Spotlight on Mental Health: Raising the Issue of Exercise Addiction

In September, I wrote about the importance of taking action to prevent suicide. It was the second time I’ve written about suicide prevention in my blog. I feel strongly about the topic because I’ve known five people who lost their lives to suicide. This month I’m writing about a related topic: mental health. Taking care of our mental health can not only help prevent suicide, but it can also help us live happier, more fulfilling lives in general.

The month of October is filled with special events designed to raise awareness about mental health. In the United States each year, the first week of October is Mental Illness Awareness Week, sponsored by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). In addition, on a worldwide scale, October 10 is designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as World Mental Health Day.

When it comes to specific mental health conditions, several are highlighted during the month of October. For example, this year October 5 is labelled National Depression Screening Day, sponsored by Mental Health America. The second week of October has been named International OCD Awareness Week by the International OCD Foundation. Additionally, the entire month of October is known as ADHD Awareness Month, sponsored by CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder).

Together we care, together we share: 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year. (National Alliance on Mental Illness)

With all of this attention paid to mental health during the month of October, I thought I would support the cause by sharing a blog post that discusses a lesser-known mental health condition, exercise addiction. Like some other blog entries I’ve posted, this one was originally written for a client who decided not to maintain his blog any longer before I had a chance to submit it to him. With some minor editing, I’m glad to be able to share it with you instead.

Can You Exercise Too Much? Avoiding Dangerous Exercise Addiction

Most people know that mindset plays an important role in achieving fitness goals. People’s perceptions about how healthy they are or how in shape they are can affect their outcomes. Also, having a mindset that’s open to growth and change can make it easier to reach health and fitness goals.

But what if your mind becomes your own worst enemy when it comes to exercise? This can happen in the case of exercise addiction. If you are aware of what’s going on in your mental and physical relationship to exercise, you can help yourself avoid this dangerous issue.

What is exercise addiction?

According to Elizabeth Hartney, a professor and psychologist writing for the Verywell Mind website, an addiction to exercise is recognized when exercise causes problems in everyday life and when it persists over time. For people with exercise addiction, what starts out as a healthy way of dealing with stress can become problematic. This is because not only do they exercise so much that they cause physical injuries to themselves but also because they start to experience withdrawal symptoms, like anxiety or anger, when they try to stop exercising.

A group of researchers from Fielding Graduate University writing in the Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health listed signs that indicate someone might be suffering from exercise addiction. These include the development of tolerance to exercise over time; signs of withdrawal when refraining from exercise; inability to control the need to exercise; a reduction in other pleasurable activities in order to exercise; and the continuation of exercise despite awareness of the physical, mental, and social problems it is causing. These signs are similar to those affiliated with other behavioral addictions.

Who develops exercise addiction?

The question of who develops exercise addiction has been taken up by several researchers. One group of researchers from Europe who published their findings in Addictive Behaviors Reports determined that there is no difference in the risk of developing exercise addiction based on gender or culture. Their study involved 1448 people, 45% women and 55% men, from nine nations who exercised at least three hours per week.

Another group of researchers from the University of Southern California and the University of Nottingham in the UK who published their findings in Evaluation and the Health Professions estimated that between 3% and 5% of the US population could be suffering from exercise addiction. They also noted that people with exercise addiction are twice as likely to be bulimic or to report a shopping addiction as people who exercise normally. Furthermore, they estimated that 15% of exercise addicts could also be addicted to substances like cigarettes, alcohol, or drugs.

Finally, a group of researchers from China who published their research in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions determined that perfectionism is correlated to exercise addiction. They used MRI brain scans of 110 participants to conduct their study. Ultimately, they found correlations between activity in certain regions of the brain, perfectionism, and exercise addiction.

Can exercise addiction be treated?

The first step in treating exercise addiction is diagnosis. While you or those around you might recognize in your behavior some of the warning signs researchers have pointed out, it’s possible to miss them. In this case, you might not realize you have a problem until a doctor points it out.

If you are diagnosed by a doctor, you might be asked to respond to some screening statements. As listed in another article in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions, these include: “I exercise in spite of injury or illness; I feel guilty when I don’t exercise; My sport performance is reduced due to excessive exercise; I eat less to regulate weight if I don’t exercise; and My sport performance is reduced due to loss of body weight.” If you’re among the approximately 4% of teenage athletes or 9% of gym goers who indicated agreement with these statements, you might have an exercise addiction.

Once you have a clear diagnosis, you can focus on treating the condition. One important step is to seek out medical assistance. If you’ve been diagnosed by a doctor, you can be referred to professionals who can help you. If you’ve self-diagnosed, it’s important to seek medical care. You might start with your primary care physician, a sports medicine specialist, or a sports psychologist.

An article on the Healthline website offers a few unofficial treatment suggestions. One tip is to talk about your feelings with someone. This could be a trusted friend, family member, or mental health professional. Another tip is to soothe yourself with other feel-good activities. These might include spending time with people you love or meditating. Finally, you might try gentle forms of exercise just once per week rather than high-intensity workouts several times per week. You might try yoga or tai chi as options.

Although this article was reviewed by a certified personal trainer, it shouldn’t be taken as medical advice. Nonetheless, you might try these suggestions to see if they help. At the first sign that your condition is worsening, you should seek professional assistance.