Exercise Addiction

Do you know someone like this:

Robin wakes up three mornings a week at 5am to run five miles before she takes her children to school and heads to work. Every weekday evening she goes to the gym to attend a yoga or aerobics class. On the weekends she weight trains. All of her family and social activities are scheduled around Robin's exercise regime. Her family, particularly her children, complain that she is rarely home. And despite having a stress fracture, Robin continues to run.

Many individuals, myself included, utilize exercise as a vehicle to promote wellness and overall well-being. For some, however, exercise involves body obsession or is tightly integrated in body image distortions. For others, exercise is a problematic behavioral symptom of larger concern with an eating disorder.

Although the vast majority of people who exercise do so in a healthy, balanced manner, there exists a small percentage of the population, such as Robin, that have an exercise dependency or addiction.

Here are some signs that suggest exercise has become problematic:

• Rigid adherence to working out.
• Dependency or compulsion to exercise.
• Irritability when even 1 work out is missed.
• Exercising in addition to planned workout time if one has the opportunity.
• Loss of perspective on exercise as a PART (not the central focus) of a balanced life.
• Exercise affects family, social and/or career obligations or other important areas of life.
  
• Events with important others are skipped, canceled or lied about in order to exercise.
• Exercising despite being injured or ill.
• Fixation on calories burned or weight loss achieved.
  
• Obsession with specific body parts, toning specific areas, gaining muscle mass etc.
• Exercising in secret or lying about time spent working out.

If you know someone who is struggling with over-exercise, exercise dependency, or exercise addiction, it is important that you approach the individual with your concerns. Describe the impact that their working out has had in your relationship and other important areas of the individuals life. Recommend help knowing that this person will likely deny having a problem. Trained therapist can assist in helping individuals deal with exercise addiction and help determine if exercise is a part of a larger problem.

Do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns.



MindBodyHealth
1115 Grant Street, Suite 103
Denver, CO 80203

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Free Mindfulness Seminar

The September 2009 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) presented a research article regarding the increasing problem of physician burnout. Of particular concern are the consequences of physician burnout: poorer quality of life, poorer quality of services, and lowered ability of 'being present' with their patients. Implementing mindfulness training was found to have significant positive effects at increasing mindfulness skills, empathy, and emotional stability while reducing burnout and total mood disturbance. Physicians were thus better able to attend to their patients and engage in a more productive manner. Health care providers need to find a way to reduce job burnout in order to provide quality patient care. To this end, MindBodyHealth is offering a FREE 2-Hour Mindfulness Seminar for all those working in a health care related field in which they have direct contact with patients (physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, PA's, dietitians, chiropractors, dentists, social workers, massage therapists etc). This class will include a mindfulness tutorial and experiential mindfulness exercises of Body Scan, Sitting Meditation, and Walking Meditation, that reflect skills taught in the JAMA research article. These skills are crucially important to helping YOU reduce burnout and improve quality direct patient care. DETAILS *FREE Mindfulness Seminar *Saturday December 5th *10AM - 12Noon *Healthcare Providers with Direct Patient Care *MindBodyHealth Offices: 1115 Grant Street, Conference Room *RSVP Today! (Space is limited) Article Link (JAMA, September 23/30, 2009-Vol 302, No. 12)

Stress in America

The American Psychological Association (APA) recently released the 2009 Stress Campaign Results. Aptly titled: "Stress in America. Mind/Body Health: For a healthy mind and body, talk to a psychologist" the study reveals not only national trends, but also highlights results specific to several major metropolitan areas, including Denver (Denver Results Here). Weaknesses in the study include a low number of Denver residents sampled (N = 202) used to generalize results, limited robustness in findings, and a lack of statistical comparison between Denver resident ratings and National results. None-the-less, APA concluded the following:

• Overall, Denver residents appear to be more stressed compared to Americans nationally; more Denver residents rate their stress levels in an extreme range and Denver residents are more likely than Americans nationally to consider several factors significant sources of stress.
• Employed Denver residents are less satisfied with their current employment than Americans overall and report more difficulty with balancing work and home responsibilities.
• Denver residents rate their health relatively high overall. They are less likely than Americans overall to have high cholesterol or Type-2 Diabetes.
• Denver residents are more likely to cite work and job stability as significant sources of stress than Americans overall.
• Overall, Denver residents appear to be more stressed compared to Americans nationally, with more Denver residents rating their stress levels in an extreme range.
• 10% of Denver resident's utilize mediation or yoga for stress management. (Compared to 7% Nationally).

Due to a lack of statistical comparison and relatively low percentage differences between Denver and National results that have led APA researches to make the conclusion that Denver is 'America's Most Stressed City', these results do indicate that more is needed to aid in Stress Management.

MindBodyHealth
1115 Grant Street, Suite 103
Denver, CO 80203

(303) 831.6248
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3 Minute Breathing Space

3-Minute Breathing Space

Having a rough day? Feeling stressed out? The beauty of the 3-minute breathing space exercise is that it quickly helps you step out of autopilot in order to reconnect to the present moment.

1st Minute: Awareness
Adopt an alert yet comfortable posture, close your eyes, bring your attention inward. Ask yourself, “What is my experience right now ...in thoughts...in feelings...and in bodily sensations? Acknowledge your experience in this moment, even if it is unwanted.

2nd Minute: Gathering
Gently direct awareness to breathing, following each inbreath and each outbreath, one after the other. Your breath can function as an anchor to bring you into the present and help you tune into a state of awareness and stillness.

3rd Minute: Expanding

Now, expand the field of your awareness around your breathing, so that it includes a sense of the body as a whole, your posture, and facial expression. The breathing space provides a way to step out of automatic pilot mode and reconnect with the present moment. When you’re ready, open your eyes and return to your day.


MindBodyHealth
1115 Grant Street, Suite 103
Denver, CO 80203

(303) 831.6248
mail@mindbodyhealth.us
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