When Does an Exercise Habit Become an Unhealthy Obsession?

By Kelly Turner on March 10th, 2010

Everywhere we look we are told we are fat. Television, the Internet and magazines continually tell us we need to lose weight, to exercise and to burn more calories. Even technology sends us this message, what with recent products like the Wii Fit and the FitBit which help trick us into moving more, and working out without realizing it.

But for a growing few, fitting in their workouts isn’t just not a problem, it’s non-negotiable. Waking up early to fit in a run before work, hitting the gym on their lunch break, and then catching a fitness class before bed isn’t a good day, it’s every day, without exception.

There is a lot of talk of eating disorders and eating issues, and when they go from being a healthy consciousness of the food we eat to an unhealthy obsession, but what about exercise? When does getting in your workouts go from a healthy habit to a dangerous body-pounding punishment?

Fitness Magazine published an article in their March issue called Confessions of a Cardioholic, in which they explored this very question.

Author Jessica Girdwain shared her own obsession, as well as other women’s, who were racking up anywhere from 3-6 hours of exercise per day between the gym, classes, walks to and from work and in their home.

“It’s the superwoman syndrome,” Angela Liddon, 26, was quoted as saying of her exercise addiction that stemmed from training for a half marathon. Soon Liddon was running daily, followed by exercise DVDs and nightly yoga sessions. “I felt like I had to do it all to perform well.”

Surprisingly, most of those found to have some form of an exercise addiction weren’t concerned with losing weight. Over-exercisers are a different breed from exercise bulimics, who workout constantly to burn as many calories as possible, often starving themselves, as well. It all may have started with the simple goal to lose weight or shape up, but the compulsion that keeps over-exercisers exercising multiple times a day, or for extended periods of time, has more to do with a feeling of accomplishment and the physical feeling exercise provides than to purge every calorie from their body.

Over-exercisers tend to be type A personalities, that is very goal oriented. Exercise is a way to push themselves to their limit, constantly setting physical goals to go farther, faster or longer. Their payoff? The exercise high: that rush of endorphins that makes you feel like you can go forever. The only way to reach that point, however, is to push your body farther and farther, and soon that runner’s high is more like a drug than an extra little bonus.

As a fitness blogger and certified personal trainer, I have the unique opportunity to allow readers to ask me their fitness questions and give them answers to the best of my professional ability. One would think I would be over run with questions about how to start an exercise habit, or how to make more time to fit in a workout in a buy day, but that’s not the case. Granted, those who have made fitness a big part of their life are more likely to be searching fitness blogs than those who don’t know where to begin, but the degree of commitment and worry in the questioner’s words is alarming. Frequently, the questions I receive include phrases like “never enough,” “anxious,” and “need to do more” appear sprinkled around a frighteningly-detailed description of intricate, timed workouts that occur seven days a week, sometimes multiple times a day.

More often than not, my specific advice about their workouts are overshadowed by my concern over the frequency and intensity of their training, and the control and rigidity of it all.

I get a lot of flack for working out so often (about four times a week) and making it a big priority in my life. I am very aware, and have committed my career, to teaching others the importance of exercise, but I find that a healthy balance is also important. Once the habit is formed, and as long a you are working up a sweat, you are ahead of the game. Just like with healthy eating, your motivation is key, and what can turn a healthy habit into an unhealthy need is what compels you to continue, like fear or anxiety, and if you are having negative physical effects, like injuries, constant fatigue and loss of menstruation.

The Fitness article lists these warning sign to help you decide if you are a committed exerciser, or letting exercise rule your life:

You feel a constant obligation to workout.

You feel guilty or ashamed when you can’t workout.

You compromise your safety to get in a workout (ex. exercise at night alone because you “have to” or you workout with an injury because you don’t want to take time off.)