Last Updated on October 3, 2024 by Michael Brockbank
Everyone looks at exercise and fitness in a different way. While some will get a thrill from the experience, others will look at it more like a horrible chore. In some instances, I’ve seen people react to exercise as if they had some kind of intense phobia. As a result, these people don’t reach their potential for good health. I’m not saying that anyone who doesn’t exercise is unhealthy. But they may not experience what it means to experience the benefits of fitness.
A Fear of Exercise?
A lot of people have a fear of exercise for a variety of reasons. While some have a basis in different kinds of phobias, others have a more simplistic aversion to breaking a sweat. According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, many of those who fear triggering a heart attack by exercising may inadvertently make things worse.
You don’t have to work yourself into a pile goo on the floor when you work out. While increasing the intensity of exercises may help reduce weight and strengthen the body, you don’t need to push yourself into cardiac arrest. Too many people will push themselves too hard to the point of collapsing.
Physical and mental fitness doesn’t have to be related to things that make you cringe. In fact, it’s possible to get in a regular exercise routine while having fun. This makes the experience much more tolerable for a lot of people. There is nothing set in stone that you need to commit to mainstream diet plans, pill popping, or pumping a certain amount of iron. Simply getting outside and playing with your kids or hitting the golf course can do wonders for health.
How Many Will Experience the Thrill of Working Out
When you exercise, the body will release hormones to cope with physical activity. The brain will unload things like endorphin which stimulates the pleasure centers of the brain. This delivers a euphoric sensation while increasing your pain threshold. The term “runner’s high” is an accurate portrayal of this condition. Essentially, you’re feeling a similar effect in comparison to drugs like marijuana. One study even examined how euphoric and pain relieving hormones are released in prolonged exercise within mice.
This doesn’t mean you can pump 20 reps of 10-pound dumbbells and expect to feel “high.” However, it does demonstrate how people are capable of achieving similar sensations through working out. It’s this euphoric feeling that many fitness fanatics are attracted to. In essence, they will get a thrill from keeping their bodies in shape both from pride in their accomplishments and the natural hormones coursing through their veins.
Is Exercise Addiction a Real Thing?
Humans can develop an addiction to a wide scope of things outside of drugs and alcohol. Video games, Facebook, food and even exercise can all be abused to an extent. In the event of an exercise addiction, people will often push themselves to extremes without considering the consequences. This often leads to injuries both physical and mental. While few of these addictions may be from the result of hormone release within the body, there are many reasons why people will subject themselves to extensive workouts.
According to studies, people can develop a tolerance and a withdrawal cycle while exercising just like any other addiction. Which means those who demonstrate an addictive behavior to working out can push themselves harder to overcome the tolerance. On the other side of the coin, they can also become angry and frustrated while going through withdrawal.
Is there a Risk to Exercise Addiction?
The risk to exercise addiction is actually relatively low. It’s not like cigarettes where your body acclimates quickly to nicotine. In many cases, the addiction to exercise relates more to an emotional imbalance or other preceding mental disorder. This means the odds of you becoming addicted to things like push-ups is ultra-low.
Positive Impacts to Your Life from Exercising
Routine exercising does more than help you lose weight or fit into smaller clothing. It can have a positive impact on many parts of your life. A lot of people don’t truly grasp the thrill of what fitness can present.
Confidence and Pride
Being confident in anything can have a positive results in nearly every aspect of your life. Whether it’s confidence in your career or being able to ask that special someone out on a date, being confident impacts the end results. Keeping yourself in shape helps boost that feeling of confidence and pride.
Mentally Alert and Focused
Exercising increases mental focus, according to a slew of scientific evidence. Many believe this is due to the increase of blood and oxygen to the brain during physical activity. Personally, I see an incredible difference in my work and productivity on days when I exercise. I seem more attentive to client requests, type faster and spend less time wording what I’m trying to convey. That is, on days that I have breakfast in the morning, anyway.
While you don’t have to focus on gaining some kind of a thrill from exercise, it doesn’t have to send a shiver down your spine either. Take care of your body and it will take care of you. It really doesn’t take a great deal of effort to achieve some kind of fitness.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurobiological_effects_of_physical_exercise#Euphoria
https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1514996112
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3210598/
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