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Exercise addiction treatment & recovery

Exercise addiction can be a difficult disorder to detect. There's a fine line between exercise enthusiasm and addiction, especially for training athletes, and the cultural obsession with fitness can further mask symptoms that may point to a problem.

Recognizing exercise addiction is important. The issue can lead to a number of physical, mental, and emotional health concerns, and it often goes hand-in-hand with other eating disorders or unhelpful attitudes toward body image.

Still, once an issue is identified, there are a number of treatments for exercise addiction that can help people achieve lasting recovery.

6
 minute read
Last updated on 
March 3, 2025
In this article

What is exercise addiction?

While yet to be formally recognized as an eating disorder, exercise addiction has long been understood by doctors, scientists, and other experts. Generally, it's considered a form of behavioral addiction, which is when someone engages in compulsive behavior not related to substances despite any negative consequences they may experience from their actions.

As such, exercise addiction (sometimes called compulsive exercise) describes the compulsive urge to work out to the point where it becomes disruptive to someone's everyday life. This frequently looks like workout sessions that are continually made longer and harder and an eventual loss of control over the need to work out.3

It's possible for someone to have primary or secondary exercise addiction. When the condition is primary, it means the addiction to working out is the main driver of someone's behavior. Secondary exercise addiction happens when the condition develops alongside or because of another issue, such as an eating disorder.3

In either case, finding appropriate care and treatment for exercise addiction is essential for recovery.

Exercise addiction vs. working out

It can be difficult to tell when someone's interest in working out becomes problematic. Even healthy workout-related goals are usually long-term and require consistent time and energy to achieve. As the body adjusts to certain output levels, it can take longer or harder workouts, mimicking the dependency that develops in most addictions.

The risk of developing exercise addiction can be high, ranging anywhere from 3-9% among regular exercisers.1 So, how can you tell the difference between healthy growth and addiction?

The motivation behind the behavior can play a big role in clarifying exercise addiction and healthy exercise:2

  • Healthy exercise: Motivated by health and raising the quality of life.
  • At-risk exercise: Primarily motivated by the desire to ease anxiety or stress.
  • Problematic exercise: When frequent exercise leads to injury and/or days are organized around workout routines.
  • Exercise addiction: When one continues to work despite injury and exercise routines become disruptive to everyday life. Primarily motivated by the need to avoid the stress, anxiety, or guilt related to not working out.

If you or a loved one are exhibiting some of these thoughts or behaviors, it may be time to consult a mental health professional.

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How to treat exercise addiction

As with all eating disorders and behavioral addictions, exercise addiction treatment should be comprehensive, addressing the various mental, physical, and emotional drivers of the behavior.

Treatment programs should be unique to each person and take into account factors like any co-occurring disorders and the depth of addiction or compulsive behavior. However, there are a number of treatments and treatment modalities that can help someone achieve exercise addiction recovery.

Psychological exercise addiction treatment

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
Group therapy

Physical exercise addiction treatment

Exercise addiction may be driven by mental health concerns, but it involves an unhealthy level of physical activity, and those effects on the body must also be addressed in exercise addiction recovery.

Despite often presenting as "fit," many people struggling with exercise addiction have been found to have poor nutrition.5 Nutritional counseling can help by giving patients information and guidelines about healthy eating and physical activity.

Sessions may address issues like the importance of getting enough vitamins, minerals, and calories or offer proactive recovery strategies, such as instituting a meal plan. Counselors may also sit with patients while they eat a meal to monitor progress, offer support, and help instill a more regular eating schedule.

Patients who have struggled with physical injuries due to exercise addiction may require additional treatment or care to address those issues, including physical therapy, massage, acupuncture, or other healing modalities.

Additional treatments for exercise addiction recovery

Exercise addiction has yet to be added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the official guide on all recognized mental health conditions. As such, studies looking specifically at treatments for exercise addiction are rare.

In most cases involving behavioral addiction or eating disorders, psychotherapy is considered the primary approach to treatment. However, some people may require additional types of care.

Medications
Self-care
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Treating exercise addiction at Within

Exercise addiction can disrupt a person’s life and do serious damage to their physical, emotional, and mental health. Because our society is so focused on fitness, it can be hard to recognize a problem and even harder to ask for help. But the compassionate team of professionals at Within Health is here to help every step of the way.

We offer virtual care programs for anyone who may need help in treating exercise addiction or co-occurring eating disorders. Our team of experts come from multidisciplinary backgrounds and work together to create comprehensive treatment plans tailored to your unique needs.

With the proper care and commitment to well-being, recovery from this disorder is possible. 

Disclaimer about "overeating": Within Health hesitatingly uses the word "overeating" because it is the term currently associated with this condition in society, however, we believe it inherently overlooks the various psychological aspects of this condition which are often interconnected with internalized diet culture, and a restrictive mindset about food. For the remainder of this piece, we will therefore be putting "overeating" in quotations to recognize that the diagnosis itself pathologizes behavior that is potentially hardwired and adaptive to a restrictive mindset.

Disclaimer about weight loss drugs: Within does not endorse the use of any weight loss drug or behavior and seeks to provide education on the insidious nature of diet culture. We understand the complex nature of disordered eating and eating disorders and strongly encourage anyone engaging in these behaviors to reach out for help as soon as possible. No statement should be taken as healthcare advice. All healthcare decisions should be made with your individual healthcare provider.

Resources

  1. Marques, A., Peralta, M., Sarmento, H., Loureiro, V., et al. (2019). Prevalence of Risk for Exercise Dependence: A Systematic Review. Sports Medicine, 49, 319-330.
  2. How to Identify an Exercise Addiction and Intervene. (2018, September 28). Northwestern University Family Institute. Accessed August 2024.
  3. Weinstein, A., & Szabo, A. (2023). Exercise addiction: A narrative overview of research issues. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 25(1), 1–13.
  4. What is cognitive behavioral therapy? (n.d.) American Psychological Association. Accessed August 2024.
  5. Freimuth, M., Moniz, S., & Kim, S. R. (2011). Clarifying exercise addiction: Differential diagnosis, co-occurring disorders, and phases of addiction. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 8(10), 4069–4081.

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