The potential causes and possible treatment of exercise addiction
Unquestionably, physical activity complements the quality of life for an individual, while exercising on a regular basis results in many benefits. Nevertheless despite the great benefit of sport, many experts commonly agree that physical activity may be harmful. One of the unfavourable areas within sport, which is frequently examined by researchers, is exercise addiction. The predominance of exercise addiction is quite rare in reality, but when present conflicting consequences can be calamitous (De Coverley Veale, 1987; Szabo, 2007).
Szabo (1998) proposed that those addicted to exercise will experience a more compelling withdrawal than dedicated exercisers. A comprehensive manner to distinguish between both sets of individuals may be through the actions and intentions for exercise of the individuals. Exercise addiction between an athlete which is healthy and an exercise addict may be sharing very similar levels of training; the difference is the mental approach and attitude taken by each individual. The individual addicted to exercise is unable to see the real value in unnecessary exercise and is resolute in pursuing his sport despite it being against his best interest.
The definition of exercise addiction is complemented by six common symptoms of exercise addiction: mood modification, salience, withdrawal symptoms, relapse, tolerance and personal conflict (Brown, 1993; Griffiths, 2005).
Exercise behavior is the study of theories which work to explain actions and phenomenon’s that occur when looking at peoples perspectives of exercise. One overall theory called The Transtheoretical model (TTM), includes elements from “across a variety of theories and models behavior, some of which are social-cognitive in nature and some of which are not” (79). The TTM describes five stages of behavior change: Precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance. By using TTM as the base of multiple theories, a greater picture of exercise behavior is created to understand how individuals become interested and continue to make a life style that involves normal exercise.
There are a wide array of benefits aligned with physical activity and exercise. Exercising can impact a person’s mood and psychological personality as well as improve their immune system and overall wellbeing. Throughout the essay, the psychological benefits of exercise, the benefits of exercise on the human body and the recommended level of physical activity for an average sized adult will be investigated and explained. Exercise is a vital aspect of a person’s daily regime and should be included within all lifestyles.
Critically Analyse the Research Findings on the Acute and Chronic Effects of Exercise on Anxiety and Depression
The term "exercise", has been used interchangeably with “physical activity” (Taylor, 1983). Physical exercise implies a regular, structured, leisure-time pursuit (Salmon, 2001). The overwhelming evidence confirms that exercises contribute to mood improvement (Salmon, 2001). As for the definition of depression, it is a psychological state and mental disorder associated with feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and sometimes loss of interest in interaction with people or the activities that the person like (Landers, 1997).
Objectives: The main goal of this study is to further investigate exercise-related and self-reported exercise attitude of individuals suffer from alcohol use disorders (AUD) that are getting treated. There will be a completion of the questionnaire battery which should take approximately 25-30 minutes.
To reach peak performance athletes, tend to ignore pain because they feel they need to continue to train. This often leads to incomplete recovery from injuries and illnesses. In addition, during training athletes may also control their body weight using extreme methods. Studies have been done where they see these actions in young athletes. Taking part in sport-specific risky behaviours at a young age can lead to chronic physical damages or lasting psychological problems. This may be eating disorders or depression that will affect their health and athletic performance in the future. This is because at the young age one is not physically nor psychologically mature to know what is good or bad. They look to others and want to perform just like
While the research of Blumenthal et al. (2007) focused on exercise being effective in reducing self-reported depressive symptoms, Diaz and Motta (2008) and Motta, Kuligowski, and Marino (2010) looked at the positive effects of exercise on depression, anxiety and PTSD. The theory of exercise’s positive effect on mental health has heavily been focused on
All types of addictions should be looked at from a philosophical and psychological point of view. Those in the fields of neuroscience, psychology and philosophy often compare their views to show the similarities of addictions whether they be substance induced or behavioral. “Behavioral science experts believe that all entities capable of stimulating a person can be addictive; and whenever a habit changes into an obligation, it can be considered as addiction” (Alaghemandan et al 290). Some addictions can affect people physically. Caffeine and nicotine provide prime examples. The body’s physical state becomes dependent on its effects and causes withdrawal symptoms without use. One of the main differences in behavioral and substance addictions is that behavioral addictions have no apparent physiological or physical withdrawal symptoms. It is not the physical body that is addicted, but the feeling that one gets mentally. The physical body is only affected by the
Exercise dependency can have similar effects, as it also works on the limbic system, otherwise a dependency would not develop. Exercise, however, relies on the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus to release endorphins once glycogen stores are depleted. This could be why exercise dependence is more prevalent in aerobic athletes such as runners or triathletes. Essentially, the endorphins work in the same way as
People are addicted to drugs for many reasons, whether it is the result of an unfortunate childhood, peer pressure, lack of self-discipline, or the guilt of being an addict. Most people begin to experiment with drugs in their early teens and college life. Once an addiction consumes their lives, they are no longer able to function productively on a daily basis; therefore, they turn to a life of crime to support their habit. Family members of drug addicts struggle with how to maintain a relationship with them without supporting their addiction. Once a person becomes addicted, it leaves no room in their life for anything or anyone else to influence them. If an addict wants to have a successful rehabilitation, they must admit they have a problem. One successful method of rehabilitation is to replace the high from drugs with a natural high released by endorphins from exercise.
General recommendations are now widely accepted as to the general advantages of exercise in terms of physical health, such as its ability to prevent weight gain, coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and osteoporosis.14 It appears that health promotion schemes have shied away from extolling exercise’s psychological benefits. After all, there is no government campaign, no public policy initiative, which pontificates exercise on account of a concern for mental wellbeing. Although many people would identify that exercise has a positive influence on mood state, it appears that, generally speaking, this is regarded as a positive correlation, rather than a causal relationship. The ‘healthy body, healthy mind’ concept is thus, for many, a heuristic utopia, rather than a scientifically proven
The benefits of physical exercise in humans far outweighs the harmful effects associated with exercise. A prescription of physical activity has been known to delay the onset or prevention of many chronic diseases. An improvement in heart function, lower blood pressure and improve functional capacity is noticed after just a few weeks of exercising. Physical activity will also result in an increase of lean muscle mass, promote weight maintenance, increased flexibility, and a generally stronger more fit individual. Conversely, exercise when preformed strenuously or obsessively can counteract such positive effects, bringing up some issues like oxidative stresses, injuries, and
Exercise is one of the most important factors in a persons’ life. Physical activity, or the lack of it, can result in a person having a healthy life or cause them to have diabetes. The benefits of exercise are countless. The positive health results, the improvement in attitude, even better academic performance are all factors which make not exercising inexcusable.
People are trapped in drug addiction due to various reasons. Some will try to take drugs because of curiosity. Some have many people and friends take drugs, and some want to have the experience. Athletes take drugs with the aim of improving their performance as well as to reduce certain problems. i.e. depression, stress, or anxiety. The use of drugs does not lead to drug addiction automatically. It is not possible to measure the level at which the use of drugs may be regarded as casual or even problematic. It depends on the individual. Drug addiction is not determined by the amount of drugs consumed or the many times they are consumed, but the consequences brought about by the drug addiction. This means that irrespective of
Adding exercises into one’s daily routines can change their whole lifestyle. Many people look at exercise as being something just for people who want to lose weight or to become muscle bound, but there are a great deal of benefits that can be received from exercising regularly. Of course gaining muscle and losing fat are the two most popular reasons that usually attract people to the gym, but they make up a small part of the potential benefits that can be achieved with exercise. There are several ways in which I have benefited in my life from exercising regularly, besides just making me bigger and stronger. It has made me become more organized, helped me make better decisions, and motivated me to take on new challenges in life.