Substituting Addiction

Has it ever crossed your mind that you could be substituting one addiction for another?  Consider what would happen if you were addicted to compliments from others.  Would you purchase more new clothing?  Would you have more dinner parties? Would you work out even more?

Exercise addiction is a growing problem.  It is an acceptable form of mental illness because you "are doing it to be healthy".  This idea is referenced in previous posts I have done on orthorexia, addiction to health foods that leave you undernourished.

So what does our society think about this addiction?  Well, I can say that we only really think about it if we see a male or female that is clearly too think overworking it at the gym.  But what if you look "normal" and yet you spend more time there than you do sleeping per week or at home? 

Is it a problem if you body is breaking down from all of the wear and tear and yet the physical therapy is frustrating because you can only do low impact exercises below the waist?  My point is that we substitute addictions to drugs, alcohol, or food for the socially acceptable activities like shopping and in this case exercise.  And worse, we praise those we know for losing the weight, looking better than ever, and really making a life change.

Fast forward 10 years.  Osteoporosis, bum knees, deteriorating muscle tone, and more than likely some kind of vascular accident be it heart attack or stroke because the one thing that wasn't managed was appropriate diet and rest.  Who has time for that, I have to get to the gym!

Avoiding Exercise Addiction