I just read an interesting article which talks about the possibility of becoming addicted to the "runner's high" and to exercise in general. I've read before that exercise releases those good feeling chemicals in our brain known as endorphins. This is particularly well known amongst runners because the longer they run, the higher the chance they will experience a runner's high which gives them their second wind.
While the study was not performed on humans (it was conducted on rats), it seemed that the rats which exercised and given Naloxone (a drug used to counteract an opiate overdose and produce immediate withdrawal symptoms), had a much higher level of withdrawal symptoms.
The overall conclusion seemed to be:
"Exercise, like drugs of abuse, leads to the release of neurotransmitters such as endorphins and dopamine, which are involved with a sense of reward," Kanarek said. "As with food intake and other parts of life, moderation seems to be the key. Exercise, as long as it doesn't interfere with other aspects of one's life, is a good thing with respect to both physical and mental health." [Source: msnbc.com]
Is it possible that we can become addicted to exercise as well? I do believe exercise leaves you feeling great but I would hardly compare it to an addiction. However, I am sure there are others out there who have taken exercise to the extreme.
What is your opinion on this?
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Absolutely! In fact, I think runners are notorious for it. Most die-hard runners I know would do just about anything to avoid missing a run day.
I’m not a runner but I definitely get a “high” off of exercising. I don’t think there’s a big deal with it as long as you don’t overtrain. Exercise can also be a “gateway” drug. Look at circuit training, cross training and decathletes. If you’re gonna be strung out on something, it might as well be something that can only help you (other than moderation). I guess in this case it’s okay to be a “recreational user”.
I remember back in 2003-2004 I did not miss even a single day at gym. No matter what rain, thunder, hailstorms, sickness…I used to workout everyday without fail. This was until I got a job and that broke my routine. I then started missing gym and that lead to my depression. I couldn’t concentrate on my work because I was too worried about my health and I don’t know what but I started feeling low all the time. After 2004 I could never return to a disciplined routine. There was a time when I didnt exercise for about an year.
Now I do regular workout. I cycle and run but whenever I miss even single day I feel bad. I can’t say whether I have felt runners’ high or not but I am addicted to exercise. I my whole day is ruined if I dont work out.
It is a difficult thing to explain. I just love it when my body is all wet with the sweat after long running and it is definitely a feel good factor for me.
There’s no doubt about it for me, exercise is addictive! And in a positive way too! It’s not like I go cold turkey when I’m not exercising, as might be the case when an addcit withdraws from drugs, but I certainly feel a release of tension during exercise that I crave when I’m not able to get to the gym.
I personally love to run. There is not doubt that a “runner’s high” definitely occurs after the fact, but I don’t think it is necessarily physically addicting. I do however think that exercising can be addicting especially to those with eating disorders.
This is true. I was addicted to exercising too much almost three years ago. I wouldn’t eat at all, and I would come home from school and work out for four hours or more at a time. I would sleep a lot more so my body would recover from the intensity, but then work out again and again. I would punish myself from eating something and either work out longer and harder, or just throw it up. I was addicted to working out so much I became anorexic. After I got pregnant, I got back to a healthier weight. But the addiction has gone away from working out to now being obsessed with how fat I am compared to how I was. It sucks.