Exercise addiction can lead to serious physical and psychological problems. Although exercise and exercise can improve your health and mood, overdoing it can lead to addiction. A person becomes unable to control his workouts and experiences an uncontrollable desire to constantly exercise.

Primary exercise addiction occurs when there is excessive physical exertion without an eating disorder. This type of addiction most often occurs in men. Secondary addiction to exercise, in turn, is accompanied by eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia. Women are more likely to suffer from this type of addiction.

If you want to identify whether you suffer from a workout addiction, pay attention to how you feel about your workouts. If you often feel unhappy when you can’t exercise, if working out takes up too much time and interferes with other important activities, if you can’t control your workout habits and continue to exercise even when you have injuries or psychological problems, you may be suffering from an exercise addiction.

Psychological and physiological causes of exercise addiction

Exercise addiction can have different causes. One factor may be lack of self-realization in other areas of life, such as work or personal relationships. Exercising can be a way to build self-esteem and a sense of achievement.

In addition, addiction to training may be associated with the presence of unresolved emotional problems. A person may use physical activity to escape negative emotions such as fear, anxiety, or depression.

Some research has also linked exercise addiction to increased levels of stress in the body. Long and frequent workouts can cause an increased release of the hormone cortisol, which is a stress hormone. At the same time, an exercise addict may feel the need for constant physical activity in order to reduce stress levels.

How to determine the boundary: a healthy lifestyle or addiction to exercise?

Defining the line between a normal amount of exercise and addiction can be tricky. However, as a rule, in the norm, training is one of the elements of a healthy lifestyle that allows you to stay fit and improve your health. At the same time, when the desire to exercise turns into an obsession, and the sport begins to conflict with other important areas of life, such as work, family, friends and hobbies, this may indicate problems with training addiction.

The line between a normal amount of training and an addiction often shows up in how much a person is willing to go for their workouts. If activities take up all your free time, and your social life and other interests fade into the background, this may be a sign of the onset of addiction. In cases of full-blown addiction, the person will often miss important events in order to continue to exercise. He may ignore injuries that could become a serious problem for his health in the future.

It is important to understand that playing sports should be fun and should not replace other important aspects of life. If a person begins to abuse training, this can lead to serious problems, both physical and psychological. Monitoring your motivation, emotional state, and balance between exercise and other aspects of your life will help determine the line between a normal amount of exercise and addiction.

To get rid of addiction to training, it is important to understand that training should not control your life, but be only one of its components. Consider cutting back on your workouts so you can spend more time on other important things. Try other sports or hobbies to add variety to your life and take your mind off your workouts.

As you can see, the causes of exercise addiction may vary, but this unfavorable condition requires attention and regular monitoring. If you suspect an exercise addiction, contact a professional for qualified help.