How does excess exercise affect us psychologically?

Sport and any moderate physical activity is recommended for all ages. In Western societies there are too many cases of sedentary people, and the best remedy to prevent diseases associated with lack of exercise is precisely to move.

However, far from popular belief, more exercise doesn't have to be better. There is a limit, and this turns out to be difficult to discern, although the problems that it can pose for physical and mental health are serious enough not to ignore them

Next we will discover how a lifestyle characterized by excessive physical activity affects us emotionally and behaviorally.

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How does excess physical activity affect us psychologically?

Sport is often seen as a good health habit. And it is, without abusing. The frequent practice of physical activity is something very positive for our health, recommended to practically all ages and it has always been seen as a protective factor against all kinds of diseases, especially bone and cardiovascular diseases. Sport, combined with a good diet, prevents the appearance of overweight and obesity, medical conditions that increase all kinds of pathologies.

But not only positively affects physical health, but also being physically active is associated with greater psychological well-being. While the claim that sport cures depression It is disproportionate, it is known that physical exercise is a protective factor against psychological problems such as depression, anxiety or stress. In addition, it has been seen that people who perform sports frequently have a higher cognitive performance, with better concentration, attention and memory.

However, not everything is so positive. One thing is regular practice and another, very different, is suffering from an addiction to sports, a condition in which an overly active lifestyle is led, to the point that it conditions not only the physical health, increasing the risk of injury, but can also negatively affect health mental. Addictions never bring anything good, and exercise is no exception.

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The psychological risks of sport

As we were commenting, physical activity has been associated with benefits for physical and mental health. Although there are some physical risks with regular sport, such as dehydration and injuries, these injuries physical activities are less likely to play sports than the many medical and psychological problems associated with leading a totally sedentary. Inactivity can lead to weight gain, cardiovascular disease, and other medical conditions associated with poor health and reduced well-being.

One of the possible causes behind leading a sedentary or very inactive lifestyle can be having a mental disorder, especially depression, a mental condition that among its symptoms are lack of motivation and loss of interest in activities that were previously pleasant. There are few cases of people who have fallen into a depression and who have completely abandoned their sports hobbies.

However, it turns out that there is also the risk of playing too much sport, affecting psychologically in a different way compared to not doing any physical activity but in a way almost as severe or worse. No matter how much a protective factor that sport may be for mental health, if this physical activity is taken to the extreme it becomes itself itself a risk factor, increasing the possibility of suffering from depression and anxiety disorders, especially among athletes professionals.

There are many examples of professional athletes who show how an overly active lifestyle affects us psychologically. Although it must be said that it is not entirely fair to use them as an example as a warning to non-professionals, they do show very well what happens when sport has become constant in a person's life and has become too much priority.

The most famous and recent example that comes to mind is the case of Simone Biles. There is no doubt that this Olympic gymnast is physically fit, but due to having been subjected to a lot of pressure and very hard training she has seen herself forced to put her mental health before her professional career, something that has helped other athletes to take a break themselves too. In addition, the case of Biles, along with others like Naomi Osaka, have served to destigmatize mental health problems in the sports world.

A case long before them was that of Michael Phelps. This Olympic swimmer had made public his problems with depression associated with an extremely strict sports career with practically every aspect of his life. Phelps shared his psychological discomfort several years after the competitions, taking advantage of the fact that he was free from the neutrality imposed in the Olympic Games with his participants.

Others were not so lucky, such as the German footballer Robert Enke, who despite having a successful life in the sports world ended his life by throwing himself on the tracks of a train in 2009. Jeret Peterson, an Olympic acrobatic ski athlete, committed suicide just a year after winning the silver medal at the Vancouver Winter Games (2010). Dave Mirra, the greatest athlete in the history of freestyle BMX, killed him in 2016, suffering from depression related to chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

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Chronic traumatic encephalopathy

We can't talk about the risks of having an overly active lifestyle without mentioning chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Also called boxing dementia, it is about a neurological condition in which, due to multiple impacts to the head, the brain is damaged and all kinds of emotional and cognitive symptoms are present:

• Trouble thinking
• Impulsive behavior and substance abuse.
• Emotional instability: depression, anger, sudden mood swings.
• Aggressiveness
• Short-term memory loss
• Planning problems.
• Emotional instability.
• Suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
• Generalized apathy: lack of expressiveness and emotional interest.
• Clumsiness, slowness, stiffness, coordination problems ...

