Fascinating piece in The Guardian about a growing number of people who say they have become “addicted” to exercise — or more precisely, to over-exercising — to the point where it interferes with the rest of their lives, and may even have done considerable harm. Here’s the link (no paywall):
I’ve run into several folks over the years who would’ve qualified for the label of “exercise addict” under that description. One was a devotee of CrossFit training, until he suffered a serious injury that forced him to renounce it, permanently. Another was an ultramarathoner, who to my knowledge is still at it, in his late 50’s, relentless as ever. Still another, a retired professional athlete like the man in the article, died unexpectedly at 42, in the hospital following a heart attack that occurred during a long distance run through the mountains.
Not everyone becomes so attached to their exercise regimen. I recall asking an NFL wide receiver, known for his rigorous conditioning program, if he was planning on continuing that level of exercise after he retired. He looked at me as if I had lost my mind.
“Oh hell no,” he barked. “Minute they stop paying me, I stop working out. And I won’t miss it a bit.”
A refreshingly transactional approach to pro sports, I thought.
The article openly advocates for the idea that such behavior qualifies as a disorder, along the lines of “behavioral addictions” such as compulsive gambling, shopping, and sexual behavior. Like addicts deprived of their drug of choice, the compulsive exerciser forced to abstain may report a deep sense of loss, accompanied by sleeplessness, irritability, depression, anxiety. Some report that those symptoms decrease over time, like alcohol or opioid withdrawal. Others say they don’t feel “right” again until they find some new activity to take the place of the old one.
I can’t explain why the compulsion only appears in a minority of exercisers — an estimated (per the article) 3 to 9%. I doubt even they fully understand its origins. It’s just the way things turned out.
As to whether “overexercising syndrome” qualifies as a diagnosable psychiatric disorder, we’ll have to leave that to future editions of the DSM. I’m staying neutral.
