Are you addicted to exercise?

I think I am addicted to exercise but not in a super unhealthy way. I need to go to the gym in the mornings, but I still take a race day. I hate the days that I don’t workout. I was training for a half marathon but didn’t stop my usual exercise and ended up getting injured. I am trying to learn from my mistakes :)

I originally really started running when I was going through my divorce in 2010. I had gained a quite a few pounds from stress eating during my marriage, and when I was going through the divorce process I decided I needed to change that. So I started running mainly to burn calories, but I quickly fell in love with it because it was a type of therapy that made everything a little bit easier to deal with. Like you, it made me feel like a better mom, taking that time for myself.

I overdid it for a while, getting to the point where taking any rest days was stressing me out (and I dropped nearly forty pounds in three months… I was getting way too skinny), and then when I met my fiance, I cut back on the exercise load to spend more time with him.

Now, after my pregnancy (where I wasn’t able to run because of horrid morning sickness, back pain, and just general awfulness), I’m in a much better place with it. I run because I love to run. I exercise because I love it, my body needs it, and it feels good! If I don’t run, I really miss it, but I’m not concerned with the calorie burn for weight loss (but I do track it because I’m breastfeeding and I have to keep my food intake sufficient). It helps me feel more sane and even-tempered, and I do feel a bit more irritable on rest days.

Anyway, sorry for the short novel, (I’ll blame it on today being an unscheduled rest day because I couldn’t get myself out of bed at 4am) but it’s a great topic to explore. Exercise is necessary for a healthy body, but depending on personality and other factors, it can quickly become a negative.

When I went through a divorce 3 years ago, I happened to be training for my first marathon. I felt as though I was running for my life. I felt that all the muscle and strength I had gained through training helped me through those awful days, weeks, and months when it all felt so dark, exhausting, and impossible. I ran alone very early in the morning before work and I would often see the stars and moons out on my runs and I remembered feeling like God was really by my side. Though I was physically alone at that moment, there was a spiritual partner that had big plans for me…I just had to keep putting one foot in front of the other to realize His plan.

I’m not sure that I have too much more to add. :) I agree with a lot of what people are saying about how to avoid addiction – rest days, time with family and friends, and being OK with ‘imperfect’ running/exercise. For me, right now, that looks like taking a rest day today so that I can spend time with a friend and holding off on running until my sore ankles feel better. Those things aren’t intuitive for me, so I really have to make a deliberate choice to do what’s best for my long-term well-being, not just what I feel like doing in the moment.

Thanks for sparking such a good discussion!

I wanted to say hi today in pump but I have to teach a before PE class so I had to leave early.

Love the topic for today. I question it all the time because rain or shine I work out 6 days a week. My poor mom worries all the time about my addiction. My thoughts are… We all have passions and I’m so grateful I’ve found a passion that keeps me healthy and happy.

As with any addiction if you are spending too much time/energy/money on it and not enough time/energy/money somewhere else it is unhealthy. When you lose too much weight and are now unhealthy. When you get injured because of over use. Your body will tell you if it’s too much. You can choose to listen or choose to ignore.

I don’t think I’ll ever be in danger of being addicted to running- I mean I love it, but I’m not overly upset if I don’t get up early enough or whatever. Maybe running clothes…

I’m definitely addicted. I had a whole post about this (“Brideorexia”-> HERE http://lovelywifelovelylife.com/2013/11/08/brideorexia/) but it’s definitely an unhealthy obsession. I hate admitting this but I do it for the calorie burn. Of course I love the endorphin flow and the positives of exercise besides calories, but I don’t ever let myself not exercise. Last month, I exercised every day with no rest days. Yikes

Great topic and definitely one that is not talked about enough in the blog world. I think a running addiction is different for everyone, but I think it is the same as any other addiction (i.e. alcohol, drugs, self harm, etc.). Just because it can be healthy doesn’t mean you can’t get addicted to it in unhealthy ways or rely on it when you shouldn’t.

