Compulsive Exercise

Written By Maeve Gale

What Is Compulsive Exercise—and Why Does It Matter in Eating Disorders?

We often associate eating disorders with food restriction, bingeing, or purging—but there’s another dangerous behaviour that shows up often: compulsive exercise.

In fact, compulsive exercise is one of the most common behaviours seen in people with eating disorders. Research shows it can increase the risk of physical complications (like injuries and heart issues), and even suicidal behaviours. But despite its serious impacts, it’s often ignored or misunderstood.

So, to start at the beginning: what exactly is compulsive exercise?

Excessive vs. Compulsive: Why Language Matters

The term excessive exercise is often used interchangeably with compulsive exercise. But there’s a growing consensus that this term isn’t quite accurate—especially when we're talking about eating disorders.

The word excessive suggests a problem with quantity: too much time at the gym, too many steps, too many workouts. But how much is too much? That depends on a lot of factors—age, health, fitness level, even personal goals.

Take a marathon runner, for example. Their weekly training would be excessive for most people, but for them, it’s just part of the sport. On the other hand, a person with anorexia nervosa might be medically unstable—and for them, even low-intensity exercise could be physically dangerous.

So it’s not about how much someone is exercising. It’s about why and how they’re doing it.

What Is Compulsive Exercise?

The term compulsive exercise is more useful, and more accurate, in the context of eating disorders.

Rather than being defined by how long or how often someone exercises, compulsive exercise is about rigid, rule-bound patterns that are driven by emotional distress or fear. People feel compelled to exercise—often to manage anxiety, guilt, or fear of weight gain—even when they’re not enjoying it, injured, or exhausted.

A Working Definition

A group of expert clinicians (Dittmer et al., 2018) proposed a practical definition for compulsive exercise in eating disorders. They broke it down into three core areas:

Criterion A: Behaviour

  • Exercise is rigid, driven, and rule-based.

  • It's used to avoid negative emotions (like guilt or anxiety) or feared consequences (like weight gain).

  • The person may feel out of control, or compelled to follow strict exercise routines.

Importantly, there’s no fixed amount that makes exercise compulsive—it’s about context and impact, not numbers.

Criterion B: Impact

  • Exercise continues despite pain, injury, illness, or clear signs it’s causing harm.

  • It interferes with relationships, work, or daily life.

  • The person may not enjoy it anymore—it becomes a chore, not a choice.

Optional Criterion C: Insight

  • The individual may or may not recognize their behaviour as problematic.

  • Some may be open to change; others may feel unable to stop.

Why Accurate Definition is Important

Framing compulsive exercise around its psychological and emotional drivers—rather than just time or intensity—allows clinicians and researchers to more accurately assess and treat it.

Not all high-quantity exercise is compulsive or harmful.
And not all compulsive exercise is high in volume.

What makes it problematic is the distress it causes, the rigidity of the patterns, and the harm it leads to—physically, emotionally, and socially.

Towards Safer, Healthier Movement in Recovery

Accurately defining and understanding compulsive exercise is so important for finding better, more effective ways to heal from it. And that’s not about abandoning movement altogether. Research shows that safe movement can play a valuable role in recovery, when it’s approached with care.

Here are four core principles from current models of recovery:

  1. Health & Safety: Exercise should never compromise physical wellbeing.

  2. Body Appreciation: Focus on what the body can do, not how it looks.

  3. Mind-Body Connection: Use movement to reconnect with the body, not control it.

  4. Social Inclusion: Movement should support social connection, not isolation.

Considering Your Relationship with Exercise

If you are considering your own relationship with exercise, you can start by asking yourself - and perhaps journalling around - these questions. They are adapted from clinical questions developed by Dittmer et al. (2018):

  • Do you feel like you have to exercise and can’t resist doing it?

  • Why do you have to exercise? What would happen if you didn’t?

  • Does your exercise behaviour bother you?

  • Do you keep exercising when you’re sick or injured?

  • Does your exercise interfere with your relationships, work, or other parts of life?

  • Do you feel anxious, guilty, or upset if you miss a workout?

If you’re concerned about your exercise habits, it’s time to talk to someone - whether that’s a trusted person in your life, or a professional. They can help you to unpack the thoughts, feelings and behaviours that are coming up for you, and help you to find a safer, more embodied, and more enjoyable relationship with exercise.

If you are curious about starting this journey, please reach out at hello@maevecounselling or book in here.

Maeve Gale
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Creating a Body Safe Culture