SPORTS ADDICTIONS (EXERCISE DEPENDENCE)

In modern sports science, it is customary to distinguish between sports for health (what was previously called physical culture) and sports of the highest achievements (professional). In addition, today there are so-called extreme sports, which are gaining more and more popularity these days, especially among the young and the so-called rich. It is elite sports and extreme sports that carry the greatest addictive potential.

In recent decades, publications devoted to sports have appeared in Western literature. addiction or addiction exercise. Exercise addiction, as is known and noted by many, was first mentioned by P. Baekeland ( Baekeland, 1970) when he examined the effect of exercise deprivation on sleep patterns. Subsequently, the concept of exercise addiction was popularized and developed by M. Sachs and D. Pargman (Sachs, Pargman, 1984), who coined the term "running addiction" ( running addiction). The authors described a peculiar withdrawal syndrome that develops during running deprivation: anxiety, tension, irritability, muscle twitching, etc. A number of scientists, explaining the occurrence of exercise addiction, put forward the following psychophysiological explanations, combined into the thermogenic, catecholamine and endorphin hypotheses.

The thermogenic hypothesis suggests that exercise increases body temperature, reducing muscle tone and somatic anxiety.

The catecholamine and endorphin hypotheses are in line with modern views on the neurophysiological and neuropharmacological nature of the emergence of all chemical dependencies.

Speaking about the characteristics of exercise addiction, sometimes there are two of its forms: primary and secondary - arising on the basis of food addiction (eatingdisorder). In primary exercise addiction, the physical activity itself is the object of addiction. On the contrary, with secondary exercise addiction, the overwhelming motivation for physical activity is associated with the need to lose weight or change one's own figure. American scientists were able to identify two criteria, which they defined as impaired functioning and withdrawal symptoms, which manifest themselves either in the form of a hostile reaction to stopping training or an inability to control the volume of exercise. The criterion for impairment of functioning can be manifested in four areas: (a) mental, (b) social or occupational, (c) physical, and (d) behavioral.

A characteristic feature of the lives of people suffering from exercise addiction is a distortion of the normal routine and way of life. All their activities revolve around constant training, they lack the strength and energy to communicate with loved ones and other matters (social sphere), they continue to train despite injuries and doctor’s prohibitions (physical sphere). In addition, their training is highly stereotyped and must be repeated in a strictly planned order and volume (behavioral sphere). Impaired functioning in the mental sphere is manifested in the inability to concentrate on any activity due to constant thoughts about training.

In addition to running, in modern literature there are descriptions of clinical cases of the occurrence of sports addiction when practicing various sports, especially: martial arts, weightlifting and athletics, bodybuilding, etc. Addiction has also been identified in people involved in sports for health. For women, there is a direct relationship between the number of hours per week devoted to sports and the risk of developing addiction. However, running (50%), general physical activity (27.7%) and weightlifting (7.8%) were most often studied for the occurrence of sports addiction. Other sports were largely ignored.

Of the psychological characteristics of sports addicts, emotional coldness, callousness, and a tendency toward perfectionism attract attention. Indicators such as increased neuroticism, psychoticism, hypomania and impulsivity, as well as low levels of extraversion, are noted.

Let us summarize the behavioral and personal characteristics of a sports addict.

Researchers have long noted that intensive sports often constituted a sports addiction, which later turned into a substitution addiction. (laddiction de replacement) in the form of surfactant consumption. This is preceded by an inevitable loss of status at the end of a career, which the athlete is unable to accept, decreased self-esteem, and depression. Moreover, the higher the level of the athlete, the more vulnerable he is and the more likely he is to become a chemical addict. Termination of a sports career is synonymous with a total loss of oneself, followed by a painful separation and a possible fall into a social vacuum and addiction. Meanwhile, a number of experts question the existence of exercise addiction as a primary and independent type of addiction. They indicate the frequent coexistence of cravings for excessive exercise and various food addictions. Based on this, it is suggested that exercise addiction may in many ways only be an expression of an underlying food addiction.

