If you look at the vast majority of exercise advice you’ll find online, it’s all targeted towards people who don’t want to do it. The focus is all on getting your motivation right, finding an exercise that doesn’t bore you or just making yourself do it. All necessary, of course – it’s something that people struggle with. But if you’re already an exercise fanatic, then it can feel a little bit like preaching to the converted.
As a signed up member of the “exercise is great” club, you probably don’t need so much guidance. Not when it comes to getting you into a gym, anyway. However, no one is the finished article, and while it’s okay to love exercise… you might be in danger of loving it too much.
While nowhere near comparable to the perils of not exercising enough, exercising too much isn’t so good for your body either. Not only can it land you in a world of pain, but you can also find yourself suffering an injury that means you can’t exercise at all for weeks on end. Why deny yourself the pleasure of your daily workout, just because your self-restraint had a moment where it didn’t apply itself as thoroughly as it could have?
If you’re assuming this doesn’t apply to you, then you might be wrong. Here are the signs that you’ve gone too far and your love of exercise is threatening to become something far more sinister: addiction.
Sign: You Cancel Plans To Go To The Gym
Obviously, if those plans involve something you don’t want to do in the first place… then more power to you.
But if you’re canceling plans that you would otherwise find enjoyable, then you might have a problem. Having a rounded life is important. If you let yourself focus too hard on one aspect – in this case, with exercise – then you’re eventually going to find things become very dull and repetitive.
If you find yourself canceling plans that you had actively been looking forward to once upon a time, then you really need to be cautious. It might be a healthy addiction on the face of it, but generally, no form of addictive behavior is “healthy” – not mentally, at least.
Sign: You’re Hurt (But You’re Exercising The Same Anyway)
First and foremost, don’t exercise through an injury. It’s bad for you on so many levels, not least what it reveals about your mental state.
There are ways and means of coping with an injury you’ve sustained through exercise. The most common of these is a stress fracture, a bone break caused not by a single catastrophic incident but repetitive motion over time. If this happens to you, then be smart. Follow the lines of AlgaeCal testimonials and help your bones to strengthen and heal; talk to a doctor for advice; switch to low-impact exercises like swimming rather than the more impactful running. You don’t have to grind to a halt because you’re hurt; but you do have to make adjustments.
Sign: You’re Reading This and Thinking “That’d Never Apply To Me”
Don’t be so dismissive. One thing that addicts are excellent at is deluding themselves into thinking they’re fine. Take serious stock of your routine and habits and answer honestly. If you find them at fault, then scale back your routine for awhile to give you the chance to assess.
