ARTICLE

Are You Addicted to Exercise? Are You Over-exercising?

6-min read
Healthy mind
Exercise is widely known to benefit physical and mental health, but some people may become overly dependent on it, leading to fitness addiction or exercise dependence. What exactly is exercise addiction? What are the signs of exercise addiction? What impacts can over-exercising have? Let's explore these issues in depth.

What is Exercise Addiction?

Exercise addiction, also known as exercise compulsion, refers to a psychological and physiological dependence on regular exercise. When individuals are unable to follow their set exercise routine, they experience feelings of frustration, depression, anxiety, and unease. Severe cases may persist with intense exercise even when feeling pain, fatigue, or injury. Additionally, many who are addicted to exercise often face eating disorders, resulting in negative impacts on physical and mental health.
 
Though exercise addiction is not yet recognized as a mental health disorder according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), over-exercising can nonetheless affect your mental and physical well-being and warrants attention.1

Am I Over-exercising?2

If you exhibit the following symptoms, you might be dealing with exercise addiction:
 
  • Feeling guilty or anxious if unable to exercise
  • Insisting on exercising even when inconvenient or when it interferes with your schedule
  • Lack of time for other activities due to exercise commitments
  • Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when not able to exercise
  • No longer finding exercise enjoyable
  • Exercising despite injuries or illness
  • Skipping work, school, or social activities to exercise
  • Continuously increasing workout duration
  • Overtraining

Causes of Exercise Addiction 3, 4, 5

Reward Mechanism

Exercise promotes the release of dopamine and endorphins in the brain, making you feel pleasure, relaxation, and satisfaction. If a person becomes accustomed to this pleasurable feeling, stopping exercise can halt the release of these neurotransmitters, leading to irritability, restlessness, low mood, and insomnia. To continuously experience the same pleasure, one might over-exercise, resulting in addiction.

Muscle Addiction

Many people exercise to achieve a perfect physique, and at a certain point, fitness enthusiasts may want to maintain their muscle mass, fearing that stopping exercise will result in muscle loss, leading to exercise addiction.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Research indicates a correlation between exercise addiction and OCD. Studies find that individuals with high scores in exercise addiction tests also score high in OCD tests compared to non-exercisers.

Social Pressure

The societal pursuit of perfect bodies drives some individuals to compulsively exercise to achieve unrealistic body standards. The rise of social media allows people to track their own exercise performance and compare themselves with others, fostering competitiveness and leading to excessive exercise.

Competitive Mindset

Obsessing over data from fitness devices, such as step counts and calories burned, makes people continually strive for higher numbers, ignoring their body's needs.

How to Avoid Exercise Addiction?6

Develop a Systematic Exercise Plan

Create a reasonable exercise plan based on your physical condition and health status, gradually increasing exercise intensity. Avoid blindly chasing high-intensity or prolonged exercise sessions to prevent injuries.

Cultivate Other Interests

Maintain a diversified lifestyle by cultivating other hobbies beyond exercise. Don't let exercise be your sole interest in life.

Schedule Rest Days

Incorporate at least one rest day into your exercise plan. Rest days allow your body to recover fully, preventing over-exercising.
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  1. VeryHealth.com. 2024. Exercise Addiction: Signs You're Working Out Too Much and What to Do About It [Online information] Source：https://www.verywellhealth.com/exercise-addiction-5210434 [Accessed on May 12, 2024]

  2. Walden behavioral care. 9 Warning Signs of Exercise Addiction [Online information] Source：https://www.waldeneatingdisorders.com/blog/9-warning-signs-of-exercise-addiction/ [Accessed on May 12, 2024]

  3. National Library of Medicine. 2023.Exercise addiction: A narrative overview of research issues [Online information] Source：https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9869993/ [Accessed on May 12, 2024]

  4. Within. 2024. What causes exercise addiction? [Online information] Source：https://withinhealth.com/learn/articles/what-causes-exercise-addiction. [Accessed on May 12, 2024]

  5. Dovepress. 2016. Compulsive exercise: links, risks and challenges faced [Online information] Source：https://www.dovepress.com/compulsive-exercise-links-risks-and-challenges-faced-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-PRBM [Accessed on May 12, 2024]

  6. BBC. Excessive exercise: How to avoid falling into the cycle of exercise addiction [Online information] Source：https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/trad/uk-60416428 [Accessed on May 12, 2024]