Quit while you're behind. You've been schooled by several posters with much more life experience and self awareness.
OP goes home devastated.
Really? Are you sure? You clearly don’t know me at all.
All I see are a bunch of people who've been triggered by their own self doubts and emotional attachment to an activity that is the main, or only thing that validates their self worth…😂
OP is devastated and desperately trying to save face. Not working.
😂😂
OP doesn’t give a sh*t about what Debate Ref thinks.
OP thinks that Debate Ref must either be a skinny, immature adolescent who is trolling for kicks, or someone who thinks that he is close to being an elite runner ( in his own mind, no one else’s…because they don’t care) and who feels attacked by this post because of all the miles he has had to put in just to validate his own self worth in his own little world…😂
Is being emotionally attached to an activity always a bad thing? I am emotionally attached to hugging my kids, it's not an addiction. I'm emotionally attached to watching certain movies, is that a problem?
It depends on how negative that activity is becoming.
They say that a glass of wine per night might convey some health benefits…
Ten glasses…not so much.
Two paracetamol take the headache away
Thirty paracetamol and we have a problem…
How do we not get this?
When you become so emotionally attached to an activity that it becomes the dominant factor in your life, when you are constantly thinking about it, when you get irritable when you can’t do it etc…then there might be a problem.
I do understand that drugs and alcohol are a problem, that's not even close to the topic here. You said "emotionally attached to an activity" which implies all activities. I'm saying you can be attached to many activities without it being a problem. I can see how someone that is exercising to the point of killing themselves or losing their job or driving their family away would be a problem, but I didn't hear anyone say that. If we are talking about running every day and training towards a goal, I don't see that as a problem.
As a couple of posters already mentioned, there are worse things to be addicted to.
Also, I'm sure it's a spectrum but people here have been framing the addictive element in terms of trying to validate one's self-image as an athlete.
I wouldn't call myself an addict but for me, the compulsion I have to run what I would concede is objectively an excessive amount is more about how it makes me feel - from dopamine or whatever. Sure, I have running goals to keep me interested but I don't care about them too much and certainly nobody else does.
The thing is, if I spent less time running, this time and energy likely wouldn't neccesarily be invested in more productive activities as many here seem to suggest
It depends on how negative that activity is becoming.
They say that a glass of wine per night might convey some health benefits…
Ten glasses…not so much.
Two paracetamol take the headache away
Thirty paracetamol and we have a problem…
How do we not get this?
When you become so emotionally attached to an activity that it becomes the dominant factor in your life, when you are constantly thinking about it, when you get irritable when you can’t do it etc…then there might be a problem.
I do understand that drugs and alcohol are a problem, that's not even close to the topic here. You said "emotionally attached to an activity" which implies all activities. I'm saying you can be attached to many activities without it being a problem. I can see how someone that is exercising to the point of killing themselves or losing their job or driving their family away would be a problem, but I didn't hear anyone say that. If we are talking about running every day and training towards a goal, I don't see that as a problem.
Where’s the line between dedication and addiction? Trying to realize one’s potential as a runner is a noble pursuit that will inherently require some trade offs. Who’s to judge?
Right. Almost everytime someone says they're limiting their training because of concerns of reasonableness or whatever, they are almost always replacing time that could be spent on exercise with tv watching, socializing, etc. What is a reasonable time to spend on these activities? I might say 20 hours of exercise a week is reasonable but only 5 hours of tv whereas someone else may say any more than 5 hours of exercise is unnecessary but see it as perfectly reasonable to watch 20 hours of tv a week
Unless you are cutting hours from work or neglecting children, spend time how you wish. There is nothing wrong with being addicted to exercise - we wouldn't say someone who spends all saturday and sunday hiking has a problem after all. Society wouldn't say someone who watches 4 football or hockey games on the weekend to be an addict with a dangerous tv problem.
The way I see it is that people are just too judgmental. I don't hang around these types who think they know best how others should spend their time. They are barely better than those who have one size fits all solutions to running your own business or getting rich investing.
I do understand that drugs and alcohol are a problem, that's not even close to the topic here. You said "emotionally attached to an activity" which implies all activities. I'm saying you can be attached to many activities without it being a problem. I can see how someone that is exercising to the point of killing themselves or losing their job or driving their family away would be a problem, but I didn't hear anyone say that. If we are talking about running every day and training towards a goal, I don't see that as a problem.
One question…
Did you actually READ the article…?
Yes. I wasn't talking about the article. Yes they have a problem. No one else can seem to site one person even close to that level, not sure we need to create a 12 step program, a label, and an article (trying to get clicks) for this.
OP, will you make sure to tell your grandchildren someday that you spent a fair amount of time and energy trying to convince people of the dangers of exercise addiction during the throes of the obesity epidemic in this country and the world, for that matter?
Yes. I wasn't talking about the article. Yes they have a problem. No one else can seem to site one person even close to that level, not sure we need to create a 12 step program, a label, and an article (trying to get clicks) for this.
Maybe this will be more successful in convincing you…if you can be bothered to read it of course…