Fitness trainer Kiersten Pagani shares her powerful journey through exercise addiction and how she found her way back to a healthy relationship with movement after multiple injuries and surgeries.

• Exercise obsession defined as an uncontrolled relationship with working out driven by overwhelming urge rather than enjoyment
• Statistical insights: exercise addiction affects 3% of general population, 8.2% of gym members, 14% of endurance athletes, and 17% of elite athletes
• Workout addiction often intertwined with other disorders – 48% also have eating disorders and 56% suffer from depressive disorders
• The gradual shift from healthy habits to harmful compulsion often goes unnoticed by the individual
• Key warning signs include extreme guilt when missing workouts and prioritizing exercise over important relationships
• Exercise becomes permission to eat or punishment for eating in unhealthy relationships
• Kirsten's personal journey included teaching multiple classes daily while doing additional workouts
• Physical consequences included five ankle surgeries, spinal issues, and impending knee replacements
• Finding balance means viewing exercise as enjoyable rather than obligation
• Risk vs. reward assessment is crucial when choosing fitness activities

Exercise should be something you look forward to – a small but important fraction of your day that brings joy rather than anxiety or obligation.