Exercise is something that is looked at from the perspective of being healthy. Whether you want to improve your health, physical fitness, or want to take part in social activity, there are many reasons to do exercise.
Different people have different reasons to do exercise. Some want to achieve their fitness goals, while some simply want to feel good. The moment there is an aspect of feeling good, it can be related to addiction.
While most adults do exercise to keep themselves healthy, it has many other benefits to offer. But, if you exercise more than you need, it damages your muscle to make it hard to recover.
This behavior disorder related to exercise can be related to addiction. In fact, you can even call it to exercise addiction.
What Is Exercise Addiction?
Exercise addiction is all about having an unhealthy obsession with fitness and exercise. This usually happens when an individual has a negative body image or has an eating disorder.
Exercise addicts display similar traits to those of an addict. You will always find them thinking too much about the element of addiction. They will try to do anything and find any reason to feed their addiction.
In this case, finding opportunities to exercise wherever they are.
While it might seem like a healthy part of life, the changes will soon prove that the person is indulging him/her-self in an unhealthy exercise routine.
If you find someone suffering from exercise addiction, you must contact high quality Las Vegas detox. They will help you treat your addiction.
Types Of Exercise Addiction
Unlike any addiction, exercise addiction can be divided into primary exercise addiction and Secondary Exercise Addiction.
Primary Exercise Addiction
Primary exercise addiction is more inclined toward behavioral addiction. They are simply obsessed with doing exercise. There are no other mental health conditions that are related.
According to a report, primary exercise is more common in males because of the endorphins released during the exercise.
It is these endorphins that allow the body to reach the HIGH state. So when we say people get addicted to exercise, we actually mean their addiction to the HIGH effect due to endomorphin.
Secondary Exercise Addiction
Secondary exercise addiction co-occurs with another mental disorder. This type of addiction is common among people who are suffering from other mental conditions like eating disorders.
Secondary exercise addiction is more dominant in females. This generally progresses because of their body image issues. Females are so obsessed with maintaining slim figures that they hardly eat a complete diet. This affects their body and makes them weak.
What Causes Exercise Addiction?
Just like any addiction, exercise addiction also starts with trying something new to improve on a personal level. But soon, practice becomes a habit and forms a habit of addiction.
The real reason behind the exercise addiction is not the exercise itself but something more complicated. When you exercise, endorphins are released inside the brain. It takes you HIGH.
Now, when you complete your exercise, this feeling subsides. To feel the same, people indulge in longer exercise sessions. Thereby falling victim to exercise addiction.
Exercise Addiction: Warning Signs You Need To Be Aware of
Exercise is a healthy habit. So, it becomes difficult to differentiate between healthy exercise and exercise addiction. However, if you are careful and notice these changes, you will be able to find out the warning signs you need to be aware of.
1. You Are Always At The Gym
Yes, the first sign that you are addicted to exercise is that you are always in the gym or spending most of your time doing some exercise.
For people who go to the gym for regular exercise, spending one hour a day is good enough for your body. But if someone is spending hours and hours daily, they are certainly more than gym rats.
2. You Feel Tired Most Of The Time
Exercise is all about keeping your body active and more energetic. But, if you find yourself feeling tired after a good exercise, consider that you are in an unhealthy exercise habit.
Yes, exercise is important. But to a certain level. If you are crossing that limit every day, your body will never get enough time to recover. This will make you feel tired.
3. You Change Your Plan To Accommodate Your Workout schedule
Do you change your plans at the very last moment to reschedule your exercise session? If so, you are obsessed with exercise and suffering from exercise addiction.
People who are obsessed with exercise and often change their daily routine to ensure the exercise is in their daily schedule are addicted to exercise.
If you find someone turning down going out for dinner with friends just for exercise, you know they are addicted to exercise.
4. You Have Negative Body Image
Having a negative body image will not fix anything. On the other hand, people with decent body and fitness levels think that their body structure is below average and indulge themselves in extreme exercise regimes.
What this does is that it makes your muscle wasted because of extreme workouts. You will find that your body is always in need of rest.
5. Your Results Are Diminishing
When you find that you are losing your gains despite working out regularly, it means that your muscles are not able to keep up with your exercise regime.
Perhaps you are doing too much exercise and not allowing your muscles to rest. This is why even after spending hours and hours in the gym, your muscles are not growing. Instead, they are always tired.
Final Thoughts
We all know regular exercise is necessary for us to keep our bodies healthy. But, when we do too much, it does more harm than good. And the worse part is we keep doing exercise, knowing it is hurting us. This kind of behavior is related to exercise addiction.
Like any other addiction, which started with good intent, it becomes a habit, and the habit becomes an addiction. While not everyone falls victim to this addiction, there is always a possibility.
So, it is important that you are aware of the warning signs!
