When exercise becomes compulsive

Nutrition Health Review, Wntr, 1996

Over-dependence on exercise can threaten the health and livelihood of amateur athlete, but don't expect Exercisers Anonymous chapters to appear anytime soon.

According to an article in the Penn State Sports Medicine Newsletter (9/95) exercise may be as habit-forming as substance abuse or gambling when taken to extremes by persons who find greater satisfaction in physical activity than in other aspects of their lives. However, the fact that vigorous exercise is viewed as a healthy pursuit -- unlike excessive drinking or compulsive wagering-makes problem exercisers difficult to identify and treat.

"Exercise dependency tends to apply to recreational athletes," John A. Heil, D.A., a sports psychologist at the Lewis Gale Clinic in Roanoke, Virginia, and author of The Psychology of Injury, told the newsletter. "They are people whose enthusiasm for exercise is not consistent with a normal, healthy lifestyle. Usually, they are not high profile athletes, but those whose achievements tend to be modest.

"The high risk exerciser is the one who pursues training with the intensity of the professional athlete, but without the skills."

The first indication of exercise dependence may be how the person deals with an injury, the article notes. Exercise-dependent athletes often try to work through an injury rather than taking time to let it heal -- which risks making the problem worse.

Compulsive exercisers may also be spotted trying to get more from an activity than it can provide. According to Kate F. Hays, Ph.D., a private practice sports psychologist in Concord, New Hampshire, an example of this behavior would be the runner who thinks, "If running five miles makes me feel great, imagine how I would feel if I run ten miles."