Truth About Exercise Addiction

Katherine Schreiber is arecovering exercise addict and writer whose work has been published in Psychology Today, where she previously worked as an editor, TIME Healthland, Weight Watchers Magazine, on Greatist.com, and on Psychcentral.com. She has also appeared on ABC Nightline, currently lives in New York City, and is working on her second book about female sexuality and double lives. Heather A. Hausenblas, PhD, is an internationally renowned physical activity and healthy aging expert, researcher, and author. Her research focuses on the psychological effects of health behaviors across the lifespan. Hausenblas is the coauthor of 5 scientific books, and she has published more than 90 scientific journal articles. She has conducted more than 200 national and international scientific presentations. She has also received several research awards and grants. She was a faculty member and director of the Exercise Psychology Lab at the University of Florida from 1998 to 2012. She is currently an associate professor at Jacksonville University in the College of Health Sciences.

Schreiber and Hausenblas paint a vivid picture of where thinspiration goes wrong, providing an in-depth understanding of the dangers of exercise addiction for both men and women. This text offers a strong mix of evidence-based research and personal life histories that explain the toll too much exercise can have on a person’s body, mind, and social life. Although many know exercise is an effective, safe way to combat diseases, enhance mood, and improve health, this book identifies the addictive power of this ‘drug’ and demonstrates how binging on exercise can cause more harm than good. The authors detail the interaction between exercise addiction and comorbid disorders (eating disorders, body dysmorphia, etc.). Using personal stories, readers recognize that the combination of these diseases can instrumentally decrease quality of life for addicted individuals. Throughout the book, the authors use easily understandable language to discuss a complex issue, enabling comprehension for a variety of readers. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers.

• 1. What It Is — Defining Exercise Addiction2. What It Looks Like — The Signs and Symptoms of Exercise3. Who Coined It? — A Brief History of Exercise Addiction4. How It Begins — The Origins of Exercise Addiction5. What It Does — The Short and Long Term Health Risks of Exercise Addiction6. Why It Happens — Thinspiration’s Darkside7. What It Feels Like — Exercise Addicts’ True Stories8. What To Do About It — Treatment9. How To Approach Someone With A Problem10. Frequently Asked QuestionsAppendix AAppendix BAcknowledgmentsBibliography