In fairness, this disease doesn't necessarily have to be caused by an overly active lifestyle. Some people who are victims of abuse or who have suffered a car accident suffer from this problem, but it is especially common among practitioners of contact sports, such as martial arts or soccer. If these sports are practiced very regularly and on top of that the adequate measures are not taken to avoid brain damage, there is the possibility of suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

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Sports addiction

One risk associated with excessive physical activity but receiving little attention is exercise addiction, undervalued by many and viewed as a virtue by so many others. It is believed that this particular addiction affects 3% of the world's population to a greater or lesser extent and that supposes problems at a psychological level for individuals who, physically, are healthy. Since people with it are barely able to stop exercising, they are at risk of suffering from physical problems over time, such as ligament wear, broken bones, or sprains

Scientific research has shown that exercise addiction, like any other compulsive behavior, is sustained by its mood-enhancing effects. These effects range from being able to manage anxiety a bit to reducing the effects of anger, depression and boredom.

Physically, sport has a double effect: on the one hand improves muscular strength and aerobic condition and, on the other, physical appearance. Psychologically, it maintains a good mood and increases self-esteem not only by looking better, but also because the person feels proud of himself for have remained consistent and have not failed along the way to have been consistent and disciplined by following a regular exercise regimen.

Then there is the social factor. In the Western world, the male and female beauty canons privilege people who exercise over those who don't. Although men are asked to be muscular and women to be thin, in both genders, after have done constant exercise for a season and notice the results, you get all kinds of compliments. Otherwise, this is getting fat, you would not receive any flattery and most likely you would receive criticism, some of it very cruel, camouflaged under concerns for your health.

And it is precisely because of this that, when a person is seen with an addiction to physical exercise, Far from wondering if there is a problem, it is considered a benchmark of effort, perseverance and Health. Exercise addicts, far from being criticized for their social environment or giving them a hint about the need to rest, are praised for their dedication or their appearance by friends, family, coaches, teammates, and even media like social media. This validation and attention only reinforces the efforts of the exercise addict.

People who are addicted to exercise may be addicted to a second or even third addiction such as tobacco, alcohol, drugs, work, food, or sex. Among them may also be addiction to steroids and other substances to increase muscle mass. Regardless, comorbidity with other addictions increases the severity of sports addiction.

Some studies have linked eating disorders and caffeine and shopping addiction to exercise addiction. The addictive consumption of caffeine would be related to a desire to increase physical performance, taking it taking pills or drinking large amounts of coffee or tea, a practice that is not so uncommon among athletes. As caffeine is a substance that generates tolerance and dependence, the person would require more and more amounts to notice its enhancing effects.

As for eating disorders, one of the explanations would be the obsession with achieving the desired sporting goals, both related to strength and to the body. Both men and women can fall into dynamics of obsession with what they eat, rejecting any foods that come out of your diet that seem like it could push you away from your goals sports Vigorexia, especially in men, would be the meeting point between exercise addiction and an eating disorder.

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How can you tell if a person has an exercise addiction?

Determining if a person is addicted to exercise or has an overly active lifestyle is the task of doctors and psychologists specialized in sports. From doors to the outside, it is difficult to know if someone is going with the sport, as it will depend on many factors, including whether feel good doing it, if he is suffering injuries caused by overusing exercise or if there is some kind of mental disorder that empower. What general signs that a person might have an exercise addiction we have the following:

• Exercising vigorously daily and at excessive levels
• Exercising despite being injured or suffering from illness
• Needing more and more exercise in order to feel good about yourself
• If the desired amount of exercise is not performed, the affected person feels frustrated and in a very bad mood
• The mood of the affected person depends almost exclusively on how much exercise per day he performs
• Not taking days or weeks of physical rest for fear of losing the progress made
• Continue with a vigorous exercise plan despite the negative consequences on social relationships and work and academic obligations.

Although it is still little known, there is increasing awareness about sports addiction and how an overly active lifestyle affects us psychologically. Thanks to this, it has been possible to develop diagnostic and screening tools such as the Exercise Addiction inventory Short Form, a six-question questionnaire that determines whether a person is at risk for an exercise addiction physical.

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Conclusions.

Although the practice of physical exercise is usually recommended, its abuse can lead to various psychological problems caused directly or indirectly by the practice of it. Either due to the pressure of the exercise itself as if it is receiving impacts on the skull, especially among professional athletes, various psychological problems such as depression, anxiety or stress can occur, in addition to mood swings and suicidal ideation.

In some cases, leading an overly active lifestyle ends up evolving into an addiction to sports that is may be combined with other addictions, both substance and behavioral, and conduct disorders food. The abusive practice of sport, far from being socially condemned, can be encouraged, making the person who is addicted to physical activity not consider stopping but just the opposite, continue exercising more and with greater intensity to receive more social recognition, a powerful reinforcement that can further strengthen the addiction.