What does an addiction to exercise look like?

[RoanFan]

The other day dp joked that he has an addiction to exercise. He laughed afterwards and said he was only joking.

It's got me thinking though. I've known him 15 years and in that time he's gone to the gym/ worked out routinely. He regularly exercises every other day unless ill.

This all seemed normal but after what he said I've noticed things I've never took any notice of before. When he can't exercise for any reason he gets stressed. He will plan his whole week around working out. Often putting off other events. If anything gets in the way of his exercise he will moan about it and say it's affecting his mental health.

Would you say this is normal or does it look like an addiction of some type?

I think it’s going that way. I know people who go to exercise classes every day and some go morning and evening every day. I think that’s addiction.

I suppose that if you’re paying for the gym or a class, you need to go often enough to make it worthwhile, but fretting over missing a session or planning everything around the gym is going too far.

I think it's normal and healthy.

I also prioritise exercise in different ways. I never have a lie in on holiday, I exercise early so I don't impact on my family.

But I'm not going to not do it. I feel rancid if I haven't worked out in one way or another.

I had surgery in the summer and was quite relaxed about not exercising. And then when I got back to it, I was reminded what an impact it had on my mental health, I was like a new happier woman.

I've a colleague and she's obsessed with exercise. She spent a fortune on equipment in lockdown as not being able to go to a gym stressed her. She exercises every day. She also goes to the gym and has a personal trainer. She spends a fortune on it all!!

Think the issue is that she gets grumpy and anxious if she can't train. Holidays have to be somewhere she can train. She chose not to have a medical procedure as it would have impacted on her training. When she's injured (all the time) she gets moody.