Question

How might exercise be proper reintroduced to someone who has AN or an exercise addiction?

Answer 1

As known, Excercise addiction is a obsessive compulsive disorder where a person uncontrollably develops a need to Excercise excessively. The goal if the treatment is not eliminate excercise from one's routine completely but learning to develop a healthy diet and moderate excercise routine for physical and psychological well being. Few techniques are useful in reintroducing excercise to a excercise addicted individual.

1.Alternative indigenous methods of exercise .- Instead of introducing the previous carried out exercises, the individual should be introduced to a milder physical activity that boost the physical and psychological well being. For example - Yoga and Breathing exercises can have a tremendous effect on lowering the anxiety of an excercise addicted individual. Not only it will help in maintaining a healthy body but would also eliminate the irrational anxiety and self doubt about one's own body image.

2.Moderating the excercise-The idea is not to attain abstinence from excercise but to moderately tone it down. For example a severely addicted runner can switch to swimming for the initial days. In case, the severity of the addiction is intense, one can avoid the excercise for the initial days of the intervention and chose to initiate the excercise routine with a moderate physical excercise which does not cause physical and psychological burnouts.

3.Contingency model (Behavioural intervention). -The concept of rewards and punishment can be effective in reintroducing excercise to an excercise addicted individual. If abstinence is viewed from an intense excercise or low level of activity from the once addicted behaviour is seen, the individual is rewarded . For example, not exercising past the mentioned time would lead to a reward like extra swimming hours.