Compulsive Exercise Flashcards
Non-compulsive exercise
- Government/Medical guidelines
- Athletes
- “Normal” activity levels may vary from person to person
2 Main reasons to compulsively exercise
- as a form of compensation for bad eating habits
2. as an extreme for goal setting
Effects of exercise on brain
- increases the hippocampus which is involved in memory and learning
- gets oxygen to the brain
exercise and depression
- Releasing feel-good brain chemicals that may ease depression (neurotransmitters and endorphins)
- Reducing immune system chemicals that can worsen depression
- Increasing body temperature, which may have calming effects
- Gain confidence by achieving goals
- Feel better about your body and appearance
- Take your mind off worries
- Exercise is a distraction that can get you away from the cycle of negative thoughts that feed anxiety and depression.
- Get more social interaction.
- Doing something positive to manage anxiety or depression is a healthy coping strategy (appropriate self-regulation).
History of exercise
- Paleolithic humans did not need gyms
- Civilizations = less activity
- Industrialization = less activity
- Exercise science
- Our food environment has increased our need for exercise even more
- Tied to beauty/appearance
Compulsive Exercise
- Beyond the requirements for good health
- Exercises despite injury, illness
- Obsessive about weight and diet
- Work, school, relationships suffer
- Loses the fun of it all
- Define self-worth based on looks/performance
- Rarely/never satisfied with achievement
- Doesn’t savor victory
Three of the following
- I have missed important social obligations & family events in order to exercise.
- I have given up other interests, including time with friends, in order to make more time to work out.
- Missing a workout makes me irritable and depressed.
- I only feel content when I am exercising or within the hour after exercising.
- I like exercise more than sex, good food, or a movie. There’s almost nothing I’d rather do.
- I work out even if I’m sick, injured, or exhausted. I’ll feel better when I get moving anyway.
- In addition to my regular schedule, I’ll exercise more if I find extra time.
- Family and friends have told me I’m too involved in exercise.
- I have a history (or a family history) of anxiety or depression.
Negative Consequences
- Deterioration of personal relationships or failure at work or school
- Social withdrawal
- Insomnia, depression, and fatigue
- Muscular and skeletal injuries
- Amenorrhea, testosterone changes
- Physical performance deteriorates
- Increased risk for eating disorders
- Increased risk for abuse of “performance-enhancers”
Performance Enhancers
- Anabolic steroids
- Androstenedione
- Human growth hormone
- Erythropoietin
- Diuretics
- Creatine
- Stimulants
Anabolic steroids
Besides making muscles bigger, anabolic steroids may help athletes recover from a hard workout more quickly by reducing the muscle damage that occurs during the session.
Androstenedione
- a hormone produced by the adrenal glands, ovaries and testes
- normally converted to testosterone and estradiol in both men and women
- available legally only in prescription form, and is a controlled substance
- manufacturers and bodybuilding magazines tout its ability to allow athletes to train harder and recover more quickly
- its use as a performance-enhancing drug is illegal in the United States.
Human growth hormone
- pituitary produces hGH to stimulate growth in children and adolescents and to increase muscle mass in adults.
- Using hGH has been linked to a variety of medical conditions, including joint pain, muscle weakness, fluid retention, carpal tunnel syndrome, cardiomyopathy and hyperlipidemia
Erythropoietin
- increases red blood cell production without the need for transfusions
- increases the risk of events such as stroke, heart attack and pulmonary edema
- drug thickens the blood to the point where it produces fatal clots
Diuretics
- a way to mask steroid use.
- diuretics dilute urine, which decreases steroid concentration and makes it much more difficult to detect. -an athlete taking diuretics may also get dizzy, become dehydrated or experience a severe drop in blood pressure
Creatine
- boosting levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in muscle tissue
- benefit seems to be limited to short, high-energy bursts of muscle activity, not long, slow burns common in endurance athletes.
Stimulants
- Amphetamines
- drug can cause high blood pressure, dizziness, shortness of breath and cardiac arrhythmia.
Primary Compulsive Exercise
Motivation going in:
- Improving performance
- Getting supremely “cut”, “buff”
Healthy athletes
training for peak performance and competition can suffer overtraining symptoms, which are the short-term result of too little rest and recovery
addicts
- a chronic loss of perspective of the role of exercise in a full life
- the difference is in the attitude.
- addicted individual isn’t able to see value in unrelated activities and pursues her/his sport even when it is against her/his best interest
Running
Obligatory running
- Fear of fat
- Restricted diet
- Undue influence of body shape or weight on self-evaluation
- Personality characteristics common to eating disorder sufferers
Body Builders
- Drive for perfection and control over body
- Unusual eating habits
- Dangerous behaviors?
- Bouts of starvation, severe dehydration, performance enhancing substance use
Eating Disorders in Athletes
- Sports and body image satisfaction
- Unusual eating patterns socially acceptable in athletes
- Striving for very low body fat percentages
- 15-62% of college athletes show signs of disordered eating
Secondary Compulsive Exercise
Motivation:
- Losing weight or compensating for extra calories
- Adjunct to eating disorder
Intense fear of fat
Exercise bulimia, anorexia athletica, hypergymnasia
Link Between Starvation and Activity
- Rat wheel running
- Food restriction + excessive exercise = starvation
Compulsive Exercise as an Addiction
Tolerance- more and more exercise needed for positive effects
Withdrawal- depressed mood when prevented, only exercise and relieve this
Excessive intake- excessive exercise
Loss of control
Narrowing of behavioral repertoire- Sacrificing work, social life and family life to spend time exercising
Use continues despite problems-Exercise despite injuries and illnesses
Underregulation- Standard deficits
Conflicting standards:
- Health vs. obsession
- Elite athlete vs. unhealthy person
Underregulation- Monitoring failure
- Deindividuation - insensitivity to internal cues, decreased pain sensitivity
- Renegade attention - see exercise-related stimuli everywhere, more extrinsic motivation
Underregulation- Strength failure
Psychological Inertia- hard to stop once begun
Misregulation
Inadequate or wrong knowledge:
- No pain, no gain
- The more the better!
Trying to control the uncontrollable:
- Genetic influence over body types
- Are “those abilities” or is “that body” possible??
Spiraling Distress
Preoccupation/Anticipation- Thinking about the gym: wishing you were there instead of in class
Binge/Intoxication-In the “zone”
Withdrawal/Negative Affect-Depressed mood, anxious when not exercising
