addicted to exercise?

just wondering if its possible to be addicted to exercise.  Days when I dont get a chance to exercise I feel so horrible, like my day has been ruined because I havent gotten the chance to exercise.

I feel that way too.  I exercise to relieve stress...and when I do not have the chance to do it that day I feel super anxious.  I do believe it has to be some kind of an addiction... but I dont have any scholarship on it.  I just wanted to let you know, you werent the only one

Its nice to know that im not the only one that feels that way!!

i used to be extremely addicted to exercise..to the point where i was harming my body more than helping it.  i still am a little obsessed but it has been reduced by a lot..

i used to work out for two hours at the gym after coming home from practice from school..i was wearing my body out....every time i didn't do the extra exercise session though i felt horrible.  i began to plan my days around exercise...this is very unhealthy..

the extreme exercise led to rapid weight loss..unhealthy..and so i was brought to the hospital....7 dayss.....(my addiction to exercise led to me trying to eat extremely healthy..which led to me not eating enough.)

now i am exercising a normal amount and i have rest days.  when i don't exercise i can deal and it doesn't bother me anymore..

soooo don't feel bad if you don't exercise and try to just exercise for fun...don't force yourself because then it becomes a hassel and work.  remember that exercise is just part of what makes you healthy and missing one day won't ruin everything you have worked for.

 

As long as my routine is fresh, I feel the same way.

If it's not fresh, I'll go through this small phase in between where I don't want to exercise at all, and it becomes a chore.

S'always good to mix it up and keep the "weeee~ exercise is fuuuun! :D" feeling alive. :3

I use to be this way as well. I would feel extremely guilty if I didn't exercise. It was so bad that I would make my mom and sister wait for me if they were going somewhere until I finished that one exercise session. It was crazy. I met my fiance' on the internet and I would tell him I would be online at such and such a time because I would be exercising so he would have to wait as well. If I went out with a friend I would lie and say I had to be home by a certain time secretly so I could exercise. I would exercise so much that there would be days where my legs could hardly walk they were pretty damn stiff, but I would keep pushing myself because of that guilt. I even had to go to the doctor because one of my legs was swollen and one of my toes black and blue. Infact, I had to stop exercising for a WEEK oh man, it was torture.

I'm a lot better now. But, I know exercise can be addicting. I've heared that there are endomorphins that are released when we exercise which is a very addictive feeling for it does help with stress and elevated mood. However, it is not good to do it everyday or you will harm your body, so much that you might result in injuring a muscle and then you will have to stop exercising for god who knows how long. Your body really does need days to rest so it can replenish it's muscles from the hard work you just have given them, muscles repair and rebuild, but if your constantly working them they won't be able to do this and will start to cause serious injuries.  Not to mention our bodies can only take so much and like our minds needs some relaxation. It's best to work out 5 to 6 days a week, but you definitely need at least 1 day off, and 2 would be even better.

Don't stress, your body is actually thanking you because too much work can seriously stress your body.

 

Glad to see there are so many people that can relate. :)

I think "addiction" as a definition generally implies that your desire to do something is somehow bad for you. You can be badly addicted to exercise, like "bigorexics" who try to build more muscle than is health, or "Exercise Addiction" as a term which is defined as an eating disorder, listed with this attached:

"Exercise-addicted individuals will exercise to the detriment of everything else in their lives. Someone who is addicted to exercise will exercise with serious physical injuries, pass up opportunities to spend time with loved ones in favor of exercise, and even miss work or school to spend time exercising."

You, I think, are doing just fine =) I feel the same way when I can't exercise -- maybe a little bit guilty, but mostly just unhealthy and kind of extra stressed, like my insides were running like a car full of sludge. That's to be expected if you do exercise regularly and see the benefits of it. And the endorphins don't hurt either!

It is possible to be addicted to exercise, but I wouldn't call it an addiction unless it's really interfering with your life and happiness. I try to get at least some exercise every day. If I don't, I feel tired and blah. But that could just be because I suffer from depression and would rather treat it with exercise than medication.

there actually is a disorder called exercise bulimia.  a lot of girls suffer with it but is not easily diagnosed.  you eat a normal amount of food but excerise excessively more than you should be (really harmful).   i used to be really obsessed with excerise to the point where i was running off over 1500 calories a day....it slows down your metabolism because your body gets used to the routine so i would just have to keep running more and more because my body was going into starvation mode.  it's much better to take off 1 day a week and change up your excerise routine.  your metabolism will get a really big boost if you are always changing things up.

Someone help me?

Do I fall into this category of exercise addicted?

I do some type of exercise 7 days a week. 

I work 12 hr days, 3 days a week, so on those days I walk two mile,(leslie sansone) in home walk, at least once sometimes twice on those days.

On my off days I do Jillian Michaels 30 day shred, I am on level 2.  I also sometimes do this workout before work (at 4am).

I am also doing the couch to 5 k program, on week 4, so I do this every-other day. Whether I work or not.

So my question is,, even if I have increased my calories to only have a 600 calorie deficit, is this too much? ....

I have quit losing weight, but I am at a healthy weight, I just want to tone the flabby spots, and I thought exercise was the only way to do that.

Please help,

Nicole

 

Original Post by state_alum:

just wondering if its possible to be addicted to exercise.  Days when I dont get a chance to exercise I feel so horrible, like my day has been ruined because I havent gotten the chance to exercise.

 

 nope you are not alone, dont quite think we are addicted though! lol

i was like that before too... infact i used to go to the gym twice a day untill some one talked some sense into me...  I felt the same way and still do but i can resist now... i go for 2 hours mon-friday.. sat and sunday are rest but all weekend all i can think about is going on monday...  I used to plan around the gym and lied about being busy so i could go..  Evn lied to my gf a few times so I could get my workout in. =[ feel bad now... but It is def an addiction... Actually i think i reas about sumthing about it its considerd a bulimia or some thing...  everything is good in moderation