Since I was a little girl, I have loved to play, watch, practice, eat, sleep, and breathe baseball. I literally became obsessed with practicing and trying to become perfect at the sport.
In the winter, I would throw a tennis ball up against the basement wall for hours on end to practice fielding as I was a starting shortstop. That is, until my poor mother had enough and would kindly ask me to call it a day.
Come early springtime, before team practices began, I would use a racquetball (which is extremely bouncy and unpredictable) and throw it at the side of our townhouse against the brick wall to practice fielding. In fact, I would continue this type of practice even after the season started on the days I wasn’t playing or practicing with my teammates.
Unfortunately for me, it was usually not for hours on end because the brick wall was on our neighbor’s side of the building, and she did not have as much patience as my mom. Furthermore, I would play on as many teams as possible, such as:
- Little League
- Travel Teams
- All-Star Teams
- Junior high school team
- High School Varsity team
- Other local city’s leagues that would come pick me up to play on their teams
- Pick up neighborhood games.
Once I got to high school, I took weight training and exercise classes as my electives. After school during the off-season, I would be in the gym training even more so as to get in tip-top shape before the next season began.
Recently, I started to do weight training again and watched other members perform CrossFit at the gym. It looks very intriguing, yet I must be mindful of how I approach these workouts because I tend to overdo things.
The Guardian shares, “But, as with anything extreme (not to mention addictive), Crossfit is steeped in controversy. Some declare the inevitable machismo associated with workouts that leave people floor-bound, sometimes vomiting, both ridiculous and unsafe. Controversy hit a peak when women were reported to be ‘working out so hard they wet themselves,’ prompting a debate over whether this was stress urinary incontinence worsened by Crossfit’s intense regime or just the result of a weak pelvic floor completely unrelated to Crossfit and best tackled by other means. There’s some anecdotal evidence, however, that overuse injuries are not uncommon amongst Crossfitters and an unobservant or undertrained coach could cause members more harm than good,”.
Always be sure to work with professionals whenever doing unfamiliar types of training!
What is the most addictive workout?
In junior high, I played on every sports team I could, including softball, volleyball, swimming, and track, where I competed in three events: 50-yard hurdles, 100-yard hurdles, and the two-mile relay. I would have gone on to compete in track in high school, but softball season was at the same time.
After high school and during college, I played in so many pickup leagues all summer long and in the fall, as well. I moved to the outfield as I was a lot faster than most of the older folks on my teams. This is when the injuries started to happen.
Although, injury or not, I kept on playing through the pain regardless of what my body’s condition was. I finally had to hang up my cleats, so to speak, in my late forties as my body was thoroughly beaten; I could no longer throw or run anymore because my knees and shoulders were shot.
You might have guessed by now that maybe I had a wee bit of an addiction to any sport or exercise.
According to a research article by Healthline, “Exercise addiction isn’t a formal diagnosis, but some people may use the phrase to refer to a compulsive urge to work out intensely and frequently despite possible adverse consequences.
Based on a clinical definition of addiction and the criteria used in the DSM-5-TR to assess behavioral addictions, like gambling, these symptoms may be possible:
- persistent and intense exercising habits that lead to impairment or distress
- unsuccessful attempts to reduce the intensity or frequency of exercising
- irritability or other mood changes when not able to work out
- recurrent preoccupation (persistent thoughts) related to working out
- tendency to lean on exercise to manage stress and other emotional states
- relationships, school, work, or self-care are often in jeopardy because of exercise-related habits
- inability or difficulty reducing or stopping exercise despite negative experiences or consequences like sports injuries or muscular pain
- hiding frequency or intensity of exercise habits or events from others
- Based on a clinical definition of addiction and the criteria used in the DSM-5-TR to assess behavioral addictions, like gambling, these symptoms may be possible:
- persistent and intense exercising habits that lead to impairment or distress
- unsuccessful attempts to reduce the intensity or frequency of exercising
- irritability or other mood changes when not able to work out
- recurrent preoccupation (persistent thoughts) related to working out
- tendency to lean on exercise to manage stress and other emotional states
- relationships, school, work, or self-care are often in jeopardy because of exercise-related habits
- inability or difficulty reducing or stopping exercise despite negative experiences or consequences like sports injuries or muscular pain
- hiding frequency or intensity of exercise habits or events from others
- irritability, anxiety, or low mood when you can’t work out
- difficulty or inability to stop working out even if you have an injury, pain, or other physical limitations,”.
What hormone is released during exercise?
Cleveland Clinic explains that, “Endorphins are chemicals (hormones) your body releases when it feels pain or stress. They’re released during pleasurable activities such as exercise, massage, eating, and sex too. Endorphins help relieve pain, reduce stress and improve your sense of well-being.
Endorphins are created in your pituitary gland and hypothalamus, both located in the brain. Endorphins are a type of neurotransmitter, or messenger in your body. They attach to your brain’s reward centers (opioid receptors) and carry signals across your nervous system,”.
Well, that explains how some people like me can get addicted to exercising! While baseball was maybe not an actual addiction, I am certain that I was addicted to the rush of endorphins produced by making a great play and receiving praise from the fans.
Also, those same endorphins were produced when I ran track, especially long-distance running. I can remember on the last leg of the race how my body would be numb all over, and when I would push through, my legs seemed to run even faster.
What is exercise addiction
In conclusion, although passion for fitness can be empowering, it’s important to recognize when dedication turns into compulsion—balance is key to a healthy relationship with exercise.