Addicted to Exercise.....

Is it possible to be addicted to exercise? Or to a certain activity?

Don't worry. I'm not there. Nowhere near.

I do, however, have what I would consider to be an addictive personality. I'm glad I was smart enough (or poor enough) never to experiment with drugs, because I think I might have been a classic addict.

There's a woman with whom I used to teach, and now she teaches in the same county I do, but I only see her on occasion. Usually graduation. She was drop-dead gorgeous as a beginning teacher, put on some weight as she got older, and then I saw her once and she looked like a refugee from some very poor country. She was painfully thin, not healthy-looking at all. I asked someone about her, and they said she was addicted to running.

I didn't get specifics, so I don't have stories of how many times a day she felt compelled to run, how far she ran before she considered herself finished (Forrest Gump, anyone?), or anything like that. At the time I scoffed at the notion that anyone could be addicted to anything so painful as running. I don't know if she is still addicted to running or if she has toned down her activity to what some would consider reasonable levels.

But couldn't running (and other forms of exercise) be compared to drugs in some ways? They both make you feel good, after all. I suppose you could overdo ANYTHING, even something that is supposed to be good for you, like running. Or cycling. Or ellipticating. (I love that verb. I made it up myself. I'm trying to get it copyrighted.)

I can see it happening. Like I said, I think I have an addictive personality. I tend to become obsessive about things (**ahem**...gymnastics, anyone?) and find it hard to dabble in anything. I jump in with both feet holding a concrete block and not a life preserver in sight. I feel so good after exercising that I can easily picture me saying, "Oh, I ate an extra spoonful of Cool Whip. Fifteen more minutes on the elliptical ought to take care of that." Finally seeing some results in the weight loss department just complicates matters. I find myself thinking I can speed this process up a little if I just increase my exercise. I already work out TWICE a day on most days, and it could easily become an obsession to exercise.

I am thiiiiiiiiiiiisssssssssssssssssssssssss clossssssssssssssssssssssse to the thirty pound mark (weight lost since August).

Don't worry, as long as Hubby is around (and still retired), I'm not likely to get away with becoming addicted to exercise. Besides, I'd have to give up some of the time I spend watching videos of gymnastics championships from the 80's and 90's.