Runnorexia": the modern running addiction

Going for a run is a very healthy habit, but some people feel 'hooked' to running.

The practice of physical exercise produces psychological and physical benefits. The runningspecifically: it reduces stress, improves Cardiovascular capacity, reduces the risk of disease, and so on. Therefore, in order to have a healthy life, it is advisable to make running or physical exercise part of our lives, as it is an important component of well-being.

But But anything taken to extremes can be harmful, and running is no exception.And running is no exception. Today, the running craze has led many people to become obsessed with running. Richard Benyo, in an article published in Road Runners Club of AmericaThe negative side of physical exercise," he says, "can gradually, insidiously replace the positive effect.

Running addiction is not the same as overtraining.

Runnorexia is not the same as overtraining. The obsession with running can lead an individual to overtrain, which can cause overtraining. The symptoms of overtraining are short term, and have to do with the recovery and rest period. In this sense, it can be stated that runnorexia is linked to overtraining syndrome.

Runnorexia or running addiction, on the other hand, is a loss of perspective on the role of exercise. a loss of perspective of the role of physical exercise in a person's life.. While a person may suffer a period of overtraining because an important competition is approaching and they have poorly planned their training, a person with runnorexia suffers from a more serious problem. In this case, there are important psychological aspects: irrational beliefs, low self esteem, etc.

In addition to these aspects, social social factors are a causative source of this disorder, since culture and social pressure for aesthetics and image play an important role in the development of this pathology. On the other hand, some experts also affirm that there are biological factors that cause this addiction, as there seems to be a connection between the pleasurable chemical substances released by the brain when physical activity is practiced (endorphins, dopamine, etc.) and this disorder, as occurs with drug addiction. That is, the brain area of reinforcement is involved in addictive and obsessive behaviors is also involved in runnorexia.

The psychologist Eduardo Carreño, in an interview for the newspaper Asturias 24There are two types of addictions: addictions to substances (drugs) and to behaviors (addiction to work, shopping, sports, etc.)", he explains. As we can see, the case of running addiction is an addiction to an activity and the pleasure generated by the practice in question.

Symptoms presented by the person with runnorexia

The person with runnorexia overvalues running, making it the most important element in his or her life, even above family, friends, work, etc.

They are capable of canceling appointments or not attending the workplace in order to go running. Fatigue or injuries do not prevent him from doing his training sessions, as the discomfort he feels if he does not do these sessions is beyond him. His free time is devoted to running, and his life moves with only one idea in his head: running.running.

The symptoms presented are identical to those of those addicted to any type of physical exercise (e.g. fitness). These symptoms appear when the person cannot perform the physical activity, and can be: anxiety, depression or irritability.