Friday, 03 June 2016 00:00

Are You Addicted to Exercising?

You've been trying hard to keep up an active lifestyle for weight management or simply for your overall health but did you know that there is a difference between being a very active person and actually being addicted to exercising? It's true! This can occur at the beginning of a new type of workout or it may continue over the longer term.

While some people can become addicted to cardio, others might be addicted to strength training, weight lifting, a specific exercise or simply exercising in general.

The following are some signs that you might be addicted to exercise:

• Although you like being active, you absolutely love a certain specific workout or exercise and you may even start skipping other types of activity so that you can get back to the ones you love. Skipping out on other forms of workout you know your body needs and that you do actually enjoy can be a sign that you are addicted to a certain type of physical activity, particularly if this keeps up over time and isn't just the result of the novelty "honeymoon" phase of the workout.

• You've designed nearly – or all – of your regular activity around this one specific type of workout. If you are weight lifting regularly, for example, can you remember the last time you did cardio as much as you know you should? Or if you run all the time, have you done so to the extent that you aren't doing any other kind of workout?

• When you force yourself to take a break from this activity, it can feel as though an eternity is going by before you can permit yourself to get back to it. While you're taking the day off, you might find that your motivation is low, you're fatigued, or you have a case of the blues.

• You're continually checking yourself out in the mirror and are judging what you see based on the results of your workouts. Have you stopped looking at hair, makeup or overall fitness and are more focused on specific muscle gains?

• When you do notice new results, you feel as though you've won the lottery. It's one thing to be happy and proud of yourself, it's another thing to be happier with your new running time than you were about the birth of your children.

• You can't remember the last day that went by without muscle twitches.

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