American and French psychiatrists and psychologists studied female athletes. They noted that those female athletes who presumably showed signs of primary exercise addiction were, for the most part, not significantly different from female athletes in terms of mental abnormalities and personality profiles. In contrast, subjects with eating disorders, regardless of whether they had an exercise addiction, exhibited relatively high levels of mental disorders, neuroticism, dependence and impulsivity, lower self-esteem, greater preoccupation with body image and weight, and distorted beliefs about the consequences of not exercising. In the absence of food deviations, women considered dependent on training showed virtually no signs of pathology. However, some researchers believe that regular and even particularly intense exercise should not be considered in terms of binge drinking and addiction, even if it meets the clinical criteria for other addictions. It is obvious that compulsive sports activity acts as a regulator

moods. At the same time, it is impossible not to emphasize the role of sports, including extreme sports, in the prevention and rehabilitation of chemical dependence. The above-mentioned martial arts, which have a complex range of qualities necessary, for example, for a child to self-realize, self-affirm, and acquire their own views, are also offered as a sport as an alternative to addictive behavior. Other researchers offer sets of exercises developed on the basis of hatha yoga, including both physical and breathing exercises. Czech researcher K. Nespor emphasizes that exercise and yoga can be useful components of addiction prevention and treatment programs. The advantage of yoga is seen in the integration of physical exercise and relaxation techniques. At the same time, it is known that professional sports often increases the risk of addictive behavior. As for practicing currently popular extreme sports, it should, of course, be recognized that this is a possible way to create a socially acceptable form of addiction when carrying out preventive and rehabilitation work, and especially in children and adolescents with addictive behavior. In addition to purely neurochemical mechanisms (activation of the endogenous opioid system, release of catecholamines affecting the reward system), from a psychological point of view, “extreme” activities in young people lead to the formation of a sense of their own elitism, associated with both the technical difficulty of forming a motor skill and and with a real or illusory risk to the health and life of the athlete.

At the same time, it should be remembered that sports addiction, like any other addiction, can easily change its form and transform into another, including a chemical one. This is precisely what is associated with the high percentage of alcoholism and drug addiction among former athletes. Therefore, extreme sports can be recognized as an alternative to chemical dependence, but an alternative fraught with a certain danger.

In general, of course, sports addiction (exercise addiction) is a socially rewarded addiction and is defined as a multidimensional, maladaptive pattern of behavior in an athlete, leading to a clinically significant deterioration or illness, manifested in the form of three or more of the following symptoms:

intention tolerance - the need for an ever-increasing amount of training to achieve the desired effect or a weakening effect from the previous volume of training;
withdrawal symptoms (anxiety, fatigue), which require the usual (or even greater) amount of physical activity to eliminate;
intention effects - increased physical activity relative to the planned one;
loss of control - a persistent desire or unsuccessful attempts to reduce the volume of training or take control of it;
time - increasing the amount of time for activities necessary to obtain physical activity;
conflict - reduction of important activities aimed at communication, work or recreation because they interfere with the planned volume of training;
Duration - continuation of training, despite awareness of the physical or psychological problems that were caused or aggravated by them.

We often see how people, in an attempt to lose weight and get beautiful shapes, begin to cross the boundaries of reason, focusing their entire existence on diets and regular exercise. How to recognize the problem and solve it?

So, let’s define specific signs: for people obsessed with sports, the fear of missing a workout is so great that in order to maintain their usual routine, they are ready to come up with any reason to refuse other activities or entertainment, even to the point of not showing up to celebrate their own day birth. A classic sign of addiction is withdrawal syndrome when it is impossible to exercise for more than 36 hours. Anxiety, tension, discomfort, guilt, insomnia, apathy, sluggishness, headaches and even loss of appetite appear.

And yet: why does exercise addiction occur?

Like any other addiction, sports addiction is also based on physiological and psychological reasons. From a psychological point of view, this is, as a rule, satisfaction of one’s own ego, and is especially pronounced in people suffering from feelings of inferiority, in those who experienced psychological trauma in childhood. Improving their physical capabilities and new physical achievements help them achieve a sense of superiority. The physiological side of addiction is due to the fact that during physical activity the body produces a whole complex of hormones, for example, endorphin - the hormone of happiness, which is why after training the mood is usually elevated and a person experiences mental arousal. But training is also accompanied by the release of adrenaline, serotonin and testosterone, the concentration of which in the body increases several times during physical activity. It is these hormones that cause a whole storm of emotions, and in order to experience this elated mood, a person is ready to do anything, because some of these hormones, for example, the endomorphine group, have a pronounced narcotic effect and are addictive. Let us note that people with a certain mentality who are prone to any other types of addiction are “addicted” to sports: drug, sexual, alcohol, chemical, etc. If a person obsessed with sports for some reason stops going to the gym, he has addictions to gambling, drugs or cigarettes are often included, and in some cases diseases such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia and depression may develop. Sports addiction, like any other, can destroy a person in the literal sense of the word.

