Reflect on Your Running
- by Sheila Yaw MacLean
Since the new year is approaching I thought the article below
would help
"Rocks" reflect on the year past and help us search
for the answer to the
one question that must be on most minds. Why did so many "Rocks"
end up on
the injury list this year???? Are we a product of our own addiction???
Read on. The article is a little lengthly but it's good. Also
take the
test at the end "Have you gone over the edge?". According
to that test I
have. Quel surprise. Happy New Year to All. May we all stay
healthy and
strong.
Sheila
Running is unconditionally great for the
body, the soul, and the mind,
right? Almost, but not quite.
Almost anything harm when taken to an extreme -- even the most
benign or
beneficial activities.
Even the sacred domain of exercise is not protected from this
universal
truth. When a commitment to exercise crosses the line to dependency
and
compulsion, it can create physical, social, and psychological
havoc for
those among us who appear outwardly to be the very fittest.
Runners are
particularly vulnerable.
A "positive addiction" is a healthy adaptation to
the barriers to exercise
in life, since commitments to work, family, and other healthy
pursuits must
compete for time to work out. Sometimes, however, the line between
commitment and compulsion is crossed.
Richard Benyo, writing on the subject of exercise addiction
for the Road
Runners Club of America, says that there is a negative side
to exercise
that gradually, insidiously, can take over the positive.
"In an ironic way, nature balances the situation when the
thing obsessed
turns on and bites the obsessor."
Exercise addiction is not just another term for overtraining
syndrome.
Healthy athletes training for peak performance and competition
can suffer
overtraining symptoms, which are the short-term result of too
little rest
and recovery.
Exercise addiction, on the other hand, is a chronic loss of
perspective of
the role of exercise in a full life. A healthy athlete and an
exercise
addict may share similar levels of training volume -- the difference
is in
the attitude.
An addicted individual isn't able to see value in unrelated
activities and
pursues his sport even when it is against his best interest.
RECOGNIZING ADDICTION
The exercise addict has lost his balance: Exercise has become
overvalued
compared to elements widely recognized as giving meaning in
a full life --
work, friends, family, community involvement -- in short, the
fruits of our
humanity.
When emotional connections are passed up in favor of additional
hours of
training; when injury, illness and fatigue don't preempt a workout;
when
all free time is consumed by training -- exercise addiction
is the
diagnosis.
Warning lights for addiction include withdrawal symptoms like
anxiety,
irritability, and depression that appear when circumstances
prevent you
from working out.
To the addict, there is no exception to the rule "the more
the better."
More training, more hours, more miles, more intensity: more
is absolutely
always better. Anything that interferes with the lust for more
exercise is
resented.
BLURRED BOUNDARIES
The paradox inherent in exercise addiction is the blurred boundary
between
what is healthy, admirable and desirable, and behavior that
is over the
edge and dependent. As runners and fitness enthusiasts, we value
individuals who seem to epitomize the true athlete who achieves
success by
virtue of discipline, sacrifice, and hard work.
Peak fitness and excellence, which we aspire to achieve with
our own
running, require a dogged commitment to training despite circumstances
and
moods that would conspire against your resolve. Once we accomplish
a
training routine and the necessary commitment, isn't it normal
to feel
irritable and a little depressed when we miss our run?
Part of the paradox for the exercise-dependent is that levels
of
achievement are often beneath what is expected for the obviously
high level
of commitment. Performance suffers when value is placed only
on working
out.
The addict answers poor performance with running more and resting
less. A
healthy athlete looks at the big picture and adjusts training
programs
allowing for rest and recovery among all the training variables.
WHO IS AT RISK?
Experts have argued as to whether exercise addiction is linked
to the
highly touted "runner's high," due in part to the
release of
beta-endorphins during and after intense exercise. Most agree
though, that
exercise addiction is the result of psychological factors.
"Intense, high-achieving perfectionist individuals are
particularly
vulnerable to this addiction," says psychologist Sharon
Stoliaroff, Ph.D.
In the case of exercise addiction, the underlying psychological
causes are
usually linked by low self-esteem, which finds gratification
in the gains
made by training.
"Unfortunately," Stoliaroff warns, "denial is
a frequent component of any
addictive process."
DON'T RUN AWAY
If you see a little too much of yourself in these paragraphs,
don't run the
other direction. Find a good counselor or someone else whose
opinion you
trust and discuss the possibility of exercise addiction.
As you work with a counselor, change the emphasis of your exercise
from
"more is better," to quality. Objective progress can
be made by planning
your workouts with an experienced trainer on a weekly basis,
with rest and
recovery given the emphasis they deserve in a well-balanced
training
program.
Write down a seven-day schedule, planning mileage, intensity,
rest, and any
cross-training activities with specific, reasonable goals relative
to your
skills. Working with a trainer, set outside limits for number
of workout
hours in any given week.
Count all exercise in your total -- stretching, warm-ups, cool-downs,
cross-training, walking, yoga -- everything. Do not exceed the
mileage,
time, or intensity that you've planned.
Never work out just because you found an extra hour or two in
your day.
Train only to the extent that you've planned. If you find extra
time, spend
it with a friend, a book, a movie, call your mother. Set goals
in other
aspects of your life besides training. Learn something new --
gourmet
cooking, sailing, knitting.
Become a mentor to someone in your community who needs you.
If you miss a
day, scratch it off your schedule. Never make up a missed workout
by
doubling up the next day.
BALANCE
The exercise-addicted runner will almost always suffer the consequences
of
his addiction. It is not a coincidence that few exercise addicts
can be
lifetime runners.
As Benyo said, "the obsession bites back" in the form
of chronic injuries,
impaired relationships and other problems. The exercise-obsessed
runner may
one day complain that running ruined his life, but it was running
out of
balance that was the ruin.
Remember that working out should always have an element of play.
If working
out loses all aspects of fun, something has gone wrong. The
most
competitive professional athletes still love their sport, love
to run
because it gives pleasure, and not because it has become a compulsive
need.
Renowned running writer Dr. George Sheehan put it this way:
"The things we
do with our bodies should be done merely because they are fun
-- not
because they serve some serious purpose. If we are not doing
something that
is enjoyable on its own account we should look for something
that is."
Sheehan ran right to the end of his life. He could not separate
his
identity from his running. Running and being were synonymous.
As a result
he achieved great things as a runner. Running didn't subtract
from the rest
of his life, it added. He was also the father of 12, a doctor,
prolific
writer, philosopher and thinker. He found balance. Look for
balance.
Running enhances life. It can't stand alone.
HAVE YOU GONE OVER THE EDGE?????
Rate yourself as honestly as you can below with the following
checklist:
I have missed important social obligations and family events
in order to
exercise.
I have given up other interests, including time with friends,
in order to
make more time to work out.
Missing a workout makes me irritable and depressed.
I only feel content when I am exercising or within the hour
after
exercising.
I like exercise better than sex, good food, or a movie -- in
fact there's
almost nothing I'd rather do.
I work out even if I'm sick, injured, or exhausted. I'll feel
better when I
get moving anyway.
In addition to my regular schedule, I'll exercise more if I
find extra
time.
Family and friends have told me I'm too involved in exercise.
I have a history (or a family history) of anxiety or depression.
If you have checked three or more of these items, you may be
losing your
perspective on running and working out. Exercise is healthy
as long as it
is in balance with a full life. Get Help.
