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No Comments [ Add Comment ]EXERCISE: How much is too much?
By KATIE M. ELLIS... And yes, there is such a thing as too much!
When it comes to exercise, you can get too much of a good thing.
Persistent exercise can turn into a healthy habit, one that will help you look and feel better, local experts say. But going above and beyond recommended amounts may lead to a harmful addiction.
"If you have the feeling you can't do without something, it's unhealthy. Whether it's sugar, heroin or exercise, if you can't do without it, you can't enjoy it," said Mike Olpin, program director and professor of health promotions at Weber State University.
Many people have made exercise a health-enhancing habit and enjoy a natural high from endorphins, said Chris Eisenbarth, assistant professor of health promotions at Weber State. Those who exercise within recommended guidelines are rewarded not only with endorphins, he said, but also are fitter, able to control their weight, have an outlet for stress and have better self-esteem.
But, according to Eisenbarth, there are dire consequences for crossing the line from a healthy habit into an addiction.
The endorphins are not addictive, he explained -- it is the need to exercise to feel good about yourself that leads to addiction.
Compulsive exercisers work out at a higher frequency or intensity than is recommended for good health, and continue to exercise even if they are injured or sick, letting exercise take precedence over work, family and friends, Eisenbarth said.
Compulsive exercisers
Carolie Meccico, a licensed clinical social worker in Washington Terrace, said exercise addiction is known as a disorder called anorexia athletica.
It's common among competitive athletes in high schools and colleges, she said, but it affects men and women throughout the population.
"The disorder can affect anyone with a preoccupation with weight and diet who starts compulsively exercising. They feel like they have to exercise in an amount or intensity beyond requirements for good health and good sense," Meccico said.
"With exercise and nutrition, there is a healthy limit to what we can do. Those with this disorder force themselves to exercise compulsively because it's related to their body image. This disorder has to do with low self-esteem, depression and attempts to gain a sense of power and self-control."
Compulsive exercisers often don't lead happy lives.
"When people are addicted to exercise, they have no other way of feeling good. Their lives are not happy in general," said Olpin. "Exercise is the one chance to feel good and they love it. They like that feeling and have no other way to get it."
Meccico said anorexia athletica often accompanies obsessive dieting or fear of certain foods, with a never-ending desire to lose more weight. Those with the disorder will never be satisfied with their achievements and will never feel thin enough.
"Those with exercise addiction have body dysmporphia. You feel fat and your self-esteem is tied to exercise," Eisenbarth said.
According to Meccico, other symptoms include dissatisfaction with athletic performance and severe mood swings -- especially anger and anxiety if exercise time is interrupted.
She said compulsive exercisers often justify the time spent working out with statements like "I'm just getting healthy" or "I'm in training."
She notes, though, many athletes in training are not addicted to exercise, and are careful to balance nutrition and exercise by eating an appropriate number of calories for the work they do.
Getting help
Meccico said compulsive exercise can lead to lower metabolism, mood swings, loss of bone density, early osteoporosis, stress fractures, stomach and digestive problems, low blood pressure, dehydration and all of the problems of an accompanying eating disorder.
There is a fine line between those who want to exercise every day and those who are addicted, Olpin said.
He said a person with a healthy attitude may say, "I've got to get my workout in," but those people will be OK missing it if they have a full schedule.
"Those who are addicted work (out) four to five hours a day, and it gets in the way of other social and family aspects. They're not balanced," he said.
"There is a continuum of severity. It can start out slowly and benign," Meccico warns. "It can go from walking and jogging to lose weight to overexercising."
Anorexia athletica is commonly overlooked, she said. Diagnosis requires a qualified team of professionals including a physician, psychotherapist, psychiatrist and dietitian.
"Once diagnosed, this treatment team addresses the medical, nutritional and emotional components to promote recovery."
She said high school and college athletes often need an exercise physiologist to help them develop an appropriate exercise regimen.
"It's a difficult recovery due to the pressures of required athletic performance if the individual is a training athlete and also due to the pressures of our society regarding body image, fitness and performance. ... It's a difficult treatment, but it is possible to treat and recover."
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