Exercise addiction is more common among young and middle-aged people - among athletes and people leading an active lifestyle. As shown by studies to identify exercise addiction among American college students where it is customary to play sports, it was found in 21.8% of students who trained 360 minutes or more per week. At the same time, only 3% of sports addicts were identified among people involved in sports unprofessionally.

So, according to researchers, increased sports loads stimulate the production of so-called pleasure hormones - endorphins and dopamine, i.e. biochemical changes occur in the brain similar to those seen with opiate drugs such as morphine or heroin. Typically, men start playing sports to become strong and agile, to be able to stand up for themselves, and women - in the hope of losing weight or maintaining a good figure. But even when the goal is achieved and the result is secured, physical education enthusiasts continue to pump, train, and run. On the one hand, this is not surprising: if you stop exercising, you will lose your shape and get fat. But, on the other hand, there is an even more compelling reason to continue training. And we are not always aware of it. Some athletes, both professional and amateur, admit that when playing sports they experience physical pleasure akin to ecstasy. If a person experiencing this stops exercising, they may feel unwell. He develops a feeling of physical discomfort, depression, and finally - sometimes he even gets sick. Many attribute this to the fact that they simply do not have the opportunity to keep themselves in shape as they are used to. In fact, avid athletes lack their usual “dose”! Those for whom exercise is part of a weight loss program are especially predisposed to such addiction. They usually combine exercise with diet. Experts call this condition “athletic anorexia.” At the same time, sports activities, which were initially used as a means of losing weight, become an uncontrollable need. A person very quickly brings himself to the stage of exhaustion, but can no longer stop. From early childhood, many of us were taught a simple truth: in order not to experience health problems, it is necessary not only to lead a healthy lifestyle (i.e., give up bad habits), but also to exercise regularly, or at least start every day with morning exercises. Nowadays, most people are not chasing health, but rather the beauty of their body, so it is not surprising that, in addition to a specific sport, fitness (in all its varieties), like aerobics once upon a time, attracts more and more people all over the planet, becoming a real the trend of fashion. As a rule, starting small - i.e. From regular jogging or basic exercises, many sports fans reasonably increase the load. And now yesterday’s runner is pushing multi-kilogram weights in the gym, trying to build muscle mass or lose extra pounds and trying to achieve the desired result as quickly as possible. However, such fanaticism for sports can result in serious physical and psychological dependence on daily training. In other words, after a while, lovers of the same fitness become sports addicts, of whom, for example, in Italy there are about 500 thousand people, and this figure is steadily growing.

So what explains and how is the notorious addiction to sports expressed? It’s all very simple: according to research, if, for example, a fitness enthusiast suddenly stops going to the gym, the parts of his brain that are responsible for the addiction to alcohol, cigarettes, gambling and computer games, but also the desire to use steroids and anabolic steroids, which, naturally, in no way adds to their health. Physical exercise and active sports are indeed a source of self-confidence and emotional stability, but, unfortunately, like any other addiction, addiction to sports is correlated with a number of mental pathologies, both severe and not so severe.

Where is the critical point beyond which fitness and sports not only do not contribute to the development and training of the body, but have a negative impact on it? For each person, this point comes at a different time. For example, most people can only dream of the endurance of Olympic triathlon athletes. Needless to say, not everyone is able to first swim 1.5 km, then ride a bike 40 km and run another 10 km. And without a rest break!

For some, the limit of the body’s physical capabilities is just an additional “pancake” on the barbell or a trip to the fitness center “beyond the program.”

