Some people groan and moan when it’s time to exercise. Rather than relishing doing something good for their body, they dread it and try to find a reason not to do it. However, there is a smaller group of people who take exercise to the other extreme. They have an unhealthy obsession with exercise and staying physically fit. Because of their obsessive focus on physical activity, they push themselves harder than is necessary to gain health and fitness benefits. In fact, people who are addicted to exercise make their workouts their overwhelming focus. Sometimes, exercise addiction occurs in the setting of an eating disorder, but it can affect people who don’t have eating disorders too.
With so many people trying to avoid exercise, you might wonder how common exercise addiction is. It depends on the population. A 2012 study found that exercise addiction only affects around 3% of the population, a pretty modest number. However, another study found the incidence is almost 7% among university and college students who engage in certain sports or who are majoring in some aspect of sports science. The incidence is even higher in marathon runners and those who run triathlons. In fact, research shows the occurrence in this population is as high as 50%.
As you can see, the incidence of exercise addiction is low in the general population, but in certain groups of people, particularly serious runners, have higher rates of exercise addiction. But what does it mean to be addicted to exercise?
Exercise Addiction versus A Healthy Attitude Toward Exercise
What separates a person who understands the importance of exercise and is disciplined enough to do it regularly from an individual with an exercise addiction? Both individuals work out consistently, but the latter will feel anxiety if they cannot get as much exercise that they think they should. It’s a shift from seeing exercise as something positive that enhances their life to something they must do, even if it means not doing other things that make them happy. For example, a person who is addicted to exercise might skip a family function or a social gathering because they feel compelled to work out.
The exercise addicted person loses their sense of perspective and balance. Exercise becomes their overriding focus and number one on their priority list, and missing a workout leads to stress and anxiety. The quantity of exercise people who are exercise addicted also differs. More isn’t always better with working out. Since your body needs rest and recovery time between workouts, moderation is the name of the game. People who are exercise addicted know no moderation. In their minds, the more, the better, and doing more helps keep their anxiety in check.
Why Exercise Addiction Happens
Why do some people refuse to lace up a pair of exercise shoes and others become fixated on exercise? Studies show people who become addicted to exercise are more likely to engage in other addictive behaviors such as overuse of alcohol, drug use, or gambling. A study conducted by the University of Southern California researchers found that 25% of people addicted to exercise have other addictions too. These could be alcohol overuse, smoking, or other dependencies such as gambling or shopping.
Exercise addiction has commonalities with other addictions, and the similarities may extend to dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain. Dopamine, released by cells in a portion of the brain called the substantia nigra and the ventral tegmental brain region, play a role in addictions. Your brain likes the stimulation that dopamine, the “reward” brain chemical offers, and will continue doing an activity to get that dopamine stimulation again.
Dopamine is a factor in many addictive behaviors. Doing a rewarding activity causes a dopamine burst that an addicted person wants to re-experience. When the stimulus for dopamine release is exercise, they want to exercise more often or longer to retain that good feeling.
There’s still a lot we don’t know about exercise addiction and some experts question whether something as healthy as working out can be called an addiction while others believe that any activity done in excess that disrupts a person’s life is unhealthy and an addiction.
What are the Dangers of Exercise Addiction?
People who are exercise addicted may gradually increase the amount of exercise they need to do to not feel anxious. They may expand the duration of their workouts, work out more than one time daily, and greatly exceed the amount of recommended exercise time. Exercise can take over their life to the point they have little interaction with family and friends and make excuses for why they can’t socialize or spend time with others. It’s not surprising that many exercise addicts suffer from anxiety and depression.
These types of actions are psychologically damaging, but they can also have physical side effects. People who are addicted to exercise may work out when they’re injured or ill and against medical advice. Plus, the risk of overuse injuries rises with the amount of time they spend working out. The risk of injury may be especially high among people who do the same type of exercise repetitively, like running, since they’re placing repeated stress on the same muscle groups.
Also concerning is research showing that women with exercise addiction are more likely to have or develop eating disorders. The combination of excessive exercise and an eating disorder can have devastating consequences when it leads to malnutrition, excessive weight loss, infertility, bone loss, and depression.
The Bottom Line
Exercise addiction isn’t common in the general population, but the incidence is higher in people who play a sport, are involved in some aspect of sports science, and those who exercise competitively, such as running marathons. It’s an example of how too much of something good can have negative effects if taken to the extreme. Moderation is the name of the game.
References:
- com. “How Many People Are Addicted to Exercise?”
- Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2011 Oct; 8(10): 4069–4081. Published online 2011 Oct 21. doi: 10.3390/ijerph8104069.
- Eat Behav. 2003 Aug;4(2):181-95. doi: 10.1016/S1471-0153(03)00022-9.
- Anderson S. J, Basson C. J, & Geils C. (1997). Personality style and mood states associated with a negative addiction to running. Sports Medicine, 4, 6 – 11.
- com. “Exercise Addiction”
- Freimuth, M., Moniz, S., & Kim, S. R. (2011, October 21). Clarifying exercise addiction: Differential diagnosis, co-occurring disorders, and phases of addiction. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 8(10), 4069-4081.
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