Exercise Addiction Essay

Exercising frequently can be a positive habit, but if a person becomes addicted to it, it has negative effects as well. Exercise addiction is not easy to identify because, like any other addict, they tend to deny they have a problem. This addiction is referred to by a variety of names such as exercise dependence, exercise addiction, obligatory exercise, compulsive athleticism, compulsive exercising, and exercise abuse. "Men and women are equally prone to exercise addiction, which affects about three percent of the population, according to a study at the University of Southern California. Exercise addicts usually work out two or three hours a day, six or seven days a week." (Seymour) Exercise addicts, of both genders, do not understand the difference between pushing their limits and overstepping them.

These people who are addicted will use exercise to avoid life problems in relationships, low self-esteem, and problems with family or work. Various warning signs of someone who is an exercise addict are: always working out alone, isolated from others, always following the same rigid exercise pattern, exercising for more than two hours daily, repeatedly. They have a fixation on weight loss or calories burned. Keep exercising when sick or injured, exercising to the point of pain and beyond. Start skipping work, class, or social plans for workouts, exercising more after every meal. Even if he or she has lost a significant amount of weight they’re never satisfied with his or her physical achievements. They get feelings of guilt and anxiousness about missing a work out. Also, doesn't like to sit still or relaxed because of worry that not enough calories are burning. People exhibiting these warning signs will continue to exercise despite i...

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...e several different theories that try to analyze the stem of this disorder. OCD can be attributed to stress, which can intensify or prompt the symptoms. Experts on this medical field also identify brain dysfunctions such as encephalitis, head trauma, or some other brain disorder as a possible cause of brain abnormalities that may result in OCD. The patient’s genetics can also have a pertinent role in the developing of the disorder experts believe that a person can inherit a tendency to develop OCD under certain conditions. An unbalanced level of brain chemicals according to serotonin theory can also be attributed to a person suffering from OCD. Lastly, learned behavior, is also a crucial factor that needs to be analyzed. If a child is taught that he/she may be predisposed to fear, he/she develop compulsions in order to reduce said fears when negative thoughts occur.