Is it fair to say that having an exercise addiction also involves an eating disorder? Is an exercise addiction actually bad for you? Is it good to work out through pain or injury? How much exercise is too much exercise? Would you assume that this would be more prevalent in men or women?
How would you go about curing this addiction and what exactly would you do to suffice the need? Why do you think this lack of exercise would cause them to become depressed? What do you think causes this high that the person experiences while they are exercising?
How exactly could you classify exercising as an addiction? How much is too much? What do you think this would do to a person's everyday life?
I doubt there is a correlation between eating disorders and exercise addiction because people who work out frequently tend to have healthier diets. There is a certain point when exercise becomes a problem because there comes the point when it affects your work and social life. It probably is not good for your body to work out through pain. The amount of exercise an individual should get depends on each person. For me I want to run collegiate track so I lift four days a week for a hour at a time and I do cardio six days a week but if someone was just doing that with no goal in mind then it may be a problem. From what I see in the gym it is more prevalent in men.
ReplyDeleteI do not really think that there is a cure for this addiction because we need to work out and for most addictions the only way to break from an addiction is to quit cold turkey. They would become depressed because when you exercise your body releases endorphins and if your body is not receiving that chemical rush then you are going to feel some form of depression. The cause is the endorphin rush, it’s the reason people do extreme sports.
I think exercising can be classified as an addiction not only because it's something people get addicted to (obviously), but because they could be addicted to the "high" they get while running. Maybe the effects of a running high are very similar to the high from other drugs and that's why it's so addicting. Many studies have shown the effects of drugs on the brain, and I wonder if the studies show the same type of brain activity after a long run or workout.
ReplyDeleteLike most addictions, there are obviously negative consequences that can come from it. Like the website said, "all other obligations and responsibilities such as families, careers, and social engagements suffer." Not only does one's social life get affected, but also the person's body is affected a lot, too. Running too much can make stress injuries appear and since the person would be addicted, they would continue to run/workout through the injury, which can make it even worse.
In my opinion, exercise addiction and eating disorders are not directly correlated. Just because someone works out a lot doesn't mean that they also have an eating disorder. Usually, the people that exercise a lot have healthier eating habits than than those who do not. Today, everyone is expected to look their best and be skinny and fit and in-shape. Exercise is one way for people to achieve this. For some, it becomes a daily habit. They have to work out to feel good about themselves. When people work out, endorphins are released in their body, causing them to get a 'high' from it. As well as these endorphins, people that exercise regularly see improvements in their body and this also leads to the continuing of exercise. I don't think exercise should be seen as an addiction but rather as a habit. It is a healthy hobby. I do agree, however, that it is crazy to exercise through sickness and pain. That is when people take it too far. Everyone's body needs rest and repair. I personally have a friend that exercises like it is his job. He spends multiple hours a week in the gym but still has a regular life and manages his daily tasks well. Exercise is very important to him but he has never let it take over his life to the point that he cannot get work and school tasks done. He has his own personal nutritionist and eats healthier than anyone I know. So just knowing him and the way he lives his life, I don't agree that exercise is an addiction, rather, a healthy hobby.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, exercise addiction and eating disorders are not directly correlated. Just because someone works out a lot doesn't mean that they also have an eating disorder. Usually, the people that exercise a lot have healthier eating habits than than those who do not. Today, everyone is expected to look their best and be skinny and fit and in-shape. Exercise is one way for people to achieve this. For some, it becomes a daily habit. They have to work out to feel good about themselves. When people work out, endorphins are released in their body, causing them to get a 'high' from it. As well as these endorphins, people that exercise regularly see improvements in their body and this also leads to the continuing of exercise. I don't think exercise should be seen as an addiction but rather as a habit. It is a healthy hobby. I do agree, however, that it is crazy to exercise through sickness and pain. That is when people take it too far. Everyone's body needs rest and repair. I personally have a friend that exercises like it is his job. He spends multiple hours a week in the gym but still has a regular life and manages his daily tasks well. Exercise is very important to him but he has never let it take over his life to the point that he cannot get work and school tasks done. He has his own personal nutritionist and eats healthier than anyone I know. So just knowing him and the way he lives his life, I don't agree that exercise is an addiction, rather, a healthy hobby.
