Adapted... However a really good read.
We
are all familiar with the benefits of exercise, but overdoing it can
yield some pretty debilitating results, especially on one’s social life.
This writer shares how her
addiction to exercise nearly ruined her vacation.
IT
was freezing in peaceful Jeju island – a popular vacation spot in South
Korea known for its natural sights and beaches – when this writer set
foot there a few months ago.
Drenched
from the evening rain, I had been shaking like a leaf despite being
wrapped up in a long black coat and shawl. It was so cold that my
fingers were numb. Inside, however,
I was seething with raging unease. It had been nearly a week since I
hit the gym, and my body was threatening to explode from pent-up
frustration.
“I
would rather not eat or sleep than to not exercise” – a recalcitrant,
if silly stand I have reiterated on my Facebook timeline every now and
again. Yet, eating and sleeping
was all I did in between stopovers at commercial touristy destinations
during my 11-day bus tour across the south of Korea.
It
was springtime when the boyfriend and I set out for our Korean retreat.
We began our journey in Seoul, and had stayed in different hotels
across the country for every night
throughout our trip. That meant having to wake up at 6am every morning
to pack and prepare for the day’s trip.
I
had planned on going jogging at night, but was often too exhausted from
the tour’s activities, which typically ended at 10pm. Plus, the frigid
cold in places like Mount Sorak
and Jeju island left the prospect of running outdoors entirely out of
the question.
Most
of the hotels we stayed in didn’t have a gym either. I did bring a jump
rope with me, but the cramped hotel facilities diminished whatever
possibility of me having a good
workout.
It
was around day five when I started to notice that my triceps were
losing their definition. I was frantic. It was only a matter of time
before the rest of me swelled into
a big, blubbery balloon. I was getting fat, fat, fat, fat, fat, and I
was losing it.
I
tried to make up for the lack of physical activity by eating as little
as I possibly could throughout my trip, but for most of it, I was also
moody, grumpy, and constantly
lashing out at my boyfriend for no good reason.
It
wasn’t until my usually mild-mannered other (and better) half
threatened to buy me a ticket on the next flight home, halfway into our
trip, that it hit me: maybe I was taking
my preoccupation with exercise a little too far.
I have been an avid gym-goer for years, but never have I imagined that exercise would start to take over my life.
According to
the American Running Association, when the commitment to exercise
crosses the line to dependency and compulsion, it can create a physical,
social and psychological quagmire
for the avid exerciser. The phenomenon typically plagues runners.
My
fitness regime has taught me patience, perseverance, discipline and
determination, and has since transformed me from a bumbling fat kid into
a self-assured, confident woman
– so how could something so good be bad for me?
It turns out that even the sacred domain of exercise is not exempt from the “too much of a good thing” rationale.
We
are all familiar with the benefits of exercise – weight loss, better
health, better sleep, and so on – but overdoing it can yield some pretty
debilitating results.
According
to the American Running Association, when the commitment to exercise
crosses the line to dependency and compulsion, it can create a physical,
social and psychological
quagmire for the avid exerciser. The phenomenon typically plagues
runners.
As
Richard Benyo, an American journalist and veteran distance runner
writes on the subject in the Road Runners Club of America: “The exercise
addict has lost his balance: Exercise
has become overvalued compared to elements widely recognised as giving
meaning in a full life – work, friends, family, community involvement –
in short, the fruits of our humanity.”
To
the addict, more is always more – more training, more hours, more
mileage, more intensity. Anything that comes in between them and
exercise is immediately resented.
Signs
of addiction include withdrawal symptoms like anxiety, irritability and
depression when one’s circumstances prevents one from working out.
Uh-oh.
Sounds like we have a problem. Personally, I don’t run and I am not one
for outdoor adventures (I work out on the elliptical trainer and I
cycle), but I have been known
to miss out on dinner dates and movie nights with my boyfriend and
friends just so I could have a good workout at the gym.
But
exercise addiction, like any other addiction, can cost you more than
just a night out with popcorn. To quote Benyo again: “The obsession
bites back in the form of chronic
injuries, impaired relationships and other problems.”
Frankly,
I am getting a little paranoid. Have I been overdoing it? I had after
all, been a wet blanket for most of my trip in South Korea because I
just couldn’t stand NOT exercising
(I usually exercise up to five times in a week).
I
am still in my 20s, and already, I have been experiencing knee problems
due to my bad form while cycling and from attempting barbell squats.
Osteoarthritis,
the lesser-known but equally malignant cousin of osteoporosis, is
another probable consequence of exercise addiction.
