“Some people become addicted to alcohol and gambling, others become addicted to hard physical exercise.

“In the first Danish study on fitness addiction, Ph.D. student Mia Beck Lichtenstein from the University of Southern Denmark has examined what happens when people who exercise regularly at an ordinary level start to obsess about working out and allow their training to take control over their lives.

“Almost 600 people participated in the study and 5.8 per cent of them could be defined as fitness addicts.

“‘If someone who’s addicted to physical exercise is prevented from training, that person will experience withdrawal symptoms like restlessness, frustration and guilt,’ says Lichtenstein. ‘It’s comparable to alcoholism, where withdrawal symptoms play an incredibly large part in the addict’s social life, family life and working life.'” *

In this clip from The Young Turks Ben Mankiewicz and Ana Kasparian break down this recent study and analyze their own fitness habits.