Is exercise addiction a real disorder? I mean really, can there ever be TOO much exercise is someones life?
I understand the way it realtes to ED's and purging calories through exercise (exercise bulimia) I get that; but what if one just exercises quite often for the love of exercising? One of the trainers at my gym expressed some concern for me today and said that perhaps I should take a day off from exercising because she noticed I go 7 days a week. I was a bit offended by that...shes there 7 days a week and shes exercising 7 days a week, i wouldnt suggest she not go to her job.
I also understand that this is likely my ED voice talking right now. I know that the amount of time I spend at the gym everyday is a bit excessive, and if I said I didnt pay attention to how many calories i was burning or have a goal to burn I would be lying BUT i do also just LOVE to exercise. So i'm conflicted now. Am I engaging in ED behavior or am I doing it because I love to do it? Either way, surely there cant be any negative effects from exercising TOO much can there? I mean yeah I get achy sometimes but who doesnt?
I know they say you need to give your muscles times to recover and blah blah blah....but for 8 months I literally have missed maybe 3 days of the gym and I believe they were all stat holidays where my gym was closed. I dont give my muscles time to recover and I seem to be doing okay?? Ok...rant over. Opinions/thoughts are welcome!
Wow its completely your ED's thoughts here. I hope you can read this with a clear mind at some point so you can see that these thoughts aren't really rational. Even professional athletes take days off from exercising. I think our country/media makes us think that exercise is the best thing that we can do for ourselves, so more should be better right? Not so much in this case. I was addicted to exercise too as part of my purging behavior. I would run for hours before or after eating "too much."
I think you are very lucky that you haven't had any injuries yet. What do you think it would do to you psychologically if you were injured and had to stop exercising for like a month? If your first thoughts are that it would make you instantly gain weight then I think its safe to say you are using it as an ED behavior and its not good.
The first thought that comes to my mind is along the lines of that I'll gain weight BUT a close second thought is how sad that would make me; physical activity was never part of my life until this year and it makes me feel happy. I love that for X amount of time each day its about ME and only me..does this make sense at all? Is there a way to make exercise a non ed behavior?
Side note, really weird thing happened last nite as I was trying to fall asleep, I felt like my heart was gonna beat right outta my chest and my breathing couldn't match my heart racing, it was scary :(
how are you today?
there is certainly excessive amounts of exercise. question is, what happens if you skip one day? if it totally freaks you out then there is certainly a huge part of your ED pushing you to work out. especially if you do cardio on all days!!
I think you should at least take one day off training completely. your body needs rest, overtraining can even be counterproductive in a way that you're too exhausted to give a 100% in your next workout. and as well, you end up working off muscle rather than fat resources which im sure you don't want.
i always want to train 7 days too (that includes weights and cardio), but i learnt to skip one day and maybe on that day i only go for a walk.
give it a go, i promise you won't put weight on, and you might even get a better workout after your rest day!
on the other hand, we should all exercise, simply for our mental health as you've described. i always feel so elated after training and it's the one time of the day that i might actually feel a bit of satisfaction!
Lilac it sounds like you had a bit of a panic attack or anxiety attack. Just make a note of it to tell your doctor at some point. As long as it doesn't happen again you are probably okay.
There has been lots of research done about the benefits of exercising. One of the most important reasons for people with mental disorders to exercise is that when we are physically exhausted there is no room for other emotions. For a brief amount of time we are able to be in the moment and distract ourselves from the tough stuff in life. This can be an essential part of recovery and being recovered. Some people feel more benefits than others. I agree with Maedi that you should take one day off per week. This is usually recommended by health professionals. You should really consider seeing a therapist that could give you specific guidance in this area.
Yes, over exercising is part of an ed/ a ed in itself. I exercise too, not as much as you (because my energy just isn't there anymore) I go maybe 4 times a week for an hour and a half each time. Aren't you attempting recovery? If you are, you really should try to cut back a day, or even some time each day. Or just cut back an hour a week! Every little tiny bit is a step! I'm also sure they offer classes at your gym, why not try yoga one of those off days?! I've heard so many wonderful things about yoga.
