Exercise is one of the best ways college students can take care of their mental and physical health. This adage has been pounded into students’ heads to the point of exhaustion. We all know that exercise is good for us and that we should be aiming for specific weekly amounts to optimize the benefits. We’ve certainly been warned that failing to meet regular exercise goals can lead to issues such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes, weakened immune system and greater chances of developing certain cancers.
Overexercising can pose an even greater threat. Exercise addiction (EA) is an informal diagnosis that occurs when individuals “lose control over their exercising habits and continue their regimen despite negative physical, psychological and social consequences,” according to the National Library of Medicine. The disorder is categorized by “exaggerated training, loss of control over exercise behaviour and negative life consequences.”
The disorder often stems from using exercise as a way to cope with or escape hardship. It could also be caused by failing to identify one’s limits correctly when striving for athletic achievement. Endurance athletes, especially distance runners and cyclists, have the highest rates of EA, according to the National Library of Medicine.
EA in itself is a physical consequence. The disorder is often characterized by chronic fatigue, constant muscle soreness, higher susceptibility to injury and infections and difficulty recovering from injury/sickness, as people with EA often continue to work out despite these afflictions. EA may also cause increased cortisol levels. Cortisol is a hormone released to help facilitate a slower, more prolonged stress response in the body. When levels are too high, it can result in higher blood sugar and pressure, weight gain in the face and body and weakened muscles– the exact effects people work out in order to avoid.
Many of the consequences associated with EA are emotional. The disorder has a massive relation to anxiety, depression and OCD. Among comorbid mental illnesses, eating disorders (such as anorexia and bulimia) are perhaps the most common. Research by Columbia University’s Department of Psychiatry shows that individuals with diagnosed eating disorders are 3.5 times more likely to develop exercise addiction than those without. In this case, working out is often used as a tool to control body image rather than to reap any health benefits.
Individuals exhibiting unhealthy nutrition and exercise patterns are often uninformed or purposefully ignorant of the facts around their practices. A basic metabolic rate is the amount of calories your body needs to maintain basic functions when completely at rest. It does not take into account the calories burned from working out or performing daily tasks. Some smart watches will track fitness to determine BMR and come up with daily calorie goals. You can also calculate this value yourself using a reliable BMR calculator, such as the one provided by the Cleveland Clinic. This is the absolute minimum amount of calories you should consume during a day.
True nutrition levels must account for activity levels. The average moderately active woman between ages 21-25 needs around 2,200 calories a day; men under the same conditions need about 2,800 calories. For more personalized goals, you can use calorie calculators, like the one offered by the Mayo Clinic.
Seeking credible advice on eating and exercise habits is critical. Social media provides a wealth of conflicting opinions waiting to be accepted as fact. Not only is this information inconsistent, but it also tends to reflect disordered habits. Many “fitness influencers” promote high activity, low fuel lifestyles disguised as “discipline,” using their drastic physical transformations as claims to credibility.
Viewers are prone to mirroring these harmful habits– especially uninformed ones. They forget that the root of this excessive “fitness” lifestyle was once a desire to be healthy. Rather than following results-based exercise and nutrition plans, people need to seek practical, trustworthy ways to improve physical and mental fitness.