by Sharmal Kelambi

Created on: November 21, 2011

Exercising is promoted at all levels of health for a better living condition and to avoid many chronic illnesses. But any good thing can turn bad if you over do it. Exercising is no exception to this simple truth. While many people fight a losing battle to incorporate exercising to their daily schedule, some find that very routine taking over everything else in their lives, and that’s when it becomes an addiction.

- Causes:

What exactly cause people to addict to exercises? The reasons differ from person to person. In fact, reasons for exercising are different from person to person as well. Some exercise to lose weight, others to build up muscles while others just to stay healthy. Out of these three main categories, the most prone people to get addicted are the ones who try to build up their bodies.

According to psychiatrists, the reason behind all this is over expectation. Many try to be bigger and bigger with more and more muscle mass. They have no idea on what should be the optimal weight and built for them. So they keep on increasing the weights they lift and the time they spend at the gym. The ultimate result is getting addicted to exercising.

Another group of people who gets addicted to exercising are the runners. This includes many champion athletes too. They tend to push themselves harder and harder every time they hit the road. They run in rain, snow and even thunderstorms. Some even run with injuries. These are all important signs of exercise addiction.

- Signs:

So what are the signs to tell a person has become addicted to excercising? Just as in other forms of addictions, here, the person spend more and more time doing what he/she has addicted to. They try to do more and more exercise and become frustrated with their lack of success. In turn, they increase time, which goes in a virtuous cycle.

Many people tend to spend more and more time, examining their own bodies to see whether they have made any improvement and compare themselves to those who are having very muscular bodies. Once the ordinary methods fail, they turn to those high protein powders, magic pills and anabolic steroids to reach their goals. All these are harmful to the body in the long term.

Another sign is having withdrawal symptoms when not allowed to exercise for some time. This is why they tend to exercise even under injuries and when they have important social, professional or relationship matters. All these lead to bad health as well as to lose their jobs, break relationships

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