Lilac,
Yes, there is definitely a point where you can exercise too much, and when it accompanies eating problems, it becomes more complex. Exercise should be for enjoyment, and not a 'job' or for weight control reasons. For any of us here, it's dangerous to over do it.
Please consider your health at this point....take care..Jan ♥
kristiin's suggestion of yoga is ace!! really. just started doing some (it's on TV) and not only does it feel like still doing somethign physical but it relaxes too!
all give it a go. especially vinyasa flow, it's hard :-)
well, i went to the gym early this morning....the rapid heartbeat was still present when I arrived there followed weirdly by blurry vision. I decided to just start working out and see what happened. After a few mins of cardio, my heart rate seemed to catch up with my breath and i felt 100% okay. As I did my normal routine (cardio, circuit and weights) I started to ask myself if i was doing everything that day because I WANTED TOO or because ED WANTED ME TOO. The answer scared me....I didnt actually want to get out of bed at 8 am, I did it because fewer people at the gym, less chance of people wanting to chit chat (i like to focus not chit chat at the gym). I tried to not pay attention to the amount of calories i burned on the cardio machines....no such luck i kept peeking and praising myself.
While I thought exercise was for enjoyment, im starting to think its more ED then it is me actually WANTING to do it :s but im just not sure or maybe i am and i dont want to admit it. But I feel like exercise is one area im not willing to negotiate or stop....does this mean im not willing to commit to recovery? Does recovery necessarily mean that i cant exercise? :/
Yes, exercise addiction is real and dangerous... I struggled with that one, too... The guilt I felt when I skipped a day, or had to miss one of my regular classes was intense. And becuase exercise hadn't been part of my life in YEARS, I totally connected my workouts to my weight loss. I did NOT believe I could or should live without it...
As things progressed, I began to have injuries... I sprained my hip. I sprained a muscle in my foot. I was achy and tired most of the time. And although I loved the FACT that I was a "crazy workout machine" ;0), I can't honestly say that I enjoyed my workouts all the time. I went because I felt I HAD to. Not going? Not an option. So, sometimes I had fun! But not always. And increasingly, my workouts were work. Unavoidable. Inescapable. Work. I was also having a harder time keeping up my pace... I had to quit classes, unable to maintain my level of activity. I started having dizzy spells DURING class...
The time came, last spring, when I had to let my exercise go completely... :P I HAD to... For my sanity, and for my body to heal... I continued seeing lots of doctors through the summer, and my therapist continued to emphasize that I WAS exercising each day, even though it wasn't in the form of time at the gym. :) On September 16th, I had heart surgery. I am now trying to ease back into some workouts, and I'm incredibly frustrated by my own recovery pace... It's taking much longer than I feel it SHOULD to be able to workout at an "acceptable" level... UGH... And I'm still unsure about my motivation for working out... I'm glad to be back... I feel like I needed to face that fear... And I have healthy limits in place now. ♥ I also have the knowledge that after MONTHS without my gym workouts I DID NOT gain weight! Huh!!! :) So... I am reminding myself that I don't HAVE to... But I DO feel like my physical ability and "in-shape-ness" ;0) have suffered, so I'm trying to get back to the point where things feel easier... I'd like to make it all the way through a class... (sigh)
Anyway... YES, exercise addiction is REAL. YES, it's DANGEROUS... I resisted the warnings I heard for a loooong time, too... It was one of the last things for me to finally accept in my recovery. But I did. And I'm glad. :)
Wow Jen, that must have taken a lot of courage to give up exercise completely. I just dont think i could mentally do it.
