Exercise Abuse

Clinical observations from Renfrew Treatment Center

Based on research and clinical observations out of the Renfrew Treatment Center, Exercise Abuse is broadly defined as any of the following patterns of behavior:

• Exercise solely for weight loss
• Self-punishment
• Inappropriate regulation or avoidance of affect/feelings
• Acquiring “permission” to eat
• Identity maintenance
• All-or-nothing exercise patterns
• In obsessive, rigid patterns
• To avoid social interactions
• When sick, in pain, injured, physically fatigued, malnourished/undernourished and/or dehydrated.
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Excessive Exercise—“too much”  quantity (1000 sit-ups), intensity (85% vs. 75% of maximum heart rate), duration (recommended by the American College of Sports and Medacine), or frequency (2 times in a 24 hour period) of exercise.

Compulsive Exercise:  Motivation to exercise—the individual feels a “need” or “compulsion” to exercise.  Exercise is driven by an emotion (fear/anxiety).  May not mean exercising excessively in terms of quantity, frequency, duration, or intensity.

Obligatory Exercise:  no flexibility regarding whether or not to exercise.  Not exercising is not an option.  Relationships are sacrificed; work, school and life are adjusted to allow for exercise.  Exercise is done regardless of illness or injury.  Exercise is out of proportion as a priority in life.

Fundamental Principals of Exercise:

• Exercise should rejuvenate the body, not exhaust or deplete it.
• Exercise should enhance mind-body connection and coordination, not confuse or dysregulate the mind-body relationship
• Exercise should alleviate mental and physical stress, not contribute to and exacerbate stress
• Exercise should provide pleasure and be fun, not provide pain and be dreaded.

Steps to a health relationship with Exercise

• Redefine what is exercise
• Provide practical, reality-based experiences with exercise in a safe, supportive environment
• Enhance awareness of and sensitivity to the body’s physical needs
• Increase understanding of the anatomy of the body and what it needs to perform
• Demonstrate exercise variation, moderation, functionality, and proper form
• Reduce irrational beliefs and misinformation concerning health and exercise
• Decrease anxiety and irrational fear over “feeling fat”
• Encourage and support a kink, caring, relationship with the body.

When recovering from exercise abuse or disordered eating, special attention should be given to re-introducing exercise into the lifestyle.  Activities should only include those the client has experienced as enjoyable and explicitly not to include any activities that might trigger abuse.  If any particular exercise begins to consume their thoughts, that is a sign to slow down and relax.  If anxiety about missing a day of exercise begins to grow, this is a sign it is not time to do more.  It is important to sit with the anxiety and use the skills and awareness developed through treatment to experience and move through it, rather than numbing through exercise behaviors.