Osteoarthritis
is a common joint disorder, which is usually due to aging, and wear and
tear on a joint. There are no conclusive findings on the correlation
between osteoarthritis
and exercising to date; what is clear, however, is that osteoarthritis
can be caused by trauma to, or overuse of the joints.
According to the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association,
“People who engaged in sports or other physically demanding
activities are known to be at an increased risk of osteoarthritis in
the joints they use most (eg knees and hips in soccer players, and hands
in boxers).
“Part
of this apparent correlation can be explained by increased risk of
joint injury. It would also seem logical that these groups would be
predisposed to osteoarthritis from
overuse injuries, and not necessarily from trauma.”
My
colleague and self-professed outdoor enthusiast Leong Siok Hui, relates
how constant and strenous physical activities has resulted in the
wearing-and-tearing of her knee
cartilage.
Leong
is only 41, but she already requires knee surgery. Years of mountain
climbing, running and cycling constantly have resulted in the
deterioration of her knee joints, she
shares.
She
also has patella maltracking, a condition in which the patella does not
remain within the central groove of the femur (thigh bone), and that
has exacerbated the wearing
down of her knees.
She
is currently undergoing stem cell regeneration treatment for her knees.
She misses the “runner’s high”, and still tries to fit in low-impact
exercises, such as working out
on the elliptical trainer, into her routine.
“This,” she says, pointing to her knees, “should not be a reason to stop exercising.”
So
why push so hard? It is a question that exercise addicts get asked a
lot. I am not an athlete. I have no performance goals. I don’t even run
marathons. So why try?
I
wish I knew. During a more recent trip to Shanghai, I woke up at 4am
just to hit the hotel gym to burn off the chocolate cake I had for
dessert. That session did leave me
quite dizzy, and I am grateful that I didn’t pass out.
I
recently took up CrossFit and the workouts-of-the-day (WODs) have not
been kind to my body either. Movements like the “clean”, the “snatch”,
and kettlebell swings have given
me a sore back, a sore neck and bruises across the length of my legs,
and I’ve only been at it for about a month.
What’s in it for me? I really don’t know. I just want to be good at it, and I am far from giving up.
For
what it’s worth, at least my pursuit for fitness has served as a rather
effective anger management mechanism, and has kept me sane through many
a bad day at work. Also,
the world just seems a little less crappy when I’m working out, and I
plan to continue doing this for as long as I breathe.
The
remedy for this addiction is pretty obvious – just cut back on
exercise, d’oh. But try telling Homer Simpson to cut down on his
doughnuts, and you’ll see that it’s easier
said than done.
The
American Running Association suggests that exercise addicts should try
to change the emphasis of their exercise from quantity (meaning that
more isn’t always better) to
quality. For instance, you can try engaging in 30-minutes of interval
training, rather than an hour of low-intensity training.
Try
talking to an experienced personal trainer, and get him or her to plan
out your workouts on a weekly basis. Draw a seven-day schedule, planning
frequency, intensity, time
and type of exercise with specific, reasonable goals relative to your
abilities.
Very
importantly, stick to your programme, and make sure that rest and
recovery are given equal emphasis as they are essential in any
well-balanced training programme.
Again,
the above is easier said than done. I often feel like biting the heads
off imaginary puppies on days when I’m not working out, but it’s better
to be safe than sorry.
If I have to force myself to take a day off exercise, so be it.
I
am currently working on cutting down exercising from five to four days a
week. There is no point in pushing myself to exhaustion all the time,
only to end up with a series
of injuries. I want to be 60, and still rocking my six-pack abs.
Being addicted to exercise is hard, especially when you’re living in a population where 20% are reportedly obese.
As
if being addicted to exercise doesn’t do enough to alienate me from
family and friends, I have recently taken on the Paleo Diet, which is
based on this simple premise – if
the cavemen didn’t eat it, then you shouldn’t either.
Essentially,
the Paleo Diet cuts out processed foods like grain products, legumes
and dairy, and comprises mostly of meat, poultry, fish and veggies.
Understandably, I have been preparing most of my own meals since.
My
colleagues make faces at my steamed chicken breast and vegetables, and
my McDonalds-loving boyfriend thinks I’m crazy, but I think it’s worth
it. I have gained nearly 3kg
of muscle mass in just a few months and my skin feels less oily than
before.
I
turn 21 (again!) this weekend and I have told my mum not to get me a
cake. But perhaps I really ought to give this health and fitness thing a
break. After all, it is my birthday,
and surely a tiny slice (or five) of moist chocolate cake wouldn’t
hurt...
And when it hits my thighs, I can always burn it off at the gym.
n Fiona Ho is a fitness enthusiast and a newly certified personal trainer by the American Council on Exercise (ACE). Her current
interests include CrossFit and RPM classes.
