How to recognize exercise addiction and is it a disease?

The dark side of male trainers is their obsession with size and risky behavior, says trainer Siim Kelner. Models in both women's and men's magazines are very athletic. Then you have to ask yourself what the price is.

"That person on the cover definitely has his own team: nutritionists, trainers. All he does all day is keep himself in shape, because his job is to be beautiful," says the coach of the Reval-Sport sports club, who has been involved in bodybuilding at a competitive level. Siim is a higher category coach who is studying health behavior in his doctoral studies.

What is the darker side of training that worries you as a coach?

If we are constantly fed cover photos of ideal people on social media, our lives are completely different and we cannot keep up with them. Women subconsciously think that they must have bikinis like that, and men think that I can't have fat on my chest, I must have abs. This is all good and also healthy, you just have to understand what the time frame is to achieve this goal and how far you want to go with it. Then people feel inferior because they have been fed a false ideal. They try to identify with them and can become addicted to exercise. They are addicted to exercise alone, but that alone is not enough.

Do you see a person in the room who is addicted?

Yes, still. It's one thing to have a regular workout addiction, it's another thing to want to be super big. He goes to the gym a lot, he works out for a really long time, he does more than he should or is reasonable to do. Often he doesn't know that it's not reasonable to work out that much.

Overtraining is rarely talked about. Rather, sports clubs are working hard and trying to get people to exercise more. Why has this topic been kept under wraps, so to speak?

The goal of a sports club is not to completely torture one individual and make them an exercise addict. Rather, the goal of a sports club is to get a lot of people moving. We have had a 10-week challenge where a person has days on a sheet like squares and is given the task of going to the gym at least twice a week. They have to get a signature from a trainer or administrator, at the end they hand in the sheet and get a prize. The direction is rather to train sensibly and consistently.

It's one thing to be addicted to exercise, but it's another thing when a person thinks there's something wrong with their body. For example, a man feels like he was thinner when he was younger and is now inferior to other boys. He goes to the gym to work out and his self-confidence increases, which is only positive in itself. At the same time, it's important that this is not the only factor regulating self-confidence and low self-esteem. The worst thing is when people start living in the gym, feeling ashamed of their bodies. They start covering their bodies with baggier clothes to look bigger, for example. They also turn to doping substances to enhance their size. Often, a person may feel that their value depends on the size of their muscles. There are people like that among us, in my circle of acquaintances. Every month, money goes to illegal or legal substances and they dress in a way to look bigger.

Is this a disease?

It is not officially classified as a disease. Psychiatrists diagnose it as a subtype of body image disorder. It is very difficult to tell when a person is sick.

How does such a person end?

It may happen that he ends up socially isolated, his lifestyle is very limited because too much emphasis and time is put on body-related activities. Doping substances are consumed in larger quantities all the time because he never feels that his muscle mass is large enough, even if he looks like the Hulk. This is called reverse anorexia in men. Bigorexia. A strict diet and such a lifestyle are not good in the long run.

It would be really bad if all of this were to suddenly stop for some reason: you can't exercise or you can't use these substances anymore. Then you come down, you inevitably lose weight, and this loss can lead to a fairly severe depressive state. It's not unheard of for people to commit suicide because of this condition.

What should a reader do if they recognize themselves or feel that a loved one is at the beginning of such a journey?

You have to ask yourself if everything is okay in your life right now. Exercise should be a part of life, not life part of exercise. Other vital things should not be overshadowed by exercise. You have to ask yourself: am I happy with my body or not and to what extent? Of course, you don't always have to be happy with your body and striving for betterment is a good thing, but it's another thing when you hate your body and your agenda goes beyond the norm. You should definitely ask the opinions of your loved ones. You should ask yourself whether this behavior is sustainable or not.

Notice!

*The goal of a sports club is not to completely torture an individual and turn them into a workout addict.
*A strict diet is not good in the long run.
*Exercise should be a part of life, not life a part of exercise.

Source: Anne and Style

Editor: Meisi Volt