Essay on Exercise Addiction - 1879 Words

Exercise is often thought of in a positive light. It is common belief in today’s society that a healthy diet and a regular exercise routine will lead to a long, healthy life. And in the simplest sense of the word, it will. It has been a tried and true method to control and lose weight, lift a person’s mood, boost energy, combat a variety of health conditions and diseases, promote better sleep patterns, and even increase libido. (Mayo Clinic, July 23, 2011). So with all of these being possible and probable benefits of working out, why would it possibly be anything other than good? Certainly, something with so many benefits can’t be a bad thing? However, we may overlook the fact that it is like any good thing; in excess it can†¦show more content†¦To begin with, they both access the same region of the brain. To clarify, this occurs only when an individual is addicted to exercise. Both addictions to exercise and addictions to drugs access th e brain’s limbic system, which contains an essential â€Å"reward circuit†. This reward circuit is what teaches us to associate functions essential to life, such as eating, with a pleasurable feeling. The limbic system is also the emotional centre of the brain. This is the same area that a person addicted to cocaine would be tapping into, which explains not only the altered emotional states of someone on cocaine, but how an addiction would develop. All addictive drugs work by overloading the reward circuit with dopamine, a neurotransmitter present in the limbic system. By overstimulation, the limbic system teaches the abuser to associate the drug use with pleasure, henceforth developing it into a necessary behaviour like eating. (National Institute of Drug Abuse). Exercise dependency can have similar effects, as it also works on the limbic system, otherwise a dependency would not develop. Exercise, however, relies on the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus to release endorphins once glycogen stores are depleted. This could be why exercise dependence is more prevalent in aerobic athletes such as runners or triathletes. Essentially, the endorphins work in the same way asShow MoreRelatedExercise Addiction Essay2376 Words   |  10 Pagesï » ¿Addiction is a Disease Addiction is all around us. It may be that cup of coffee in the morning for the caffeine stimulation, the cigarette that is smoked for the nicotine, or an alcoholic drink used to relieve a stressful day or situation. For some, the addiction may not be to a substance, but to compulsive behaviors such as gambling, playing video games, or shopping. Consequences to addictions can impact an addict’s physical or mental state. 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