Exercise is vital to any weight loss program and for maintaining a healthy body, but at what point does it become an unhealthy problem and potential addiction?

Eating right and getting regular exercise are known to be vital to any weight loss program.  Many people looking to get healthy and lose weight in the New Year will be turning to exercise and healthier foods.  But for a small amount of the population, exercise can actually become an addiction.  According to Psychology Today, approximately 3 percent of the population suffers from exercise addiction and their strive for physical fitness may actually do more harm than good.  Exercise addiction can be described as an unhealthy obsession with physical fitness and exercise, and can often be a result of similar disorders like eating and body image disorders.   Symptoms of exercise addiction are very similar to symptoms of other addictions, such as “obsessing over the behavior, engaging in the behavior even though it’s causing physical harm, engaging in the behavior despite wanting to stop, and engaging in the behavior in secret” (source: healthline).

How Does Someone Become Addicted to Exercise?

Exercise addiction can begin with someone who simply has a desire for better physical fitness but can become out of control when they become dependent on it.  Individuals who suffer from eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, or those with body dysmorphic disorder may be more likely to become addicted to exercise as well.  Exercise addiction can also be found in distance and endurance athletes such as marathon runners, triathletes and others who run for long miles many days a week.  Exercise releases endorphins and dopamine, which are also known as feel-good hormones. These are the same neurotransmitters released during drug use. An exercise addict feels reward and joy when exercising. When they stop exercising, the neurotransmitters go away. An addict has to exercise more to trigger the chemical release (source: healthline).  The need to increase exercise to reach the high leads to an addiction. 

Psychology Today explains exercise addiction as the following: “In a nutshell, exercise addiction is an overzealous pursuit of physical activity persisted in despite physical, emotional, and social consequences. Its symptoms are similar to those of any addiction, except the drug of choice in this case is fitness”. They list seven possible symptoms of exercise addiction.  Individuals can suffer from any or all symptoms to be considered suffering from addiction, but the more symptoms noticed the higher likelihood of an actual addiction versus an exercise enthusiast:

1. Tolerance: Needing more and more of the initial activity to achieve sought-after effects (for example, the “runner’s high” or an endorphin rush).
2. Withdrawal: Feelings of anxiety, fatigue, irritability, or other unenjoyable emotional and physical experiences on days when one is unable to workout as planned.
3. Intention Effect: Repeatedly exceeding planned-upon limits to the amount of time spent exercising.
4. Lack of Control: Experiencing one’s physical activity habits as difficult or impossible to keep at manageable levels.
5. Time: Far more time is spent exercising than is recommended by medical or fitness professionals and planning, engaging in, or recovering from physical activity consumes a noticeably large portion of one’s days and weeks.
6. Reductions in Other Activities: Social, work-related, and leisure endeavors are sidelined to prioritize fitness—often, to the detriment of one’s emotional and interpersonal wellbeing.
7. Continuance: One persists in physical activity despite illness, injury, negative psychological outcomes, or medical advice to taper down or take a break. (Retrieved from: Psychology Today)

How to Tell if Someone is Addicted to Exercise or just an Enthusiast

Ian Cockerill, a sports psychologist at the University of Birmingham, England, puts it very simply; “Healthy exercisers organize their exercise around their lives, whereas dependents organize their lives around their exercise” (Retrieved from webmd).  If an individual enjoys exercise and seems to work out a lot but doesn’t exhibit any of the seven symptoms above (or maybe just one or two), then he or she is likely an enthusiast or avid exerciser and not necessarily addicted to exercise.  Once behavior is exhibited similar to addictions of other forms (i.e. drugs, alcohol or eating disorders), then the individual is more likely suffering from an exercise addiction.  Exercise addiction is not only dangerous mentally but can also be dangerous physically–as exercise increases so does the risk of injury.  Many exercise addicts will continue to work out during injury or illness which sets them up for dangerous long term physical effects.  