While I understand that I SHOULD take a day off a week or what have you, I cant wrap my head around it completely. I'm still torn out of doing it to purge calories for ED or doing it cause i sincerely enjoy it....I think it might be both.
oh lilac ---i have excercise bulimia . i struggle with it now. it is dangerous. ive ended up in the hospital for it cuz i was pushing myself soooooooooo hard during my workouts i almost blacked out. an arrythmia started. i got shaky and faint and like almost passed out on several occasions.. i had to make emergergency appointments with doctors for it. it almost destroyed my relationship cause i freaked if i missed one work out. i found a therapist for it. and i am working with her on my current excercise addiction. i still have it actually--BUT i now do take a few days off--i freak on these days like today where i am idle but i am working through it. i love excercise-- yes i do--BUT it can also be a double edged sword. it can be both good and bad for you. while healthy excercise is great---excercise adiction is very very bad: you stop socializing so you can work out, you CAN pass out or black out, you can damage your heart from over stressing it( i know i did). everytime i work out too much i get serious serious arythmaias. they are dangerous. you can become malnoutished because your body is using all your calories for the work outs.... so so many problems can happen...\
and if you dont eat and work out---then yes death is possible. your body can just shut down. hate to scare people but it s a fact. and if we dont face facts then we wil just be hurting ourselves.
i am working on my excercise addiction. i do now take days off when i dont feel good. a month and a half ago--i did not and worked out even when sick or injured. i still push myself during work outs but i think in time ill ease up.
and now since i had an ED relpase this week( Yes i know i feel soooo bad and ashamed and my fiancee got sooo mad!) i cannot cannot work out at all. my body is totally sick now.but today is a new day and im eating a lot now.
please please be careful with your workouts. do not push yourself.. it can be dangerous... i hope you get the help you need soon
No ones ever diagnosed me as having exercise bulimia, but I do believe I suffer from that along with my ED-NOS. I do skip social occasions to work out, I leave work early to work out, theres really nothing, including being ill that will keep me away from the gym. I actually HAVE blacked out and had heart palpitations and fainted at the gym on 2 seperate occasions; these were both prior to me seeking help or admitting that i had an ED. So the dr ran tests and said all my results were fine and never questioned it further.
Thing is...I cant stop. The 'therapist' I see was trying to negotiate with me on cutting down the amount of time i spend at the gym...I agreed to cut back a bit but honestly have/had no intentions of actually doing so. Whether this makes me a horrible person for lying or someone who is so caught up in their ED..im not sure. Neither is good in my opinion.
My BIGGEST fear is being accepted to inpatient care finally and them telling me im not allowed to work out....i think that would be enough to send me mentally over the edge. I can deal with having to eat food (i say that now...who knows in reality) but i cannot deal with someone taking away the only outlet i have for stress relief. BLAH@ED!!!!!!!!!!!! I hate hate hate you!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gina,
Based on what you describe, exercise has definitely become a component of the eating disorder for you. When it becomes work or something you feel you 'have' to do, that's the determining factor. Have you ever thought that you might actually feel some relief if you didn't 'have' to do it? I remember thinking many times that I wished I would break my leg (horrible, I know!), because I couldn't stop myself, and I felt compelled. I actually did feel relief when I was asked not to exercise (told, actually), because I felt like I had been given permission to rest. Ahhh....it's complicated, but you CAN learn new and better tools for relieving your stress, and you can learn to exercise in moderation, for fun, but it may take a while. The important thing is interrupting the dangerous cycle of the eating disorder....take care...Jan ♥
Oh man, I do really have a problem...I worked out already today...ate my lunch, steamed veggies 2 cups of them and a shake...felt really gross/full/bloated/yucky after...no one was home and i knew no one would be for a little bit...went to my basement and snuck in a quick treadmill session :/
I'm so angry, yet another aspect of my life ED is going to take away from me :(
don't see it like that. try to see it as another step forward because you unfolded one more hidden accomplice of Ed.
i know it feels like yet another setback. only just realized (because of this site) that i've been having some OCD (Dermatillomania) for as long as my ED and it seems as if someone is trying to tell me that i simply dont stand a chance because nothing about me is normal anymore.
problem is that all those things are so entwined and if you try to work on one it will affect or even worsen something else.
but as long as you can see yourself moving forward in a least one way, it still means you're moving on!!
that's the spirit! ha. okay yes totally you can overexercise i know when i am because it feels like a purge or binge. i get that same rush that same feeling as i had when i was purging. i started doing more stretching, yoga and walking. also i tried very hard not to look at calories or time that i spent on the equipment but know im doing it to love my body more not punish it. if i can make this distinguishment then i know im on the right track