One of the most popular New Year’s resolutions involves starting or getting back into an exercise program. The usual marketing and social media focus on “getting fit in the new year” can also have unintended negative impacts on those who already struggle with an often-ignored mental health issue called compulsive exercise (sometimes referred to as exercise addiction).
Below, Laura Kelley, media relations professional in the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Office of Communications, speaks with Emily Hemendinger, LCSW, MPH, CPH, ACS, the clinical director of the OCD Program and assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, about this often misunderstood disorder and its harmful effects.