How to Overcome Exercise Addiction

Currently, exercise addiction is not a classifiable mental illness that can be diagnosed or treated with medication.  Additionally, many individuals who suffer from exercise addiction don’t see it as an addiction because it is perceived as a healthy behavior.  But even healthy behaviors can be taken overboard and become potentially damaging or unhealthy if they become an addiction.  If an individual is suffering from an exercise addiction, most experts recommend self control as a means to help overcome exercise addiction.  It is possible that an individual will need to take a break from exercise (temporarily) to help get control over the urges to exercise and the feelings of needing to excessively exercise each day.

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Do you struggle with burnout while working from home during the pandemic? Here are a few strategies to get through the work week without feeling completely exhausted.

Work From Home Burnout

The past year has seen many changes.  Many Americans have moved from working in an office space to working from home, and with this change comes many new challenges.  As the months roll on, people are feeling a sense of burnout and exhaustion, not only from COVID-19 fatigue but from working from home and the pressures that go along with it. According to Muse, “Work-from-home burnout happens when people can’t separate their work life and their home life, says Andrew Schwehm, a licensed clinical psychologist with Alma, a network of mental health providers, who also works at Bellevue Hospital in New York City and teaches at NYU School of Medicine. People are having an especially hard time separating the two during the pandemic when they’re working and living in one space”.  With many shelter in place or stay home recommendations being extended around the world, getting out is hard to do and many people feel very stuck.  So what can we do about this burnout?  With some simple strategies and tips, you can help avoid major exhaustion and complete burnout.

Symptoms of Burnout

Webmd describes symptoms of work from home burnout as any of the following:

• Lack of enthusiasm

• Irritability and impatience

• Changes in attitude-becoming cynical especially

• Lack of interest in anything

• Being easily distracted

• Lack of productivity

• Using alcohol or other substances to cope

Work from home burnout can also lead to feelings of depression and apathy, especially as the pandemic wears on.  The feelings of hopelessness are real and many who work from home can feel a sense of no end to their feelings.  Signs and symptoms can vary depending on a person’s living arrangement-whether they live in the city or suburbs, have a family and children or live alone, or have pets.  But regardless of a variance in these feelings they are very real and extremely important to recognize so that you can address them and make improvements for the sake of your health.  According to SureFiz trainer Jenn Ryan, there are some steps you can take for your health and wellness to prevent or improve your feelings of work from home burnout.

• Set Boundaries: It can feel like you never have a break from the workday when you work from home.  There is no separation of the office and the sanctity of home.  One client stated that she felt like she worked from 8AM to 9PM and she only works an average of 5-6 hours a day.  With the many obligations of life-from spouse to kids to pets to laundry and housework, the juggling of all things leads to feeling like there can never be a break.  If you work on setting some boundaries between work and home, working within a certain part of the day and enjoying home life during other hours, you can create a sense of separation between the job and home life.

• Prioritize Your Health: Many times when we reach burnout, health and fitness is the first thing that goes.  Right now, making our health a priority is more important than ever.  Working out and focusing on fitness doesn’t have to be a huge time commitment or even a trip to the gym.  Working out from home is simple and easy to squeeze in when you have some time.  A 30 minute workout is better than no workout and whenever you can fit it into your day is beneficial to general health.  Your mind and body will thank you.  Many people also report that they feel rejuvenated, more ready to tackle daily tasks and accomplish goals after a workout. 

• Get More Sleep: It may feel easier to work late into the night hours to finish a task but it’s important to remember that the tasks will be there for you when you wake up.  Regularly “burning the midnight oil” will lead to further exhaustion in the coming days and create a cycle that can be hard to get out of.  Getting adequate sleep is incredibly important for body and mind recovery, for minimizing anxiety and helping with energy reserves.  Getting to bed at a decent hour will help you wake up more energized, which will lead to better productivity during your work day.

• Take Breaks and Get Out: When you feel yourself lagging or lacking motivation, it’s okay to take a break to clear your mind.  Take a walk, get outside for some fresh air, or even take a short drive if the weather isn’t accommodating in the winter months.  A change of scenery can refresh your mind and spirit so that when you return to the home office you can be ready to get back to your daily work tasks. 

