When Less Is More
Until now we have talked about problems related to too few exercise. However, believe it or not, some people suffer from too much exercise, a condition called exercise addiction.
Individuals with exercise addiction train at a duration, intensity, and frequency beyond that required for healthy exercise and reasonable working load. Most often, people with exercise addiction try to maintain a rigid schedule of intense exercise, and feel guilty when this schedule is violated. Moreover, physical signs similar to drug addictions appear: exercise addicts skip school or work, they forget social and family events, exercise even when ill or tired, and keep detailed training journals of their workouts. For instance, some people reject challenging carreer opportunities in order to get a job as a coach in the gym and be able to exercise whenever possible.
Have you met someone whose commitment to exercise has become a compulsion? Like other addictions, exercise addiction may include physical & psychological addiction. The drive prevents normal life, it starts to interfere instead of enhancing someone’s life. Intense exercise dependence can lead to permanent physical damage, as the body is not allowed to recuperate between workouts. Psychologically, exercise addicts feel unable to stop exercising. Specifically, exercise addiction is characterized by deep feeling of dread when a workout is missed. Addicts experience loss and disappointment when an exercise “high” is not attained. The workout schedule of an addict is very strict, the nature of the workout activity is usually simple and does not include much intellectual challenge. Mostly, addicts exercise alone similar to drinkers drinking alone.
What would help? Exercise addicts get relief when introducing noncompetitive and versatile activities delivering fun, not just removing feelings of guilt. The most important tip is to plan resting days as well as to alternate the nature, duration, and intensity of workouts. Remember, less is sometimes more.