Many people are so eager to get fit that it is sometimes difficult for them to slow down and take a break from their training program. However, if after playing sports, instead of a surge of energy, a person constantly feels tired and physically overworked, then this is a reason to be wary. Perhaps he overtrained, becoming a victim of physical overload.

To prevent overtraining from becoming pathological, it must be recognized in time. Here are the main signs:

decreased activity, fatigue;
coordination disorder;
it takes more time to recuperate;
rapid heartbeat in the morning;
increased blood pressure at rest;
headache;
loss of appetite;
muscle pain;
gastrointestinal disorders;
weakening of the immune system;
an increase in the number of injuries to the musculoskeletal system;
sleep disorders, insomnia.

Some of the signs are physiological in nature, but not only. Typically, physical activity and sports relieve stress and improve our well-being. However, overly intense activities and training have the opposite effect and can cause irritability, aggression, apathy and low self-esteem.

Another important point. It happens that overwork is caused not by physiological, but rather by psychological reasons. When a person spends hours exhausting himself in the gym, training with increased physical activity, then one can hardly talk about his desire to “improve his shape.” Rather, it's a real addiction. Training to the point of exhaustion, with the risk of injury, as well as a shift in values from the scale of “health, well-being” towards “sports” - all these are signs of real addiction. It is no coincidence that addiction to sports and fitness is recognized as the same real problem as eating disorders. But recognizing sports addiction is much more difficult. Regular overload can lead to serious mental and physical health problems. By locking themselves in the gym, people often risk their health.

Things to remember: P. Baekeland, running addiction, thermogenic, catecholamine, endorphin hypotheses, replacement addiction (laddiction de remplacement), compulsive sports activity, prevention, endorphin, athletic anorexia.

QUESTIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS FOR CHAPTER 11

1. What is sport for health and elite sport?
2. When did works devoted to sports addiction first appear?
3. What is running addiction and what are its symptoms?
4. What are the thermogenic, catecholamine, and endorphin hypotheses?
5. What are the characteristics of those suffering from exercise addiction?
6. Tell us about the psychological characteristics of sports addicts.
7. What are the behavioral and personality characteristics of sports addicts?
8. What is substitution addiction?
9. What does compulsive sports activity sometimes serve as?
10. Can extreme sports help in treating substance abuse?
11. Why does exercise addiction occur?
12. Explain the main signs of overtraining and their relationship to sports addiction.

Prevention (from late Lat. preventio- I’m ahead of you, I’m warning you; English, prevention)- prevention, prevention, prevention. For example, in law preventive measures are called preventive and other measures aimed at preventing crimes and other offenses.

Everyone knows about the beneficial properties of sports: regular physical activity increases vascular tone, improves skin condition, accelerates metabolism, and improves your figure. But few people think about the negative side of sports: this includes numerous injuries and even addiction to sports.

Sports addiction may have negative health consequences

Description of the problem

Sports addiction is a medical term used to describe addiction to sports. This dependence manifests itself in two cases:

It has been scientifically proven that during sports, the joy hormone is produced. Over time, the body gets used to the increased level of the hormone and requires a new dose. So exercise becomes a kind of drug.
Unfortunately, for many people, a harmless hobby for sports turns into a manic desire to pump up their entire body in the shortest possible time. Some spend 5 hours a day on sports equipment just to achieve an ideal figure.

People exhaust their bodies with endless workouts because they are unhappy with them. This is the inability to objectively evaluate your body, which leads to complexes and discomfort. People literally live in the gym, achieving their dream figure.

Exercise addiction (sports)

Symptoms

Sports addiction is the name given to regularly exhausting your body with training. This reduces overall health indicators. How can you tell if you have a sports addiction? Exercise addiction is an unhealthy quest for an ideal figure. The main symptoms of sports addiction:

craving for increasing strength exercises, even if this does not bring any results;
shame for missed workouts: if a person gets sick and couldn’t come to the workout, he will train hard at home or feel shame for the missed session;
spontaneous increase in loads and duration of training;
excessive physical activity: there are cases when people almost cannot stand the intensity, but still do not reduce the pace;
people obsessed with sports postpone or completely cancel all important meetings, be it a business trip or a walk with a loved one;
daily increase in training duration.

