CAN YOU GET ADDICTED TO EXERCISE?

At present, exercise addiction is not officially recognized in any medical or psychological diagnostic frameworks such as the Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) or the World Health Association's International Classification of Diseases. However, there has been a lot of research into whether exercise can be classed as a bona fide addiction.

In spite of the widespread usage of the term 'exercise addiction', there are many terminologies that describe excessive exercise syndrome. Such terms include exercise dependence, obligatory exercising, exercise abuse, and compulsive exercise. Exercise addiction has been conceptualized as a behavioral addiction. The symptoms and consequences of exercise addiction have often been characterized by six common components of addiction: salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, personal conflict, and relapse.

For some people, exercise addiction is a primary problem in the person's life whereas in others it can be a secondary problem as a consequence of other psychological dysfunctions (like eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa).

Marcus Griffiths
Strength Coach
BPF Academy