Exercise addiction
by Andrew May
Exercise addiction has only recently begun to be studied and psychologists have even given it a new term “anorexia athletica”. Andrew May discusses how much exercise is too much.
“While exercise generally enhances your health, when taken to the extreme it can have very disastrous effects on both your physical and psychological well-being,” May explained.
“Exercise addiction is an obsession with physical activity and training for hours and hours a day, every spare morsel of time is spent exercising. It can get dangerous when a commitment to exercise crosses the line to dependency and compulsion and can result in physical, social, and psychological problems.
“A recent study revealed that 23 percent of gym goers exercised between six and 20 hours a week and had become dependent on their physical fix.”
He said experts agree that one percent of the population suffer from exercise addiction. This percentage is much higher in specific populations including elite runners, endurance athletes and obsessive gym goers.
“Like other forms of addiction, an exercise addict isn’t able to see value in unrelated activities and continues to train even when it’s against their best interests. They lose perspective about the role that exercise has in life,” he said.
“Excessive exercise can lead to many undesirable health effects and long-term injuries, osteoporosis and chronic fatigue. Without adequate recovery muscle tissue breaks down causing both a loss of muscle mass and a slowed metabolism.”
Other problems can include a breakdown of the immune system, a fatigued central nervous system and psychological issues.
“Training addiction can also lead to severe depression, as sufferers feel like they are never good enough. As well as have a negative impact on work and relationships.”
There are signs that you may be taking your exercise routine too seriously. If you answer ‘yes’ to four or more of the following questions you may be loosing perspective on exercise.
- You regularly miss social events in order to exercise
- Missing a workout makes you feel irritable and depressed
- You like exercise more then sex, good food or a night out
- Family and friends have told you you’re obsessed about training
- You still exercise when sick or unwell
- Your favourite videos are Jane Fonda’s Complete Workout, Yoga 101 and Buns of Steel
“The first step in kicking the obsession is to acknowledge that there is a problem and to enlist support. It is important to question your reasons for exercising and to find a healthier balance in your routine.
“In many cases exercise addiction is often the first sign of an eating disorder. The underlying psychological causes are usually linked with low self-esteem, which finds gratification in the gains made by training,” he said.
“Exercise addiction is not something to be taken lightly. While it may not sound as serious as other mental illnesses it can lead to psychological and physiological disorders that require intervention and can dramatically affect the quality of your life.”
Watch Andrew May talking about Exercise Addiction on the Today Show
Andrew May is is considered Australia’s leading expert on performance and productivity and is the author of the bestselling book, Flip the Switch and Switched On Health Professionals. Andrew speaks at conferences across the globe, mentors CEO’s and senior managers. He is published throughout national and international media, with regular segments on 2UE radio, Mix 106.5 Body and Soul and Channel Nine’s TODAY show.