Previous blogs have looked at how good running is for our physical health and mental health. However, exercise addiction can occur, and some people find their own self-image can become interlinked with their sport – for good and bad

This blog looks at how to run healthily and happily, without over-reliance on social media, with reference to studies that have been done around exercise, body image and self-esteem

Regular runners will recognise increased well-being during and after training – this is due to complex hormonal mechanisms, and also the positive feedback of feeling fit.

Commitment to exercise can cross a line in some people, becoming a compulsion, and exercise addiction is a recognised entity. Whilst people committed to exercise have higher self-esteem and body satisfaction, those for whom exercise becomes a fixation or addiction appear to have lower scores (1).

But when does behaviour and hobby that’s so good for us become a danger?

Compulsive exercise differs from commitment, in that it can interfere with our daily life – work, home and relationships, and which we might not be able to stop, even when it’s doing us harm. This might manifest as training through an injury or illness, even when symptoms are worsening, due to feelings of anxiety, depression or guilt if the exercise cannot be undertaken.

Exercise Addiction has been recognised for 20years (2,3) and holds tenants that differentiate its behaviours from healthy exercise.

These are:

Feelings of withdrawal when not exercising, amplified when unable to, impacting on other aspects of mental health (including mood, anxiety), and sleep

Tolerance– spending an increasing amount of time exercising, distinct from the goal of the exercise, to reach the same level of satisfaction

Reducing other activities across social life and work to accommodate training

Continuance – exercising even when injured, ill or when exercising is at odds with social, family and personal needs

Lack of control– paradoxical to the perceived need of runners to motivate themselves as a form of discipline, this is a lack of ability to stop exercise

Time – spending excess time exercising

Intention effect – regularly exceeding the planned amount of exercise – either that which would reap benefits, or this may be seen in the athlete who ‘sabotages’ a coaching plan by consistently doing more

In 2022, many runners track their progress on wearable technology and many share their running on sites such as Strava, as well as posting runs and images of themselves running on social media forums such as Instagram.

This can be motivational and enable runners to track progress, share their unique running stories and find a community.

However, this exposure can also be negative  if athletes compare themselves negatively to others, or feel compelled to continue to improve due to others’ actual or perceived expectations. Some of these behaviours might depend on personality type or personal circumstances. A study from the Netherlands surveyed 120 women with different questionnaires (3) and identified 4 different exercise behaviours

1. Pathological obligatory exercisers were highly attuned to attaining their regular exercise, fixating on exercise or a missed session, with high commitment to exercise and it’s frequency
2. Exercise fixators scored as POE but not as highly for commitment or frequency
3. Committed exercisers scored highly on exercise commitment and frequency but not fixated on sessions/ missed sessions
4. Non exercisers

Overall, those who were committed had the highest scores in terms of self-esteem, body satisfaction and body image, highlighting that extremes above and below this behaviour were les beneficial. The authors recognised that “body image and physical activity can have a bi-directional relationship,”

Fostering self esteem and body confidence outside of one’s sport can help ensure independence from sport on one’s self and one’s projected image as an athlete.

This can be hard to attain for competitive athletes, and especially for those who are professional, or who are influencers in the sport.

Online athlete advocacy resources are emerging including Project RED-S  https://red-s.com/ which focuses upon the relative energy deficiency and helps athletes to identify and develop their own strengths, as opposed becoming trapped in a physically weaker condition which can be mentally and physically damaging.

A 5-point checklist for a healthy running relationship with social media

1. Run victoriously not vicariously. Check in: are you compelled to post your runs on social media, or to scroll and compare your training to others?
2. Only Connect. Do use social media if it amplifies your journey, recognisesachievements, and supports others… But remember the time on your watch is separate to your own identify and happiness.
3. If you are connecting with people online, make sure to do it safely and find a close network you can trust to share your story
4. Log off and run. Remember running can much-needed quiet time in nature, and meditative moments. Ask: does your smartphone really need to come along for the run? (Do take it for safety but turn off apps)
5. Comparison is the thief of joy. Yours and maybe others. So take care of you and others when posting, are you sure you want to share? The ups and downs of running are often what keeps us coming back for more, with care we can build a strong community online and on the streets, parklands and hills we run

Article written by: Dr Rebecca Robinson

Dr Rebecca Robinson is a consultant in Sport and Exercise Medicine, treating runners at all levels, with special interest in running injuries, female athlete health and helping athletes overcome relative energy deficiency (RED-S) and overtraining – practicing at Marylebone Health Group London and Orthteam Manchester.

She is a keen runner and has represented GB in the marathon and mountain running.

References

1. Hausenblas, H. Symons Downs, D., How much is too much? The development and validation of the exercise dependence scale, Psychology and health 17 (4), 387-404, 2002
2. Freimuth, M., Moniz, S., Kim, S.R., Clarifying Exercise Addiction: Differential Diagnosis, Co-occurring Disorders, and Phases of Addiction, Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2011 Oct; 8(10): 4069–4081. Published online 2011 Oct 21. doi: 3390/ijerph8104069
3. Ruiz-Turrero, J., Massar, K., Kwasnicka, D., Ten Hoor, G.A., The Relationship between Compulsive Exercise, Self-Esteem, Body Image and Body Satisfaction in Women: A Cross-Sectional Study, Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Feb; 19(3): 1857. doi: 3390/ijerph19031857