulsively work out to soothe those feelings. Additionally, personality is another factor in exercise addiction. Excessive perfectionism and narcissism may cause a person to attain the condition, though exercise addiction can still occur by other means. Athletes or those who exercise regularly might get addicted to the “runner’s high” or “exercise high”, gradually needing more and more dopamine and endorphins to satisfy their brain. Some rely on these reward chemicals to cope with stresses in day to day life.
Exercise addiction and eating disorders:
Exercise addiction often coincides with eating disorders, to the point where ~45% of people who have an eating disorder also have a persistent compulsion to exercise. In these cases, the exercise addiction is fueled by distorted self-image, as the person feels like they must exercise excessively in order to lose weight. Combined with low calorie intake, exercise addiction in this case can end up being very dangerous.
Overtraining:
Overexertion is often a part of exercise addiction, where a person might work themselves so hard to the point where they develop a serious injury. For example, a runner who is addicted to exercise might run many more miles than what their body can handle, leading to a stress fracture. Despite being in a state of injury or pain, those who suffer from exercise addiction may find it hard to stop exercising or take a break while they heal.
Treatment:
How can we treat exercise addiction and return exercise to something that is enjoyable and beneficial to one’s fitness and overall health? One answer is psychotherapy. They involve efforts to change thinking patterns and to get a person to recognize distortions in their thinking.
Conclusion:
While regular exercise is a good thing, it can become a problem when it begins to interfere with a person’s health and everyday life. Signs of exercise addiction include feelings of stress and irritability in the absence of exercise, as well as the need to exercise to avoid guilt or shame. Exercise addiction has many negative effects, which include torn muscles, damage to joints, and strained social relationships. Through methods of psychotherapy, a person going through exercise addiction can begin to improve their relationship with working out.
Sources:
“Exercise addiction: A narrative overview of research issues.” NCBI, 20 January 2023, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9869993/.
“How to Identify an Exercise Addiction and Intervene.” Counseling@Northwestern, 28 September 2018, https://counseling.northwestern.edu/blog/exercise-addiction-intervention/.
Jelinek, Joslyn, and Timothy J. Legg. “Exercise Addiction: What Is It and How Can You Heal?” Healthline, 26 January 2024, https://www.healthline.com/health/exercise-addiction.
Miller, Jessica. “Exercise Addiction - When Exercise Becomes a Serious Addiction.” Addiction Help, 7 March 2024, https://www.addictionhelp.com/exercise-addiction/.
“What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?” American Psychological Association, https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/cognitive-behavioral.