Too much of a good thing
Seemingly healthy addictions…are still, well, addictions. I thought being addicted to physical activity was a pretty good thing - I’d even train using this mantra:
"Impossible is nothing. Impossible is just a big word thrown around
by small men who find it easier to live in a world that they have been
given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is
not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a decleration. It’s a
dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is
nothing"
- Adidas "Impossible is Nothing" campaign
Now if THAT doesn’t get you to push yourself, I don’t know what will (hmm, except of course for cringe energy, that always works)
Anyways, I’ve been sick since the weekend… and it’s already Thursday! Geez! I haven’t had ANY physical activity in six days (unless you count getting out of bed to turn the TV on and maybe get the remote control)! I’m about to go mad, I tell you! It seems the more days I go without any physical activity, the more cups of hot chocolate I drink - the more lampa I feel (read: I can feel the pounds piling on hahaha!). My fever has gone down, my cough and colds are starting to go away, and although I should feel better, it’s quite the opposite. I feel soooo…lethargic. It just kills me to see that it’s sunny outside, I don’t have work, and yet I can’t go into the yard and spend some quality time with my Dano (that’s the name Grace and Patty gave my ball).
I dread getting sick because the longer you stay down, the harder you’ll have to work when you get back. Stamina decreases in as little as a week’s inactivity. That’s one of the worst thoughts when you’re sick: knowing you’ll have
to start from scratch (or near it) when you’re all better. I’ve been
through that a lot, and believe-you-me, it is torture. It sucks to know
you were already nearing your peak (or maybe even at your peak) and
then all of a sudden, you’re back to gasping for breath less than two
minutes into your routine. This is why I remember hating long breaks back in college: the stamina level I had worked so hard to attain in, say, a month, would be gone in as little as a week’s worth of dvd marathons. But then again, I don’t train as hard any longer… (I miss it though)
I never gave it much thought before, now I realize that there is some truth to it - that yes, you can get addicted to your exercise habits. I decided to look it up and see if I was a candidate for such an addiction…
Getting High on Exercise
by Sueann Allen
Do you find that your moods vary according to your exercise
intensity? Is your workout your first priority, even at the expense of
other events in your life? Do you work out more than once daily, even
if injured?
If you can answer yes to these questions, you are one of many addicted to exercise.
Is
exercise an addiction? According to most research the answer is a
resounding yes! Research suggests that those who pursue intense,
high-endurance sports, such as running, cycling and swimming, exert
intensive stress on their bodies. In response to this stress they
produce addictive substances called Beta-endorphins.
Endorphins are hormones secreted by the pituitary gland
in response to physical stress. These hormones are known to block
pain, decrease appetite, decrease anxiety and induce feelings of
euphoria.
Does this sound familiar? It should. Endorphins are
chemically related to the drug morphine. Morphine is extremely
addicting. Morphine is a drug that relieves pain and produces euphoric
feelings. "Endorphin" actually means "endogenous
morphine." Endorphins and morphine both bind to the same chemical
receptors in the brain and produce similar responses.
During a long run, some runners gradually lose the
ability to feel pain and experience a thrill as their bodies are filled
with exhilarating energy. This is called a "runner’s high." Some
believe "runner’s high" is caused by the surge of endorphins distance
runners feel during a difficult workout.
Research shows that the better physically fit an athlete,
the more receptive the athlete is to endorphins. And as intensity and
duration of exercise increase, the concentration of endorphins released
also increases 1. This has two side effects; the athlete
experiences increased exposure to endorphins and becomes more addicted,
and the athlete can train harder because of the higher pain tolerance
and the increased energy granted by the endorphins.
Apart from athletic research, is there any other
supporting evidence for this theory? Yes. Researchers found that when
Beta-endorphins are injected into depressed patients, their moods
improve1. This indicates that endorphins enhance mood may be responsible for an athlete’s elevated mood during and after a workout.
There
are those unconvinced of the theory linking endorphin release to the
feelings of pleasure from exercise. These people argue that many
people experience the same feelings of euphoria from exercises such as
meditation and yoga. Neither of these exercises physically stresses
the body enough to produce an endorphin release. This leads many to
believe that the endorphin theory is false.
Those who have participated in intense physically
exerting sports will admit to the feelings of euphoria, increased pain
tolerance and decreased appetite that accompany this exercise. They
will usually admit to feeling addicted to their sport. Most of these
athletes readily accept the addiction theory because they have
experienced its effects first-hand. Although more research is in order
to confirm that endorphins are responsible for these effects, there is
strong evidence to suggest that exercise addicts are truly, physically
addicted to their exercise.
Hmm… come to think of it, what coach said (back in college) was true: we tend to get sick when we skip training, when we don’t play… and we’re at our best when we train regularly.
Allen’s article shows the good side, but this one is just plain freaky - the premise being exercise addiction in women is linked to manic depression.
… oh well, at least I’m not manic. Whew.
… I can’t wait to get back on track.
… I miss football. And Dano misses my long shots, I’m sure.