I get addicted to things really easily and running can take over my life in a heartbeat. The first sign is feeling like I have to run to have a good day. I shouldn’t be dependent on any one thing to get me through a single day – running, alcohol, eating well, therapy, etc. Obviously, at certain times in my life I’ve used running to get me through problems and bad days and anger and frustration, but eventually I’ve had to work through those problems in my head so that I didn’t rely on running to feel better. Just because I felt better after running didn’t mean that the problems didn’t still exist and didn’t still need to be dealt with…running just made me feel better, it didn’t make the issues go away. I used to cut to feel better and was addicted to that for a long time and it really, really made me feel better (although I know that this is hard for people to understand) – but it wasn’t the answer, and neither is running or exercise or anything else. I actually had to heal inside before I could see running as a hobby, which is what is should be to me. Yeah, I think it’s different if running/exercise is your job and you are a professional athlete – then running is something different and you do it more…however, that’s not an addiction, that’s a job. I go to work every day and I do it even when I hate it sometimes and when I’m sick and stuff – but trust me, I’m not addicted to my job!

For me, the minute I start feeling guilty about not running or stressing out because I have to choose between a run and a family activity – I stop running for a few days to regain my center. It’s definitely hard and sometimes I feel like just when I get into a running routine I have to stop, but I really hate that pull of addiction and that feeling of failure and guilt if I can’t get a run in or I can’t do my strength routine. I try to think about it as if I were analyzing someone really close to me – like my son or my sister. If they were acting the same way I was (getting up really early to get a run in, running even when they were sick or when they’d only slept for three hours, running instead of going to the pumpkin patch, etc.) – would I be worried or concerned? And if the answer is yes, then I try to step back. For me that means I don’t exercise or run as much as a lot of the “healthy living/running” bloggers do and it means that I’m not as “in shape” or “toned” as I’d like to be, but it’s something I’ve struggled with for a while and not something I want to fall back into.

This is just true for me and is the reason I used “I” instead of the “general you” throughout this comment – because I think it’s different for everyone. We all have different limits and we all have different thresholds. We just have to make sure that we are taking care of ourselves in the best way and loving ourselves whether we exercise or not. And it’s so much easier said then done because once you have crossed the line into the addiction it is SO hard to realize it and SO hard to cross back over.

Yeah, I definitely feel better on days when I work out. Whenever I take a rest day, I tend to feel lazy, tired and unmotivated. If I am forced to take multiple days off because of an injury, I tend to get cranky and sometimes I start to feel depressed.

That said, exercise can for sure become an unhealthy addiction. I think the key is to remember to keep your priorities straight. Exercise is important, but it’s not more important than your spouses, families, friends or jobs. If any of these things are suffering because of how much you exercise, then you know you’ve crossed a line.

It’s so much about control; as women we need to take control of our own lives in some way. Through exercise, we can. We feel empowered. We feel strong.

But as with all gifts, it must be tempered and not allowed to take over. It must be in balance with our families, our jobs, and in some cases our health.

I truly see my running/working out time as a gift to myself. I work hard and I earned it. And I am a better mother, friend and person because I am in balance.

Janae,
I read your blog daily but this is my first comment. I have loved running the since I was 10 and I am 26 now and did my first half marathon this year. I am a much nicer/happier person on my running days!
What touched me about this post was how you talked about running being your therapy through the divorce. My husband and I are separated/dating right now and my runs are the only times I feel sane. I cry when I run sometimes and it’s tough, but knowing you do it too makes it feel better.

Thank you! Never stop blogging and writing honestly.

I think I have a fairly good balance — I love working out, but I also love rest time, and I see the value in both!

Fortunately I am inherently much too lazy to become addicted to exercise (or healthy eating patterns). I enjoy exercise (particularly my ballet classes), but I am also horribly busy with work and get really tired. I am not one to force myself out of the door when I can’t face it. I’d probably be healthier if I did sometimes…

I wouldn’t say I’m addicted to exercise, but I would say I am RELIANT on it. Like you mentioned, exercise is basically my happy/sane pill. When things get crazy, running and exercise are my control. When everything else seems so out of your control, it is the one thing I can always come back to.

