When Exercise Becomes A Behavioral Addiction
By Laura Jennings
Exercise plays a key role in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but there is such a thing as over-exercising.
In this article, Laura, who is a trained yoga teacher and has a masters in nutrition, further explores the signs and effects of excessive exercise and the impact it can have on physical and mental well-being.
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Exercise is critical to both our mental and physical wellbeing and the benefits have been well documented. In particular, regular aerobic physical activity is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality[1]. Adults aged 18-64 are recommended to undertake 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week in order to maintain optimal health.
But can exercise become harmful to our health when undertaken excessively?
Excessive exercise can be referred to as “exercise addiction” and has been defined by a lack of control over exercise habits and a reduction in social and occupational activities. A great deal of time is spent engaging in exercise and the individual continues to exercise with the same intensity despite physical, psychological and interpersonal adverse effects[2]. *As a caveat, exercise addiction should be distinguished from exercise that occurs at high frequency, such as in the case of athletes. Athletes might devote a lot of time to their sport and physical training. In addition they may miss out on social occasions, but it does not mean the athlete is addicted to exercise. There is still insufficient evidence to categorize exercise addiction as an official mental health disorder despite the number of individuals who reportedly exercise excessively. However, there is a strong link between compulsive exercise and obsessive-compulsive disorders and disordered eating.
Below are some signs that you might be exercising excessively and your exercise habits might be controlling you:
After a workout you feel like you haven’t done enough
You feel like you have to do some type of exercise after eating to counteract the calories consumed.
Amenorrhea (loss of menstruation in women) – excessive exercise can disrupt hormones, resulting in a disrupted or absent menstrual cycle.
You miss out on social plans or time with family and friends to go to the gym.
You feel guilty, anxious, stressed and experience negative body image if you’re unable to workout.
Your main goal of working out is to burn calories or lose weight
You continue to exercise despite illness / injury
You are always tired and feel fatigued
So what are the adverse effects of over exercising?
Poor Performance - Overtraining can diminish the results that you get from training. It can decrease your strength and endurance because you don’t allow for adequate rest to repair and build up muscle tissue.
Disrupts your sleep pattern – Increased fatigue can occur as a result of increased training load and has been shown to impair sleep. [3]Studies of athletes have shown that low sleep efficiency caused by overtraining significantly impairs performance. [4]Distance athletes have also been found to have greater pain during sleep and wake earlier than those enduring shorter distances.
Cardiac Complications – The health impacts of exercise beyond the “recommend dose” are currently still debated. There is some cross-sectional evidence to suggest that high exercise volumes are associated with an increased risk of abnormal heart arrhythmias, increased scar tissue on the heart and a build up of plaque in the arteries[5]. Similar to low rates of physical activity, extremely high doses of exercise might be harmful to our heart health but further high quality evidence is needed to confirm these findings!
Reduced Time Socializing – Those who over exercise are less likely to eat out and consume alcohol because these are environments where calories can’t be controlled. As a result individuals end up missing out on quality time with friends, colleagues and family. Social relationships are an important pillar for our overall wellbeing and with more time spent dedicated to getting the perfect physique there is less free time to spend with the people in our lives.
Steps to take for a healthier relationship with exercise
If you think your relationship with exercise might be deemed excessive there are a few steps you can take to regain control:
Keep an Exercise Journal – Make a note of how much time you devote to fitness each day, the type of exercise you do and the feelings that arise pre and post workout
Get professional help – speaking to your doctor or a mental health expert might be necessary to receive some additional help.
[1] Eijsvogels, T.M.H., Thompson, P.D., Franklin, B.A. (2018). The "Extreme Exercise Hypothesis": Recent Findings and Cardiovascular Health Implications. Current Treatment Options Cardiovascular Medicine.
[2] Freimuth, M., Moniz, S., Kim, S.R. (2011). Clarifying exercise addiction: differential diagnosis, co-occurring disorders, and phases of addiction. International Journal of Environmental Research Public Health.
[3]
Campbell, E.H., Poudevigne, M., McFarlane, S., Dilworth, L., Irving, R. (2021) Evidence That Sleep Is an Indicator of Overtraining during the Competition Phase of Adolescent Sprinters. Journal of Sports Medicine
[4] Stavrou, V., Vavougios, G.D., Bardaka, F., Karetsi, E., Danil, Z., Gargoulianis, K.I. (2019). The effect of exercise training on the quality of sleep in national-level adolescent finswimmers. Sports Medicine, 5(34)
[5] Eijsvogels, T.M.H., Thompson, P.D., Franklin, B.A. (2018). The "Extreme Exercise Hypothesis": Recent Findings and Cardiovascular Health Implications. Current Treatment Options Cardiovascular Medicine.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Laura Jennings
After five years working in the corporate world in luxury fashion and technology, Laura trained as a yoga teacher and joined the team at My Method, curating exciting and diverse wellbeing programmes for private clients and corporates.
Laura has a passion for holistic wellbeing and nutrition and has joined the Be Well team to support with content creation, workshop development and more. She is progressing in the world of health and wellness and has recently completed a Masters in Nutrition at King's College London.