Exercise addiction includes a link between compulsive exercise and disordered eating, as they often go hand in hand. In fact, the link is so strong that some industry professionals say they cannot exist without each other.
While the spectrum on obsessive compulsive exercise is broad, being able to identify signs early may help stop the cycle before it reaches the level of addiction. Many of my patients have claimed that they “love running. I can’t just give up the only thing I love!” I also hear? “It really helps me eat when I don’t want to.”
My response usually includes challenging them to avoid it for a week, the way you might with drugs and alcohol, and notice the affects on the mind. The ones who “love running” usually end up changing that word to “need.” The ones who running “helps” have the same response as other addicts, when the drug is removed. They either stop, or restrict eating all together, or have a very hard time with depression and anxiety symptoms. The “passion” for exercise can only be authenticity determined when it stops being used to offset eating or other healthy coping mechanisms. This means recovery must happen before exercise is slowly reintroduced, and for the right reasons.
Here are 7 signs your workout could be addictive:
1. You exercise to make up for meals or poor body image.
The biggest sign that exercise habits are unhealthy is if you’re exercising too often and intensely in order to compensate or punish yourself for daily food intake, or your body image per eat any given time.
2. You’re always at the gym/trail/place of exercise.
While “gym rats” might spend a few hours a week at the gym, such as an hour a day, those who are obsessed with the gym and exercising might spend three or four hours there each day, or frequent the gym a few times a day. This is where the gym, or your exercise regime becomes a false safe space for your unhealthy thoughts to thrive.
3. You feel tired most of the time.
Unhealthy exercise habits often lead to fatigue or exhaustion from spending too much time working out and not enough time taking care of your body. Too much energy expended without caloric refuel can lead to metabolism depression, which can put stress on the body’s systems, leading you to become sick or injured.
4. You change plans to accommodate your exercise schedule.
Do you cancel plans at the last minute or make adjustments in your schedule to accommodate your workouts?
People with exercise addictions frequently find themselves changing their plans or planning activities and social engagements around the time they usually would spend in the exercising. Sometimes they go as far as exercising to AVOID social gatherings that might be anxiety provoking.
5. Your feelings about exercise include words like mandatory, guilt, anxiety, and rigid.
When it comes to exercise, the goal is to feel better. The following signs indicate that a healthy relationship with physical activity might be transitioning to an unhealthy habit, obsession, or dangerous compulsion:
You maintain a rigid exercise regimen despite dangerous weather conditions or threats to physical health, mental health, or both.
Your main goal is to burn calories or lose weight.
You experience persistent fear, anxiety, or stress regarding negative body changes if you can’t exercise.
The thought of not exercising makes you feel anxious.
You feel guilty if you miss or don’t complete an exercise session.
6. Your results are diminishing.
Too much time exercising often equates to diminished results.
For example, if you find yourself constantly skipping rest days to fit in workouts seven days a week, you’re in an overtraining zone. You may become irritable, lose sleep and your appetite. Too much of a good thing can go wrong very quickly in this case.
7. You have a negative body image.
Countless hours working out won’t fix your body image. In fact, there’s a good chance it might make it worse. I find that my gym-obsessed patients find that they have a poor body image, and see an unrealistic version of themselves. They strive to perfect it, even if it’s not healthy.
An unrealistic body image can lead to eating disorders as well as overexercising, and the combination is dangerous.
The quest to find balance between healthy and obsessive exercise is difficult to do on your own. Seeking professional help via your doctor or a mental health professional who specializes in exercise addiction or eating disorders might be the best place to start.
They can help you identify the patterns and behaviors that contribute to your unhealthy relationship with exercise? So you can work toward finding ways to make fitness a balanced part of your life.
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