I think any time an exercise regimen takes priority over relationships with those that matter most, it is unhealthy.

But I think there certainly is such a thing as a healthy addiction to exercise. I’m addicted to running because it enhances my mood like nothing else. :)

As an alcoholic in recovery, I worry that running and exercise have become my new drug of choice. I know I am obsessed with running and also that when I am stressed out, it makes the fear and anxiety fall away. So I get concerned I’m running from my emotions.

However, I think I’ve been careful to not overdo things by following training plans versus piling on my own schedule. I know I’d be tempted to do more, faster, Better, NOW… and then beat myself up if I didn’t completely kick ass. So, I think I’ve found a decent way to ‘check’ my running addiction.

I’m addicted to those endorphins as well, I hope I always am. Also the feeling of accomplishment that comes with finishing a run or when I’m sore for 2 days from lunges….. Those sorta things keep me craving more :)

My mood rarely changes,but I think internally I’m more of a happy person when I do workout.

Love you hungry runner girl!

My mood is definitely dampened on a off day. It takes me until about noon to feel like I’m actually with it.
I have been addicted to running/exercise. I would immediately exercise in some form the minute I consumed any calories to burn them off. This lasted about 18 months and then I finally felt miserable and lethargic enough to come to my senses. I was painfully thin and my entire body hurt to even get out of bed. After doctoring, I realized my body was trying to burn what muscle I did have for fuel. No wonder I hurt so bad.
I’ve since put on weight although now I could lose about 10 lbs. I believe it’s really a never ending battle to strive for moderation.

I think it becomes unhealthy when you’re not meeting your other priorities (i.e. family, friends, work). When other people are “hurting” because of your running or working out that’s probably a sign to re-prioritize. But to each their own, only YOU know whether or not it’s been unhealthy.

Someone above commented that it’s probably a good idea to try and be objective and think if you’d tell a friend that they were being unhealthy with their running/working out. It’s hard to be objective though. I am really bad about taking rest days and I end up injured–WORSE!

I am going into 2014 with a new outlook on running/working out: Do it to be healthy and because it makes me happy. Not do it because it helps me burn calories. I am super competitive which makes it hard to just run for FUN, but I want to remember that it’s supposed to FUN! I am not an elite runner and am not getting paid to run so I should have FUN!

I’ve been way too into getting faster this year and not going about it in the smartest way and now have tendonitis in two places. When the injuries piled on I realized I had become too involved in getting faster and needed to re-evaluate.

If I don’t run or workout I definitely notice a difference in my mood. I love the endorphins and use it to release stress. I love running and working out and am making a vow to make 2014 injury free and to run and workout smarter!

Thanks for sharing this article. I love how honest you are.

I always feel so much better after a workout. If I am tired before hand I know I will get that boost once I start moving around. I do some form of exercise every day and really can’t get myself to take a full rest day. This is probably bad, but it is so hard for me to not workout. <— addiction, yes, and I need to work on being okay if I need to take a day to rest.

I have for sure struggled with being addicted to exercise. There is definitely a difference between staying in shape and being addicted.

I used to feel like I HAD to run in order to eat – I felt like if I didn’t work out, then my metabolism wouldn’t work (crazy) and I’d get fat. I felt alone because I love food and have always eaten more than my friends. I felt like running would allow me to eat more and more.

Then I noticed that I was gaining weight even with running. I was eating so. much. I started cutting out foods. Eating barely enough to get by. Only eating “safe” foods. I was constantly feeling lightheaded and weak. Yet I was still running daily. I felt like if I didn’t run I failed the day.

On the rare occasion that I do take a rest day I am TERRIBLY crabby the whole day. You could barely talk to me. I was so mad that I didn’t make my metabolism start working. I had a hard time eating, and ate not nearly enough.