Excessive fatigue

Excessive fatigue or overtraining manifests itself in the following:

loss of strength, lethargy, decreased physical activity;
a person ceases to control his body and cannot always control it;
increased heart rate, possible pressure surges in the evening;
headaches, symptoms of vegetative-vascular dystonia;
disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract;
complete lack of appetite;
weakened immunity, the most common cold turns into a serious illness;
lack of healthy sleep, difficulty falling asleep, lack of a deep sleep phase - a person cannot restore his strength with inadequate sleep;
inability to restore vitality before the next trip to the gym: fatigue only accumulates, this is fraught with nervous breakdowns, depression and apathy.

If after your next workout you notice one of these symptoms, give your body time to recover. During the rest period, do not perform physical activity, eat regularly and do not neglect proper, healthy sleep.

Consequences of sports addiction

Excessive training accelerates aging and reduces the body's protective functions. Problems arise with the musculoskeletal system (arthritis, arthrosis, wear of spinal discs, wear of joints). And psychological changes also occur: increased irritability, sudden mood swings, short-term attacks of aggression are possible.

Due to the fact that overtraining causes loss of appetite, digestive problems such as anorexia and bulimia may develop.

Addiction with excessive loads is fraught with changes in hormonal levels; in girls, disruptions in the menstrual cycle are possible, which can lead to infertility.

Arthrosis is one of the consequences of addiction

Addiction treatment

In order for the fitness addiction to disappear, you must:

exclude all training from plans for the next two weeks;
follow a diet, food must contain the required amount of calories;
after a two-week rest, you need to walk daily, you can start with 25 minutes, this will increase vascular tone and improve the flow of oxygen to the brain and lungs;
after a while, change the walking to light jogging, lasting 30 minutes, it is important to make the transition smoothly, following the scheme: walking - race walking - light jogging - full jogging;

Today, many people take care of their health and play sports. All in all, . An important component of a healthy lifestyle is physical activity. It includes: playing sports in the morning... Today, many people give preference to fitness and the gym. Attending training becomes a necessity. This is definitely a good thing. After all, sport gives us an excellent figure and a good mood. But it turns out that not everything is so simple. Sports can also become an addiction. It should be noted that this is not a bad addiction. But still, moderation is good in everything.

Is there a fitness addiction?

Yes, sometimes. It differs from other addictions only in that it does not harm health. But it does have an effect on the psyche. You decided to work on your figure, went to the gym. It wasn't easy at first, but you made it through. As time passed, you began to enjoy your activities. Everything is fine! This is ideal. But some people begin to constantly think about training, increase their loads, and spend all their free time in the gym. Then they begin to look for minor flaws in the figure. They are constantly unhappy with themselves. After all, there is no limit to perfection. It's worth stopping and thinking here.

How to do fitness only with benefit?

Training should be fun. Choose the type of training that suits you, select the intensity and load individually. Set yourself a specific goal and move towards it.

You should not train more often or more intensely to achieve quick results. Moderation is good in everything. And the quick result quickly disappears.

Compare your achievements only with yourself, not with other people. If your friend lost 5 kilograms, and you only lost one, don’t worry. This does not mean that you work poorly, these are individual characteristics of the body.

Why is fitness addiction bad?

Because it's an addiction. You start thinking only about training, figure, results. Gradually, other areas of life fade into the background. You no longer strive to make a career or you don’t have enough time for your family.

May also suffer. Why did you start training more intensely? Because they are not happy with their figure. This reduces self-esteem and self-confidence.

You need to enjoy playing sports. There is no need to reach the point of fanaticism. Don't chase quick results, everything will come gradually. Lead a healthy lifestyle and be happy!

Walking past a bar on your way to the gym, you probably feel proud that you're not doing anything self-destructive (at least today). But wait a minute, half an hour later you're like a man possessed, shedding buckets of sweat on the treadmill and impatiently jumping from one machine to another - in pursuit of the thrill of exercise. This idea seems ridiculous, but for some men the desire to become faster, better, stronger gets out of control.

“If you only exercise for the post-exercise high, you may be part of the minority who suffer from an unhealthy fitness addiction,” says Paul Russell, a sports psychologist at the University of Bolton.

