By Becka McFadden

Wherever we turn, one fact seems indisputable: the world is getting bigger. In the face of an increasingly global obesity epidemic, the obvious culprit - fast food - has been joined by unhealthy school lunches, excessive car dependence and the shadowy force of evil that is trans fat. In such a fattening atmosphere, surely exercise is the way forward. But be careful – overeating is only one end of the spectrum. At the opposite end lurks obsessive exercise, and while its effects aren't as visible, it's not any better for you.

In many ways, Jenner is a normal teenage girl from Southern California. She worries about clothes, her weight and what boys think of her. She also spends up to six hours a day exercising. Her morning regime involves fifty abdominal crunches, a two mile run, and thirty minutes in the pool.

Jenner suffers from a condition first classified in 1979 by Dr. William Morgan as ‘exercise addiction’. It occurs, according to Running & Fitness News, “when a commitment to exercise crosses the line to dependency and compulsion”.

A study by Hungarian researchers Rendi, Szabo & Szabó noted that symptoms, which include depression, withdrawal and disregard for health and personal safety, were similar to those of other physiological addictions such as alcohol, tobacco or heroin. Like most addictions, exercise addiction often incurs negative effects on personal relationships. Are those extra Christmas kilos suddenly seeming less offensive?

If you fear there may be an exercise addict in your life, Szabo offers a questionnaire to help identify the problem.

True or False:

1. Exercise is the most important thing in my life.

2. Conflicts have arisen between me and my partner about the exercise I do.

3. I use exercise as a way of changing my mood.

4. Over time I have increased the amount of exercise I do daily.

5. If I have to miss a session I feel moody and irritable.

6. If I cut down the amount I do and then start again, I always end up doing as much as before.

Sound familiar? Fear not – a trainer can help addicts moderate their workouts and rejoin the ranks of slackers around them. Failing that, we recommend friend cheese and pivo, in moderation of course!

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