Therapy for Exercise Addiction
in Orlando, Florida
Specialized Eating Disorder Treatment for Exercise Addiction
with a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist
Looking to find a therapist for exercise addiction?
Serving clients looking for therapy for eating disorders in Florida, New Jersey, and 40 other states.
You can glow again. Heal from Exercise Addiction today.
Exercise Addiction Therapy in Florida (Virtual & In-Person)
When movement stops feeling joyful and starts feeling compulsory, something deeper is happening.
You might love fitness… but sometimes, it doesn’t feel like love anymore.
Maybe you feel restless, guilty, or panicked if you miss a workout.
Maybe exercise feels like the only way to calm your thoughts, silence anxiety, control your body, or feel like you deserve food or rest.
If movement is costing you your peace, your relationships, your body, or your joy — you are not alone.
Exercise addiction is real, and recovery is possible.
What Is Exercise Addiction?
Exercise addiction is a compulsive relationship with movement — where “healthy,” “disciplined,” or “high-achieving” motivation turns into fear-driven obligation.
It often begins with genuine goals:
getting stronger,
improving health,
reconnecting with movement,
healing trauma through the body.
But over time, the rules tighten, the pressure rises, and exercise becomes something you must do — not something you choose.
Common Signs of Exercise Addiction
You might see yourself in some of these patterns:
Panic or guilt when you miss a workout
Exercising even when injured or sick
Prioritizing workouts above relationships or responsibilities
Feeling worthless or anxious if you don’t exercise
Needing more and more movement to feel relief
Exercising to “earn” food
Feeling irritable or depressed without exercise
Using exercise to regulate emotions instead of movement for pleasure
Constant tracking of calories, steps, miles, or numbers
Struggling to sit still or rest
Anger or shame when someone suggests cutting back
Sometimes, the world praises you for the very thing that’s harming you.
Why can’t I stop exercising?
Why Exercise Addiction Develops
Most people don’t become addicted to exercise because they love working out — they become addicted because exercising protects them from something painful underneath:
perfectionism
body image shame
unresolved trauma
eating disorders
anxiety
obsessive thoughts
worth tied to achievement
fear of emotions
identity built around strength & discipline
cultural pressure
social media comparison
Exercise becomes the place where emotional pain is numbed, organized, or avoided.
Exercise Addiction & Eating Disorders
Exercise addiction is extremely common in people with:
anorexia
bulimia
binge eating disorder
orthorexia
body dysmorphia
chronic dieting patterns
It may show up as:
working out to “compensate” for eating
punishing yourself after food
strict step or calorie goals
compulsive need to move when anxious
Treatment must address both the exercise and the eating disorder — one cannot be healed without the other.
The Cost of Compulsive Exercise
Exercise addiction can lead to:
injury / chronic pain
stress fractures
hormonal shutdown
loss of menstruation
low bone density
muscle breakdown
weakened immune system
chronic fatigue
sleep disturbances
isolation
worsening depression
anxiety spikes
Emotionally, it can create a life that feels:
small
rigid
unforgiving
lonely
If you’ve reached a point where your body, schedule, or relationships are breaking under the pressure — it’s time to talk.
Healing begins with one small step of courage. Begin your recovery from exercise addiction today.
How Therapy Helps
Exercise addiction isn’t about taking something away — it’s about expanding choice.
Together, we will:
• Understand the function:
Why exercise became necessary for safety/identity/relief.
• Treat the underlying anxiety & trauma:
If your nervous system is dysregulated, “just resting” is impossible.
• Challenge belief systems:
Perfectionism, worth tied to productivity, “earning food,” body shame.
• Rebuild flexibility:
Rest days, balanced routines, gentler forms of movement.
• Reconnect to the body:
Not as a machine — but as a human place needing care.
• Heal eating disorder symptoms (if present):
Movement, food, and body image are not separate.
Therapy Modalities Used
Your treatment may include:
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Trauma-informed care
Somatic and nervous-system work
Cognitive restructuring
Exposure therapy
Identity and meaning-making
DBT/CBT skills
Attachment work
Perfectionism & people-pleasing treatment
We go deeper than habit change — we change the internal system driving the compulsion.
When to Seek Help
People often wait until something breaks — a bone, a relationship, or dignity.
Reach out if:
movement feels required, not chosen
rest feels terrifying
workouts dictate your life
missing a day spirals you emotionally
you feel ashamed talking about it
food and exercise are linked
You don’t have to be “sick enough” to deserve support.
Exercise Addiction in Athletes
For athletes, performers, and high achievers, exercise addiction may look like:
training beyond coach recommendations
panic about losing progress
shame when resting
identity collapse at the thought of injury
Therapy supports performance without self-destruction.
Teen Exercise Addiction
Teens may hide compulsive exercise behind:
sports
fitness goals
health trends
body image insecurities
peer influence
Early intervention protects physical growth, fertility, and self-worth.
Our Approach to Recovery
We won’t judge you or take movement away.
You will not be shamed.
You will be supported — at a pace that feels safe.
Our goal is to help you:
rest without panic
exercise because you want to, not need to
feel enough without numbers
build identity beyond discipline
reconnect to joy
Why Work With Us
As a licensed psychologist & eating disorder specialist, I understand the intersection of:
trauma
perfectionism
body image
performance culture
identity collapse
control dynamics
You deserve care from someone who truly understands this pattern — not someone who tells you to “just stop exercising.”
Exercise Addiction Therapy in Florida
(Telehealth Across PSYPACT States)
We offer:
weekly individual therapy
virtual care anywhere in Florida
specialization in eating disorders and exercise dependence
cash-pay privacy & flexibility
trauma-informed treatment
Whether exercise addiction is new or years old, this can be your turning point.
Take the Next Step
If you’re reading this, it’s already affecting you.
If you’ve tried to slow down and couldn’t, you’re not weak — you’re stuck in a nervous system pattern.
Let’s talk.
Reach out for a free consultation and we can explore what healing might look like together.
You don’t have to choose between movement and freedom.
You are allowed to rest.
You are allowed to be human.