What addiction is marked by a loss of control over exercise habits?

Exercise addiction is characterized by an unhealthy compulsion to engage in excessive physical activity, despite adverse consequences. Individuals with exercise addiction often experience a loss of control over their exercise habits, feeling unable to reduce the amount of time or intensity of their workouts even when it negatively impacts their physical health, emotional well-being, or social life.

This condition can manifest in several ways, including prioritizing exercise above all other activities, experiencing withdrawal symptoms when unable to work out, and engaging in extreme measures to maintain or increase exercise levels. Recognizing exercise addiction as distinct from other types of addictions, like food, alcohol, or drug addiction, is essential for developing effective treatment strategies. Each of those other types of addiction has its own specific set of behaviors and impacts that differ from the obsessiveness seen in exercise addiction.