One in 10 runners (and nearly half of all triathletes) are at risk for mental and physical effects resulting from exercise addiction. This is according to a new book on the subject published last month.
Exercise is good for the mind and body. But obsessive exercise can have reverse effects.
As covered in “The Haywire Heart,” a new book by VeloPress, evidence shows that “going too hard or too long can damage your heart forever.”
There are also mental-health risks. When exercise addicts seek mental health counseling, there is often an underlying issue that drives the addiction, the book states. These include depression, anxiety, vocational dysfunction, relationship disharmony, and/or psychosomatic problems.
Exercise Addiction Quiz
Are you an addict? Take the below quiz, the Exercise Addiction Inventory. It was developed by Mark Griffiths, a psychologist from Nottingham Trent University who specializes in addictive behavior.
Consider sharing the quiz with your friends to make sure their relationship with sports is a healthy one.
Are You At Risk?
According to the book, to be considered at risk one must score at or above 24 out of 30 points on the quiz.
It claims 10 percent of fast runners and 20-40 percent of triathletes are exercise addicts.
Read The Haywire Heart for a perspective on exercise addiction and for a full description of how athletes can prepare to talk to doctors about the possible heart conditions that may accompany an addiction to exercise.
–Republished from “The Haywire Heart,” by Chris Case, Dr. John Mandrola, and Lennard Zinn. Learn more at velopress.com/haywire.
