Compulsive Exercise

Compulsive exercise is often referred to as anorexia athletica, obligatory exercise, and exercise addiction.

Individuals with compulsive exercise may:

1. Repeatedly exercise beyond the requirements for good health.
2. Be a fanatic about weight and diet,
3. Steal time to exercise from work, school, and relationships.
4. Strive to achieve and master ever more difficult challenges. Forgets that physical activity can be fun.
5. Define self-worth in terms of performance.
6. Rarely or never satisfied with athletic achievements. Small satisfactions are fleeting. Does not savor victory. Pushes on to the next challenge immediately.
7. Justifies excessive behavior by defining self as a "special" elite athlete.

Description adapted from Anorexia and Related Disorders (ANRED).