The theory that you can become addicted to exercise is called the sympathetic arousal hypothesis. When you push yourself in the gym or go on a run, your body is flooded with feel-good chemicals. These are the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine, and beta-endorphins, which dampen pain, reduce anxiety and give euphoria - light, like from a couple of glasses of wine. “In half an hour of intense aerobic exercise, the body will produce five times more beta-endorphins than in the same amount of time spent at rest,” Russell says. No wonder we want more and more.

The risk arises when addiction to substances that cause a rush of high occurs. “You have to constantly increase the intensity of physical activity in order to get more and more endorphins,” explains Attila Szabó, who lectures in the psychology of sport and fitness at the University of Pécs in Hungary.

At this decisive stage, the transformation of a healthy man into a dependent one occurs, as he begins to make increasingly unhealthy demands on himself. “You start skipping rest days and continue training even after injury,” says Szabo, “and this can lead to dangers such as stress fractures and joint and tendon damage.”

Michael Lopez, from Bournemouth, is well aware of these issues and is a self-described “gym junkie”. He became a personal trainer only because it gave him the opportunity to train while working, too. “I constantly try to increase the load, although I understand that this makes no sense,” he admits.

Unlike drug addiction or alcoholism, even if a person is compulsively drawn to exercise, he still needs motivation and self-discipline to exercise.

According to Russell, addiction is usually formed due to psychological problems. “These problems can be low self-esteem or over-motivation and self-importance,” he says.

Michael started training when he was still a skinny 18-year-old, but after a while he became obsessed with exercise equipment, and his addiction began to affect his relationships with people, as usually happens with drug addicts, alcoholics and gambling addicts. “I refused to spend a holiday with my girlfriend because I wanted to go to a sports camp, I missed other important events in her life due to my training. We broke up shortly after that,” he says.

For Mike, giving up a long-term relationship became an acceptable price to pay for staying in peak athletic condition. “My relationships with women now rarely last more than a few weeks,” he admits, “but that suits me because I know that I still won’t be able to give them as much attention as they would like.”

“To avoid going overboard, you need to be aware of when you start exercising too intensely,” Russell says. “If you increase your workload by 10% every week, you should reconsider your motivation.”

Limit your thirst for endorphins by adding flexibility exercises to your workouts, cross-training, and on some days just take a break from classes. "Don't just focus on aerobic or strength training," Russell advises again. “The most important thing is to constantly expose your body to both aerobic and anaerobic exercise so that you don’t develop an addiction to endorphins, which causes you to fall into the trap and start looking for a high again and again.”

It is quite possible to train and keep yourself in good shape without compromising your psyche, body and social life. “Everyone knows that moment at the end of a workout when the body is full of ‘pleasure chemicals,’” says Szabo. “It helps us stay motivated to exercise, and that’s completely normal.” Don't forget this when you lace up your sneakers before class.

Sheer pleasure and no “withdrawals”

Workout program for a healthy endorphin high. This program is offered by Jersey-based personal trainer Anna Somma. It is formulated to achieve optimal results with adequate rest, allowing you to control your training regimen. Weight training sessions should take no more than 20 minutes, but try to use heavy weights.

Monday

Cardio: 30 minutes
Exercises with weights: 20 minutes

1. Barbell chest press
3. Barbell Squats
4. Leg extensions
5. Leg Curl
6. Tricep Pulldown
10 minutes

Tuesday - rest

Wednesday

Cardio: 30 minutes
Exercises with weights: 20 minutes
Do the following exercises for two sets, 10–15 repetitions each:

1. Upper block pull
2. Pullover
3. Bent-over barbell row
4. Shoulder press
5. Dumbbell lateral raises
6. Curls with dumbbells or barbell
Exercises for abdominal muscles and stretching: 10 minutes

Thursday - rest

Friday

Cardio: 30 minutes
Exercises with weights: 20 minutes
Do the following exercises for two sets, 10–15 repetitions each:

1. Barbell chest press
2. Dumbbell flyes lying on an incline bench
3. Barbell Squats
4. Leg extensions
5. Leg Curl
6. Tricep Pulldown
Exercises for abdominal muscles and stretching: 10 minutes

Every self-respecting man in one way or another tries to keep his body in shape - he plays sports at home or, if he has time, goes to the gym. We have already said more than once that the main thing in this matter is not to overdo it, although we welcome great zeal and desire for success. But today the habit of going to workouts has begun to take on a dangerous trend. Already in 2012, 0.5% of the world's population became addicted to going to the gym. We think that this figure has now increased several times. We all need to know the signs of incipient addiction in order to prevent it in time and not let it destroy us.

