I am an exercise addict!

I was speaking to my sister today and she called me an addict...an exercise addict! I know some may not think being an exercise addict is a bad thing, but I don't believe that any types of addictions can be good. I am definitely not an exercise addict, and I know that the first step is to admit it. Now, I don't think I can stop exercising, I always have to be active whether it's just going to the gym or playing a sport. Last night I was actually looking into taking up a new sport. Perhaps taking tennis or swimming lessons. I know how to swim, but I want to be be able to do all the strokes and swim laps. I am definitely not a strong swimmer. Considering all the couch potatoes out there, being an exercise addict may not be that bad, but I really don't think it's good either.

Here are signs that you are an exercise addict:

• You feel that more exercise is better. An addict feels that more exercise is better therefore they spend hours in the gym, everyday and don't take a day off!

Excessive exercise is actually not good for you and can lead to injuries. I personally only workout 1 hour a day and after 1 hour of working out, I am out! I do not exercise everyday either. Your body needs time to recover!

• You workout even when tired or injured. This is generally not a good idea. Unless you are a professional athlete who gets paid then why risk it.

I don't like getting injured and don't like pain, hospital, stitches, etc so I am usually really cautious about this. When I am tired, I know it's time to rest.

• You prevent interactions and fail to attend functions and invitations because you cannot miss a day of not working out.

Sometimes I do exercise because I don't have anything better to do, but I don't turn down invitations because I need to workout. I do sometimes avoid situations where it involves drinking alcohol and eating foods that I don't usually eat.

• You believe in the "no pain, no gain" principle. Some people actually believe that unless it hurts, they are not working out hard enough?

So these are some signs that you are an exercise addict! The answer is no, I am not an exercise addict!

So I still have not completely decided whether I will compete in May. I worked out really hard on Monday and during my workout, at times, I thought to myself, "do you really want to do this...it's not easy"! You see, I tend to workout harder when I am preparing for a competition, and I make sure I do every rep. Do I really want to make all those sacrifices I will need to in order to prepare? The diet part is the easier part of competing (except for the last 2 weeks). What is even most difficult is maintaining muscle and not losing muscle. I do have to decide soon but in the meantime, I am going to continue to train as if I am going to compete on May 10th!