ReplyDeleteI would say in some cases that an exercise addiction does involve an eating disorder, but in others it does not. I think this statement is more prevelant in woman because they want to be as skinny as possible and some do become obsessed with exercise because of it. However, some people become addicted to working out in order to becomes as muscular as possible. I think that such an addiction can be bad for you because it gets in the way of everyday life and probably effects social relationships. People with this addiction probably spend around three hours a day at the gym being independent instead of trying to interact with other people. From personal experience, working out through pain and injury is an awful idea. Some people believe that you need to keep the rest of your body in shape during injury, but pushing yourself to such an extent only cause the healing process to take longer.
ReplyDeleteI think that what makes the person depressed from lack of exercise is the same thing that causes the high. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins that make you happy. If someone works out so much to the extent that they have an addiction, skipping one day or exercise would probably mentally effect them because they don't get that excessive satisfaction of feeling happy and good about themselves.
You could classify it as an addiction because it has chemical dependency and also interferes with someone living their everyday life. It's definitely something that consumes someone's time and also makes them physically dependent.
I think that there really isn't much connection between eating disorders and an exercise addiction. Those with eating disorders want to change the way their body looks, so they may go work out. On the other hand, the most important part of their disorder has to do with what they eat, not how much they work out. I actually find it hard to believe that there can be an exercise disorder. Working out for an hour or two a day seems normal, so I can see why going over that would be strange. However, some athletes have to play their sport everyday for at least 2 hours, if not more. Are they addicted?
ReplyDeleteI find that there is a hazy line between working out with an injury and working out to fix an injury. There are some injuries where workouts should not be done, but there are others where strengthening the injured muscle will benefit the person. I can see this in either men or women, but I think a woman's case would be more about running or aerobic exercise. Guys lift weights more and that may be their issue.
I think lack of exercise just makes the person feel lazy, like they didn't do their job for the day. The easiest way to maybe get off of this addiction would be to get the person to shorten their workouts, or at least work out with someone else.
Addiction to exercise is chemically dependent to a degree, but I think depending on your lifestyle, there has to be a cutoff point. I think this addiction could limit a person's life just like any other addiction. They become separated from their friends and family and they could possibly hurt themselves if they really make a serious injury.
I do not think that just because someone is addicted to exercise that they also have an eating disorder. I think that having an addiction to exercising can be a good or a bad thing. With a healthy diet, frequent exercise just means that the person would be very fit and full of energy. Exercising through pain and injury would not be a good thing because if you are injured you are even more prone to getting worse if you continue to exercise and do not allow it time to heal. I think that an exercise addiction would be equally spread across men and women because women would be addicted to exercising for weight loss and men would be addicted to gaining muscle.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that exercising less would make a person depressed, but that they would just feel lazy. I think that the easiest way to cure this kind of addiction would to periodically shorten workouts and allow rest days into someone's weekly workouts. When you exercise, dopamine is released in the brain which is what causes the exerciser to feel very good during it.
I do not really think that exercising should be considered a problem except if it is interfering with normal daily life, like sleep, human contact, work, etc.
I am an extremely active person, and therefore love to exercise, however this does not affect my normal day life. The only reason I would say there is a problem with exercising is if it is directly related to an eating disorder, however I do not believe the two go hand in hand. Yes, avid runners tend to eat healthier meals than people that do not workout often or at all. Eating properly and exercising generally go together. I believe when a person has an eating disorder, working out should not be an option because an addictive personality can cause the person to start non stop working out. The only way to cure an addiction of exercising is to plan shorter workouts and perhaps take some rest days. Exercise addiction definitely affects men and women equally in my opinion because they both have ample reasons to exercise. Men want to look large and have a muscular and attractive body, while women want to be skinny and attractive towards men. Exercising is popular because of the desire of having the perfect figure and being attractive. I do not believe this is a popular addiction just a healthy habit for most.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that there is a correlation between eating disorders and exercise disorders, I feel they are two separate diseases. Exercise addiction can actually be bad for you when you take it too far, anything when taken to a certain extent is unhealthy. I believe when someone has an eating disorder they become unfit to work out because that would be too hard on their body. It is not good to work out through pain or injury that can cause long term damage and more pain. This addiction could be due to the fact that exercise releases endorphins which makes you happy. People may not be addicted to working out per say they may be addicted to the how they want to look, the constant improvement of their body. I think they would react just like any other addict would if they were to stop exercising cold turkey, their body would go into shock
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