Day 343- Addicted to Exercise?

Even too much of a good thing can be bad right? Exercising is healthy, but what happens when you become addicted to exercise? Not only can over exercising put a lot of physical stress on your body, but the feeling of addiction can put a lot of physiological stress on your body as well. Stress; whether it is physically or physiological can have major consequences on the body. Stress can have an affect on pretty much every function of the body. From blood sugar dysregulation, thyroid imbalance, cardiovascular health, or hormonal imbalances. While many people become obsessed with working out, you need to ask yourself, "why are you working out?" "What are you trying to accomplish?"

We put unobtainable expectations on ourselves and may end up hurting ourselves trying to reach those expectations.

Huffington Post explains what addiction to exercise may look like:

To help diagnose addiction, researchers break it down into six warning signs:

1. Tolerance. Is that five-mile run no longer challenging? How about those 20 burpees? Having to increase exercise to extreme amounts to feel accomplished may be a sign of addiction. There is a difference between an increased level of fitness and over-exercising.
2. Withdrawal. Does skipping the gym lead to feeling anxious, moody or make it hard to fall asleep at night? Taking a break from working out shouldn't be stressful, so take note if a day off actually creates excessive restlessness.
3. Lack of control. Feeling the need to run a daily marathon? Taking a break and putting away the weights shouldn't be a problem, so be aware if it becomes impossible to stay away from the gym.
4. Intention. Today's workout plan said 50 minutes of yoga, so why tack on an extra hour of running? Going well beyond the workout plan can be a sign of addiction, especially if it becomes a consistent problem.
5. Time. Can't make the dinner date because of an extended workout? Late to work because that post-workout stretching session went a little too long? Another exercise addiction red flag is when working out takes away from relationships and obligations.
6. Continuance. Still hitting the gym even if excessive exercise is sparking emotional and physical distress? Continuing to push through workouts even though we know it's harmful to our physical and mental health is an addiction warning sign.

Although the signs may be clear, there is limited literature on exercise addiction treatment. Yet researchers suggest abstaining from exercise entirely is not the way to beat addiction. Instead, working out in moderation or trying a new form of exercise may help control the amount of exercise performed. Try swapping swimming for running, or yoga for a day of heavy lifting.

Bottom line is, exercise is not bad, unless you constantly overdue it. Make sure you take rest days, which are equally as important as the days you work out. This will give your body time to recover and in the long run will help you to reach your fitness goals.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP