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Title: Exercise Addiction: When Fitness Becomes an Obsession (Teen Health Library of Eating Disorder Prevention) by Laura Kaminker ISBN: 0-8239-2759-8 Publisher: Rosen Publishing Group Pub. Date: 01 September, 1998 Format: Library Binding Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $26.50

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Average Customer Rating: 4 (2 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: Fills a real void
Comment: This is an intelligent, careful approach to a topic that is difficult to even imagine as being BAD, in the context of our society of cheeseburger-inhaling lardos. Exercise addiction is a very real thing, however, and this book could easily get someone thinking along more reasonable lines. This book is aimed at a relatively younger target audience, teenagers and people in their early twenties. I think later in life, some different issues can come into play in this kind of addiction, but this book does a pretty solid job of talking to younger people where they're at.

I would just like to say here -- for anyone purchasing this book, whether it's for yourself, or for someone else, the most important thing you need to be aware of is the RATIONALIZATIONS that lead to people behaving in this way. Yes, it's important to be cognizant of your actual behaviors, but the rationalizations that lead you to consider what is obviously unbalanced behavior to be perfectly okay constitute a deeper issue. Most likely, your rationalizations come from a disturbing, potent combination of 1.)the work ethic and 2.)youth-glorification. Try to stop and think about what your rationalizations are. You probably often think in terms of "self-improvement." You probably do a lot of goal-setting, like running X amount of miles per week, or something along thiose lines. Probably you're saying things to yourself that place any possibility of your personal happiness far out in the future, after, for example, you have run a marathon. All of these things can be laudable traits, laudable goals, but you need to be able to step outside yourself and get a little perspective. Also -- don't keep constantly thinking about happiness as an inherently "future" state. There is SOME happiness to be gleaned from, for example, completing a marathon, but just don't sacrifice too much of what life has to offer along the way. You need to stop and enjoy being young. You'll only be young once, unless those Buddhists are right... Either way, you need to relax your mind, and leave your body alone. Stop beating yourself up. If you have a overly strong association in your mind between physical fitness and being attrative to the opposite sex... well, okay, there is obviously some correlation between the two, especially at your age. However -- this correlation diminishes a LOT with every passing year after about age 23. If you make an investment in your mind now, instead of your body, it will pay off well in your future.

In some ways, what someone might call "exercise addiction" might come from very real forces in your life that simply will not go away for awhile. There are real beliefs, real... well... real realities, that won't change. Some households may put an unusually high premium upon physical fitness, for example. Still, try to keep a sense of perspective. At least TRY to find calmer ways of being happy in the moment, while you're young, and don't be so frenzied.

This book is a great idea. Two thumbs up.

Rating: 3
Summary: Remedial discussion of a sensitive subject
Comment: The book offers an excellent basic discourse on exercise addiction as it relates to the typical victim: teens and young adults. However, the subject is more broad and destructive in an adult population fixated on self and perfection at any cost. This is unfortunately not discussed in this book. But again, for the right audience it is excellent.

For the uninitiated the book does provide a good primer for understanding a potentially life treatening and destructive behavior. The real lacking, however, is information on how the behavior can (and does) destroy the lives of relatives and relations of the victim. By the way, the victim never sees themself as being a victim. (IRONIC) In a nutshell, there is no difference between a fixation with the local running club (exercise addict) and hanging with the guys (or gals) at the local bar (alcoholic) since in these circles a destructive behavior is socially acceptable. More importantly, these environs do not judge the behavior, and in fact may actually encourage more of the behavior as a matter of social indoctrination and demonstrated devotion. It's alot like a cult. Like most addictions, exercise addiction frequently requires an enabling environment where people with similar values and behavior exist. In the 'group' there is no problem. Sadly, the solution is not in those circles but in the care of those who love the victims: their families and true friends. Often, as in the case of anorexia and other eating disorders, TRUTH is the sure thing that will drive the person away from those who can help. Recovery is a long and gentile process so never 'shock' intervene with these individuals because to do so risks severing the ties of the personal relationship. Separation can be permenant because, when forced to chose between the addiction and close personal relationships (father, mother, sibling, husband, wife, etc.), the grossly addicted will frequently chose the addiction.

The exercise addiction phenomenon is becoming epidemic and is a sad commentary on the basic degradation in our modern culture. Third world nations should only wish to have enough leisure to participate in such vain behaviors. They starve while we deny ourselves nutrition and purge remaining calories though compulsive exercise. I wish I knew the answer to this paradox.