The Exercise Addiction Workbook: Information, Assessments, and Tools for Managing Life with a Behavioral Addiction

Exercise is excellent for everyone! However, it can be dangerous to one's health and well-being when it becomes an obsession. Some people are consumed with physical fitness and exercise. They display some or all the traits below, like those addicted to food, gambling, gaming, love and relationships, risky behavior, sex, shopping, technology, work, and substances.

TRAITS

- Obsession.

- Inability to cut back or stop.

- Dishonesty about the amount of exercise.

- Perseverance despite problems in personal relationships.

- Continuation of the behavior despite knowing it is way too much.

- Constant engagement in the behavior even though it may be causing physical harm.

Exercise causes the release of certain chemicals in the nervous system that create a sense of pleasure or reward. Because of this reaction, people become addicted to the pleasure response they gain from exercising. They then go to extreme lengths to duplicate the pleasure response from

exercising.

People who feel extreme pressure to stay in shape, both self-imposed and from external sources, are at risk of developing an addiction to exercise. People who are overweight and set out on an extreme weight loss regimen may also be at risk of exercise addiction. Part of the problem arises because exercise addiction is not easy to diagnose. Most people addicted to exercise do not see anything wrong with their behavior. They believe they are doing something to take care of themselves. The constant preoccupation

with exercising and working out can be a behavioral addiction that can be effectively treated using a range of cognitive and behavioral therapies.

Ester R.A. Leutenberg has worked in the mental health field for many years as a publisher, author, and advocate for those suffering from loss. She personally experienced a devastating loss when her son Mitchell, after struggling with a mental illness for eight years, died by suicide in 1986. Soon after, as a way of both healing and helping others, Ester co-founded Wellness Reproductions & Publishing with her daughter Kathy Khalsa and began developing therapeutic products that help facilitators help their clients.

John J. Liptak, EdD has many years of experience in providing counseling services to individuals and groups in a variety of settings including job training programs, correctional institutions, colleges, and universities. In addition, John has years of teaching experience as an adjunct professor at Radford University. John frequently conducts workshops on assessment-related topics. He has written three books on career-related topics. His books have been featured in numerous newspapers including The Washington Post, and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. His work has also been featured on MSNBC, CNN Radio, and on the PAX/ION television series, "Success without a College Degree."