I was obsessed with burning calories. I wanted to burn more calories than I ate. My net calories were zero and I refused to acnowledge that you need 2000 a day. A body only needs 30-60 minutes of exercise and I was getting hours. That’s not even doing any good straining a body like that.

Now that cross country ended a few weeks ago I’ve been really lazy with running. It’s kind of an experiment to show me that I don’t NEED to run to function. I mean, look at all the people in the world who can’t even run a mile!

It makes me feel better that you are crabby on rest days too – I always thought you were really happy on them!

Thank you for this post Janae. This topic really should be discussed more!

I get addicted to running really easily. I am so thankful for the injuries I have had lately, because my favorite phase of running is the “just started from scratch” phase but I never ever just take weeks off unless I am injured.

If I start running again, it will hopefully be with the goal of enjoying running. Not enjoying meeting huge goals that take up tons of energy and thought. Not for a flat belly or thin thighs or to “balance out what I ate” but purely because i feel like doing it on that day. I was finally figuring it out when this last injury caught up to me: On days that I dont feel like running, I want to take them off with absolutely no guilt or anxiety. There are many things in life I have to do on a daily basis. Running is not one of them nor do I want to be one of them. If I am in a bad mood on days that I dont run, it is because I LET myself be in a bad mood. Not because I did not run. Sure, running feels nice and can improve my mood, but if not running is automatically going to put me in a bad mood, I want to get back into the place where running is not a necessity like food or water or air. And the honest truth is, if I am in a bad mood on a day when I dont excercise, it means that I am not eating enough on that day. If I eat enough on a day off, I am in a great mood and actually love the fact that I have no workout to do. My mood is more related to food than exercise, for the most part. Or time outside. Whether sitting, standing, walking, or running.

I think this is such a tricky topic…but I think a big part of crossing the line into an unhealthy addiction is when you feel like you “need” to exercise and feel guilty if you don’t. I think a lot of of runners have the feeling that we “want” to run, or “get” to run each day. I hate rest days because I feel more tired when I don’t work out and I miss running. But I have learned how important they are. There was a time when I would drastically cut my calories on a rest day because I didn’t think I should eat as much since I wasn’t working out. But I have learned how my body needs to refuel even on rest days (or when injured). Now I realize I am actually usually more hungry on rest days, which probably goes to show that my body is working hard to recover and prepare for the next workout! I am so glad that I feel like I have a more healthy relationship with exercising these days. It is stressful to constantly worry about time spent working out and calories burned! (and then when your working out too much you’re more likely to get injured, which causes even more stress, and makes you want to work out more…its a vicious cycle!)

Interesting question! I love exercise and call myself ‘addicted’ too.

I think the point when it becomes a true addiction is if it is interfering with other parts of your life… Such as, you don’t have time for family, friends, church, work, etc. Obviously sometimes we sacrifice our time to get in a long run or something, but I think if a person is constantly turning down invitations to do other activities because of exercise it’s an issue. I think it’s a red flag if a person ever feels the need to hide their exercise that’s an issue or if you are unintentionally losing weight or can’t keep up with the calories you are burning I think a person needs to reevaluate their nutrition and exercise plan.

I think when I started training for my first half marathon I was totally addicted to running – in a bad way. I had to get my miles in and I pushed off cross training and weights and made myself feel guilty if I even thought about skipping a run. When I had two months off before training for my full, I learned to give myself some slack. We were actually at a fun run with our coach one night and I will always remember the advice he gave: “I hear people saying that they are stressed about their mileage or not getting a run in or even about trying to get to the Wednesday night runs. Why? You have so many other things to be stressed about – family, kids, work, etc. – that running shouldn’t be one of them. If it is than we should talk and make sure that you’re not over-training or see if we can adjust your schedule. Running should be fun, not stressful.” It was finally at that point that I followed my schedule but didn’t worry if things didn’t quite line up or if I ditched a mile (or 3-4…) here and there.