• Do Something You Enjoy: If you had a hobby before the pandemic and you stopped doing it, pick it back up.  You might find that it fills your spirit and soul in the ways you need!  Not sure about what you would enjoy?  Playing an instrument, singing, dancing, even coloring, drawing or journaling can all be done at home and can be relaxing activities that give you a sense of enjoyment and fulfillment in these hard times.  

• Talk to Someone: Working from home during this pandemic can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness, and with many socialization activities out in public closed or limited, it can be much harder to connect with those you care about.  Be sure to make the effort to reach out to friends and family to talk out your feelings.  Sharing with others will help take away the burden and you may find that you aren’t the only one suffering from burnout at home and that others are in the same place.  Even if you can’t be in person, calling on the phone or setting up a video chat to connect with loved ones can help refill your tank and is good for the soul. 

The job may not get easier, the pandemic may not be over quickly and we all may be working from home for a while longer-if not permanently.  But we can all get through this together and work to avoid the inevitable burnout that can occur from at home working.  Even if you already feel some or all of these symptoms of burnout, you can reverse the effects by setting up some of these strategies to protect yourself from long term effects and damage on your body and mind.  You need to take care of yourself to remain healthy and strong, in order for you to be productive at home and work for many years to come.  

Fasted Cardio has become a buzzword in recent years in the fitness world, but what is it really? And can it be part of an effective weight loss routine?  Overall, a simple definition of fasted cardio is a cardiovascular exercise that increases your heart rate sufficiently after depriving the body of food for longer than 8-12 hours. Most often this involves a first thing in the morning workout, as that is commonly when people skip meals for this length of time.  Many athletes and avid gym-goers use this technique to increase their potential fat burning capacity.  

What Does Science Say About Fasted Cardio?

The concept behind fasted cardio has to do with fuel storage.  When a person has fasted overnight, the body doesn’t have fast energy (food) or quick reserves ready to go.  Because of this, the metabolic system has to tap into fat storage in the body, and supporters believe that this leads to higher fat burn and overall weight loss.  But what does science say?  According to Women’s Health, “a meta-analysis from 2018 found that eating before a workout helps people perform aerobic work for longer than in a fasted state, though skipping a snack pre-workout could potentially have some metabolic advantages”.  Other studies have found similar results and led to some inconclusive answers for those seeking fasted cardio in their weight loss.  Brad Schoenfeld, PhD, C.S.C.S, a graduate program director of human performance and fitness at Lehman College states that an “important note to consider is how your body uses fat.  First, there’s fat oxidation,which means actually burning fat.  And then there’s fat breakdown, where fatty acids get released from fat cells and then move throughout the body.  It’s questionable whether fasted cardio actually works to burn more fat, even if it does break it down.  And those fatty acids are just returned back to fat cells for storage”. 

What Does This Mean for a Workout?

One thing to keep in mind is the variability of workouts.  A short, 30 minute elliptical session needs a lot less fuel than a 20 mile marathon training run.  Trying to fast before cardio with a long training session ahead could lead to low performance, lack of energy and endurance or even digestive disturbances if too much depletion happens too fast.  And many people find it to be very exhausting.  It can be hard to put full effort forward in any routine when the fuel tank is running on fumes.  

There are people on both sides of the fence when it comes to fasted cardio.  Some love it, some hate it.  With inconclusive evidence proving that it actually aids in overall fat loss, the bottom line is to go with what works for you.  There are people who simply cannot have food in their stomach before a workout due to stomach sensitivity, so in those cases trainers recommend eating at least 1-2 hours before a workout.  This gives the body adequate time to process and breakdown the foods eaten without causing gastrointestinal distress.  The calorie amount depends on the length and intensity of the workout, but in general a small meal or snack consisting of 1-200 calories will suffice.  Some good pre-workout snacks could be a banana, a small piece of wheat toast with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter, 1 cup of grapes, a small handful of almonds, etc.  These foods all fill the body with necessary nutrients and give the body enough fuel to power through a tough workout session.  

Weight loss programs, trends and diets can be challenging to understand, especially with how much information is available.  SureFiz can help!  Our intuitive weight loss program can help you with goal setting, redirect your path with our “GPS of weight management”, and give you advice along the way! Be sure to check us out  and join our SureFiz team to see your results grow and weight loss success happen!