How to know if you are addicted

The symptoms of addiction, according to professor of sports and psychology Clive Jones, are quite obvious - they are not difficult to recognize. The first and main sign is the obvious anxiety that you experience when you cannot get to the gym for a long time. Also prevalent is irritability, an inability to consider the importance of restoring the body after a series of grueling workouts. Sports activities come to the fore, completely controlling the emotions, behavior and thinking of the addicted athlete. This can also lead to big conflicts with loved ones, since an obsession with physical activity puts it in priority over family, personal life or work.

As in the relationship between a drug addict and a prohibited substance, an athlete develops tolerance for the gym. That is, each time, in order to achieve complete satisfaction from the workout, the load has to be increased. This is normal practice in sports in general, but you shouldn’t go too far. And reducing the load can cause withdrawal syndrome, which will lead to great discomfort, trembling in the whole body or some parts of it (can be compared to withdrawal symptoms), and changes. Therefore, when starting to exercise in the gym, remember these symptoms in order to stop them at the first stage.

Psychological and chemical effects

If in women the desire for an ideal body can cause a disorder such as anorexia, then in men dysmorphia often develops. This is a mental illness that is caused by excessive concern about not meeting the standards of a beautiful male body in society. A prime example of what this does to people is bodybuilding. According to Dr. Jones, as a rule, addiction to sports can be associated with low self-esteem, one's body, and also lack of self-confidence.

Another reason a person develops addiction is chemical substances. As you know, when playing sports, the body produces endorphins, which helps a person feel much happier. Plus, it helps to cope with stress, but when there is too much training, the trainee becomes dependent not only on them, but also on his happiness hormone, which he needs more and more, like a drug addict.

What addiction does to your body

Australian professor Aaron Coates says it is difficult to determine how much time a person needs to spend in the gym before they can be considered addicted. This number will be individual for everyone, and a greater tendency towards it is manifested in those who do endurance exercises. It is especially dangerous, even from a health point of view, to exercise every day without giving yourself proper rest. Also at risk of addiction are men who undertake heavy physical activity but do not combine it with diet and proper recovery.

The consequences of sports addiction may be as follows. Firstly, due to inadequate rest, which is almost non-existent, joints, bones and ligaments suffer, which at one point may not withstand. Secondly, in such extreme conditions the metabolism in the body may change, which is also not very good for you. There is also a high risk of hormonal imbalance, due to which hormones will no longer enter the body in the usual way and in the required quantity, which will lead to a decrease in testosterone levels and an increase in cortisol and estrogen. The latter, by the way, can cause your transformation into a female one. In addition, your immune system suffers - you will get sick more often and have a harder time enduring even the most common cold. And the loss of muscle mass that you are so eager to gain will not make you happy.

How to fix it

Of course, we are not talking about any magic pills, but if you follow some simple rules, it will help you. First, your carbohydrate intake must become adequate. This is the most accessible source of physical energy. Despite the fact that today one of the main trends in fitness is low-carb, you should not forget about them, leaving their usual portion in your diet.

The second thing you must do is change your thinking and behavior. This is where the fight against possible or already obvious addiction begins. To prove to yourself that this is not so, you must completely forget the way to the gym for a couple of weeks. And if you are going on vacation and are looking for a hotel where the hall will be located, stop doing this. It is this behavior that betrays your addiction.

It is also important to remember that, besides sports, there are many other things that can lift your mood and overcome your stress. Plus, it’s important to make sure that your good mood does not depend only on how well you pumped up your abs today or how many chest presses you did this time.

And one more thing you need to remember is the purpose for which you go to the gym. Naturally, many of us go there to keep our bodies in shape or get into shape. But we must set realistic goals that do not go beyond the limits, because of which we do not have to spend every day in the gym, striving for an unattainable ideal. You just need to remember that a beautiful body does not always mean a pumped one. It's time for us to reconsider these stereotypes.