Signs that you are obsessed with exercise

Signs that you are obsessed with exercise

The commonest way of losing weight and keeping fit is through exercise. Research has shown that well coordinated and routinized exercise guarantees one a healthy life free of diseases synonymous with excess fats in the body like diabetes and heart diseases. Exercising burns excess body fat that is not required by the body.

However, exercise that has been transformed into a habit can sometimes get out of hand. What started as a healthy and responsible activity can turn into an obsession that can become harmful to an individual. Just like any addiction, exercise obsession is hard to control without the professional help of an expert.

It is a sad reality that an individual may perceive exercise addiction as commitment to his/her cause and therefore refuses to see the implications of his/her actions. This addiction is fuelled by a great fear of being fat or the desire to be like someone else.

The symptoms of exercise obsession include:

a.)    A feeling of guilt or restlessness if you don’t exercise

Every time you skip an exercise session, you cannot help feeling terribly guilty like you have done something wrong. You may reproach yourself and even mutter how stupid you are, all because you missed a few hours in your exercise schedule.

b.)   Exercise is your only hobby

When you first started, you were a member of a popular club, you could hang out with family and friends, or you never missed any social event. But gradually, exercise becomes your only activity. All your former hobbies become less important or completely non-existent as all your energy is focused on exercise.

c.)    You cannot stop working out even when sick

Fitness experts and doctors alike often recommend that when an individual feels pain on the muscles, he or she has to cease exercising for a while to allow the muscle tissues to heal. Sickness rids the body of its energy, and it is not fair to the body that one exercises under such conditions. Stubbornness and perseverance beyond your physical pain can lead to serious consequences like tearing up of ligament and tendons. It can also exert a lot of pressure on the bones.

d.)   You spend too much time exercising

The recommended standard time for any work out is recommended as 30 minutes per day. This is because the human body can only take too much, and any exercise beyond this time can overstrain the body. An individual who is obsessed with exercise feels that 30 minutes is too little to achieve the perfect body that they have always dreamed of.

e.)    You think about exercise all the time

Your concentration span is always low even when attending an important occasion. You are attending an important meeting in the office and your mind keeps wandering back to exercise, no matter how many times you bring it back. You think about the new jogging sneakers you just bought or how you plan to renew your membership at your local gym. Your mind is all about exercise, exercise and more exercise.

Obsession of any kind is a serious place to be in because it can transform you into a slave and therefore an exercise obsessed individual should seek help before it is too late.