An Addiction To Walking: When More Walking Is Never Enough

It usually takes time and effort to start moving. You need a lot of self-control and a lot of willpower to make exercise a habit. However, can exercise also become harmful? Yes of course. When movement becomes the center of our lives, it can become an obsession. We will constantly crave more. An example of this obsession is an addiction to walking.

Once it becomes a habit, it can become an irreplaceable hobby in our lives. Exercise has so many benefits to offer. You are physically more in shape and have a better appearance. It also creates more positive emotions.

The benefits of walking

Exercise contributes to better health. On the one hand, it helps to prevent cardiovascular problems and other chronic conditions. It also reduces the risk of premature death. Exercise also improves mood and encourages positive emotions. In addition, it affects our sleep quality. However, what are the specific benefits of walking?

This activity can cause a feeling of euphoria. It’s called a  runner’s high. Runners high is a phenomenon that researchers have studied extensively. It is a neurological reward that occurs after running long distances.

The effects are obvious. It improves mood and induces a sense of well-being. At the same time, it reduces all sensations of pain.

How do we end an addiction to walking?

Walking is therefore a behavior with positive effects. How then can it become an addiction and be harmful? The reality is that walking involves a range of physiological, psychological and sociocultural factors that contribute to this danger and can lead to an addiction to walking.

What happens at the physiological level when we walk? The endogenous opioid system in our brain is activated. Opioid substances are induced. This contributes to an analgesic effect and an increase in emotional well-being.

Psychologically, there are a number of factors that influence this process. For starters, they improve our mental state. Walking regularly leads to an increase in self-esteem and self-confidence. It also strengthens social relationships.

Finally, there are also the socio-cultural factors that have to do with the image of the “ideal” body. They have an important impact. We see walking as a way to be in perfect physical condition.

However, the danger is that walking becomes a means to obtain some personal benefits such as a better body.

When do people become addicted to walking?

First, the habit of walking isn’t necessarily bad. If you follow a regular and balanced routine, you can actually reap the benefits without harming yourself.

The addiction occurs when we no longer practice walking for pleasure. Rather, it becomes an obligation, an obsession that determines our routine. We then lose the ability to control this behavior. This increases our chances of sustaining injuries and experiencing discomfort.

When we are dealing with an addiction, our behavior has usually also changed. That’s because we feel like we need to move. For that reason, we become more restless and irritable in other areas of our lives.

We can also push these other areas aside as walking comes to the fore. Our social life, family life and work can be disadvantaged because walking is our main goal. We even start to neglect things that we used to consider important.

Featured images courtesy of Seth Macey, Steven Lelham and Emma Simpson.