Compulsive Exercise

I am guilty of this!

It is when a person becomes addicted to exercise and has to do it no matter what. Usually its found in people who suffer from anxiety which again… guilty!... and feels guilt if they don’t exercise as it deters from their routine.

Anything could effect the circumstances such as bad weather, sickness, injury, social events but a compulsive exerciser will ignore this list they do not plan exercise into their life but plans their life around exercise.

I can tell you from first hand experience this feeling is awful! Imagine feeling guilty because you cant exercise as you’ve warn yourself out so much from it that your ill, but feel if you miss a session you have let yourself down.

This is the reality, though my complications have eased I still feel tense sometimes.

I think what everyone needs to remember is that exercise should improve health, even though obesity amongst other conditions which exercise could aid is good for us sometimes too much exercise is bad not just physically but mentally.

It also goes hand in hand with a condition I am familiar with called anorexia nervosa, with is a path of self destruction with a combination of over-exercising and under eating.

So look out for the warning signs:

• Refuses to skip a workout, even if she is ill, tired, or injured!
• Really does not enjoy exercising but pushes herself to do it no matter what!
• Expresses feelings of guilt or anxiety if she does happen to skip an exercise routine!
• Misses one exercise session one week and pushes herself twice as hard the next week-she is always preoccupied with working out or her weight!

This is common in both men and women and for all kinds of reason. I have now limited my exercise in take to yoga once a day instead of twice and I do the gym every other day instead of daily.

I have also found eating better also means you have more energy to exercise therefore you will enjoy it more. So my advice to anyone is that if you feel you could be heading down this path think carefully call a holt on it before it goes too far. I am one of the lucky ones.