Now that my training is done, I’ve found a pretty nice balance between running and cross training but another life event happened that has my weight rapidly increasing and I do have a fear that it’s going to push me into being obsessed. I have an end goal and I feel like my progress has stalled and I’ll never get to it. I’m glad you posted this because I don’t know that I would have said that (typed it?) out loud otherwise.

And that article Lauren Fleshman posted is AWESOME. I’m glad someone else linked to it.

I started running for the “me time” after having my daughter. But over time I continued doing it for the sense of accomplishment it gave me. I ran my first half marathon this past May. I am debating if I want to run another half again to improve my time. Running for a goal keeps me motivated.

I do feel better on day that start with exercise. It makes me feel stronger and healthier so then I eat better too. But I always take Sundays off. It’s a day for family, church, and visiting. And I never feel bad about that!

I’m not addicted to exercise but I am a recovered diet coke addict. I must say that icy cold diet coke you featured on your blog made me fall off the wagon once this week.

On a serious note coming from a family where some serious addictions were present, I truly think its not how much someone does something but how much someone thinks about it. So two people can drink/run etc the same amount and one can be addicted and one not. I think its how much someone is thinking about it when they aren’t doing it e.g. if someone’s an alcoholic they are most likely frequently thinking about when and where their next drink is coming from. Like other people said, its also how much it is impacting negatively on the rest of someone’s life and commitments.

I think it’s about control…wanting to control something/everything so we can stay on an “even keel.” When you give yourself over to the fact that WE CONTROL NOTHING (it’s all an illusion), you may feel more FREEDOM and get to enjoy those rest days more. Nothing helps facilitate this more than a child–can’t get more “in the moment” than that!
I hear you–I am the same way and this is the key for me.

The definition of addiction is the continued use of a substance despite negative consequences. So if someone continues to workout too much and their children/family suffer; If someone’s health is at stake, i.e. underweight, broken bones or other injuries; these are just a resaons I have come across.
P.S. I am married to a mental health therapist, but I would still rather run than have my husband analyze me, haha

My own femoral stress fracture helped me to realize how much I physically crave exercise–it’s not just mental, it’s definitely something I feel like a full-body itch if I’m forced to be sedentary. But exercise is not an addiction any more than food is; both are necessary for my body’s health, just not in excessive amounts or ridiculous combinations.

Of course my own vice is not duration of exercise but rather intensity; I tend to be a little pathological about going too fast or hard or too heavy with weights because I love the burn of it. However, it is all too easy to burn out, too.

Hmmm….I don’t think I have an unhealthy addiction to running but it IS my therapy and I do feel better on days that I run. (I haven’t ever considered any other form of excersice other than running theraputic so I won’t weigh in with regard to my cross training=)
I got into running after my husband died when I was just 25. I didn’t feel like i fit in with family or friends. But I had a coworker who ran and invited me to join her at a group run and the rest is history. I have found a family through running. It’s the best release of anxiety and emotion for me. And it’s been a huge social factor in my life as well. But I remember a time when I was doing a specific weight watchers diet that wasn’t points driven but if you wanted anything not on their list of approved foods you’d have to use your “exercise points” I started running more mileage than scheduled and not taking rest days just so i could eat cookies and pizza. THAT is unhealthy and I think that was where it became an addiction of sorts. Thanks for this post.

Hi there!

I just love your blog! I had a baby girl a couple months ago and love to see all the fun you have with your gorgeous lil girl!

How were u able to beat the exercise addiction? I live to workout for my sanity but I know I should back off a little. Did you have a hard time finding time to workout when Brooke was younger?

Thank you for this blog.

I write a lot about running (and yoga) as a way to RECOVER from an eating disorder in my blog. Exercise used to be instant relapse for me, until, like you, I changed the reasons for my activity.

Running has saved me from myself. Thank you so gratefully for this – and the joy you spread.
You’re a special light, Janae,
dani

I am a certified running coach and an eating disorder therapist. So I completely understand the difference between an exercise addiction and real training. Many don’t and athletes’ addictions go unnoticed and they suffer in silence. My site is dedicated to breaking this silence and helping them recover and reach peak performance!

*not the cure