Exercise addiction: wonder how many posters here this applies to...... (lifting, yoga)
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I think its symptomatic of other issues in some cases, rather than a problem in and of itself. IE, the issue is really Anorexia and the constant running is a symptom. Or, constant exercising is a symptom of body dysmorphia or or OCD.
I knew a girl (two really) that developed bad eating disorder, went into treatment, and later became a yoga instructor. She later "relapsed" not by "not eating," but by basically doing yoga many, many times/day. She was basically doing yoga 50+ hours a week and although she was eating, she was eating something like 1,800 calories per day. Not enough for a 5'9 women that is working out all day everyday. It snuck up on her husband because he came home from work everyday and saw her eat a normal dinner.
The other one had a lot of other issues and anorexia or compulsive exercise to make up for "bad" food choices was compounded by other mental issues.
Interesting topic. I left my eating disorder behind in July 2015 after 15 years of turmoil. I have to be careful with this! I think that if I am hiding my behaviors from others, I am probably not making good choices.
I will always be a little crazy and I have to accept that. Half of my workout log is to log the workouts, the other half is to ramble about my feelings for the day.
Back in the late '90s I lost a lot weight, most of which I attribute to starting to exercise regularly. I chose running simply because it was "easy" in the sense that all I had to do was buy great shoes and get out the door. It was INCREDIBLY hard at first because I was so out of shape -- it wasn't fun at all. But I stuck with it and it got more and more enjoyable.
Then I was diagnosed with a serious medical condition (an abdominal tumor). I had to go on meds for several months to shrink the tumor, then have surgery to remove it. It was terrifying. The ONLY thing that calmed me down was running, so I became TOTALLY addicted. Every time the scary thoughts would start to intrude, I would lace on my running shoes and head out the door. Some days I went out running 3-4 times.
Had the surgery, it went bad and I was devastated. Again, running was all that kept me sane. I wasn't supposed to exercise for 6 weeks after the surgery but I was going NUTS so after a week and a half I went out to Palmer Field (University of Michigan campus) and just ran and ran and ran, then I collapsed, crying my eyes out. But it felt SO good to be out there, and the running helped me heal both physically and especially emotionally.
Unfortunately, as much as I loved all that running, it took a toll on my knees. These days I run only on my treadmill, and I certainly can't do the number of miles I was doing back then. Sometimes I have dreams in which I am running on the streets of Ann Arbor again and it looks like I am floating, it is so amazing. I really miss that ...
I'm addicted/OCD to exercising, especially running. Last year I ran over 3700 miles, and spent countless hours at the gym. I attribute this craziness to my ultra healthy diet. If it weren't for my diet, I couldn't do a small fraction of the exercising I do.
No I'm not addicted but it is a way of life for me. Barring vacation or family, I always work out four days per week 1.5 hrs per day. It relieves stress and gives me energy. It keeps the arthritic pain away.
I probably was addicted to going to the gym from my mid 30's to mid 60's when my knee just got too bad with even knee supports. I first started at Jack LaLanne's gym in Santa Monica and ended my gym life at LA Fitness. I deal with a LOT of joint damage and arthritis. But I'm pretty strong considering it all and my age -- 79 soon.
Yes I am addicted to exercise. I know most people exercise for health, for looks, etc. I exercise because I simply love it. I don't have workout partners because I burn them out and they quit working out with me. I would love to keep a workout partner but my goals for each session are too strenuous for them. My session goals are a sweaty stinky shirt and exhaustion.
Also, I love to see the calories burned and miles cycled in a session (I bike and lift). I spin if there is a good instructor leading. Otherwise I cycle on my own, minimal session is 15 miles. Sometime this summer, I will do a 100 miler. Right now, I can easily do 50 miles. When I lift, I don't lift heavy weights because I don't see the point anymore. Now I lift weights with minimal to no breaks. I string together 4 to 5 exercises a set with minimum breaks(seconds). For example, yesterday, one set included a deadline, squat, bench, and situp. Obviously this type of set is not with a heavy weight but its a weight that I can control and use good form. If I lose control of my form, the set ends and I drop down in weight.
In the past, some of my friends have called me a machine or beast mode which is a glimpse into my workout intensity. I don't care to change that approach either because its the best part of the day for me. After my workout session goals are achieved, I am ready for my office job which is more taxing than my workouts!
I think many confuse being passionate about exercise/fitness and actually having an addiction to it...
The only time I would say I was even almost "addicted" to exercise was when I also had an ED. Excessive working out was just a symptom of deeper issues for me at that time.
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