when I was little I was totally obsessed
with cleanliness everything around me
had to be spotless and immaculate this
was not just my own room but my entire
family home including the cupboards the
drawers the pantry even my parents cars
I felt like my mind just couldn’t relax
until everything around me was clean and
tidy I was forever cleaning up after my
family
whether it be vacuum cleaning the floor
or sorting my way through a disorganized
cupboard
I was simply obsessed with things being
perfect they say as you grow older that
you slowly grow out of your habits but
for me my obsession of perfectionism
stayed around the positive psychological
and physiological aspects of sport in
having an active lifestyle as
scientifically well known benefits of
having an active lifestyle include
increased life expectancy decrease in
osteoporosis heart disease and
depression based on all these benefits
one may wonder are there any downsides
so what is the difference between a
healthy passion in addiction a healthy
passion
adds to your life in addictions take
away from it addictions come in many
forms and sport is no exception
Sport addictions sound ridiculous when
we think of addictions we think of
things that harm our bodies and things
that are bad for us such as drugs and
alcohol
however sport addiction is real and
harmful a person who is addicted to
alcohol as seen as being worthless in a
failure
in comparison a successful athlete is
looked upon and celebrated just because
you’re an athlete doesn’t mean you
aren’t damaging your body with you’re
addicted to sport or addicted to alcohol
you are all damaging your body to some
degree and all go through rehabilitation
at some point most athletes can relate
to that high that you get after a hard
training session or game which is
triggered by the release of our happy
hormones such as endorphins which have
mood altering effects these are fixed
are just like those produced from drugs
sports etics share many symptoms with
other etics
they harm their bodies and don’t allow
themselves a chance to recover but it’s
not just a question of physical damage
sports
edek suffer psychological damage as well
you can become dependent on training for
feeling good and life outside of
training becomes boring you can begin to
develop a tolerance to the high and the
highest stops coming all together you
need more and more exercise in order to
get that same effect and when you’re not
exercising you suffer similar withdrawal
symptoms as any other edit including
sports addictions also have a negative
effect on your social life cancelling
catch ups with friends as you’d prefer
to train or your can’t see not mentally
present mean with others as you are
focused and preparing yourself for that
next training session high it consumes
every thought controls your happiness
and self-worth and takes away from you
living a happy healthy balanced life as
you get sucked in and lost and winning
that then begins to take a toll on your
mental health and resilience which then
determines how
you are as a person you can find
yourself in a hole that you feel stuck
in you can feel so good about your
redefine what success looks like for you
instead of being that gold medal or that
personal best I’m success may look more
like turning up to training having fun
being nickel free having good nutrition
good sleep or simply just meditating for
five minutes every day I’ve had to learn
how to become less perfect less intense
in less focused on my ultimate outcomes
maintaining the joy of success is key in
sport addictions the constant need to
exercise often more than your body can
handle can disrupt your training and
performances it can be the beginning of
a downward spiral towards both short and
long term health consequences no one
likes to ever admit they’re in the wrong
acceptance can be a true mental
challenge as you continue to put your
body under constant stress it is
deteriorating right from your gums to
your brain it can bring you to a state
where you can no longer compete and in
fact some conditions can be deadly I
have experienced my body breaking down
right before my eyes I did not want to
admit that I needed to slow down and not
be so perfect and obsessed there was
this voice that constantly reappeared
inside me telling me I’m overweight I
need to keep pushing my body to the
limits train more eat less in only eat
certain types of foods the harmful
effects of sport addictions and not well
understood nor widely recognised and the
social perception differs significantly
from any other type of addiction intense
repetitive training can be
required in order to meet you desired
outcomes many athletes suffer injuries
through high-level trainings and games
just like how many musicians suffer
injuries through over practice and
constant repetition highly talented
people are capable of exciting
mind-blowing and sometimes crazy things
but are all of them addicts probably not
accepting that there will be some
guaranteed damage along the way that’s
part of adaption growth and being a high
performer however many walk a fine line
between commitment and adduction and
show their obsessive commitment beyond
ordinary levels has the potential for
both outstanding achievements and
significant self harm high levels of
exertion can cause serious harm and
lifelong health consequences including
chronic malnutrition which is another
form of growth failure failure to
achieve peak Bo mess which is the
maximum amount of bone you acquire in
your lifetime this typically happens for
females in their early twenties and
males in their late twenties failure to
achieve peak bone mass increases your
risk of osteoporosis in adulthood and in
stress fractures and lastly another
health consequence is immune suppression
which has been there is a reduction in
the effectiveness of your immune system
all of these outcomes will disrupt your
performances which is ironically what
athletes fear the most it’s especially
hard for young girls to explore their
way through puberty and maintain their
performances the body often develops in
a way that is misaligned with the ideal
preferences of the athlete Sport
understand that going through puberty is
only a very small phase of your
development and not a long term
application do not try and fight thus
essential phase of life
I urge you to listen to your body and
listen to your health understand that
when your period starts it’s not
necessarily going to slow you down just
because you have put on extra body fat
it’s also due to your hips widening
defined waist development of breasts and
your limbs start to change length as
soon as you put on extra body fat and
your performances start to slow down
that voice creeps in that you’re not
training hard enough and that you need
to eat less figuring out who I was
outside of my sport was a true mental
challenge Sport does not have to define
you to realize that you have value
outside of your performances is crucial
these are not what makes you who you
Sport addiction is not taken seriously
by everyone let’s get out of that bubble
and start talking to our peers coaches
and parents and make this a normal and
open topic and the big thing is is
getting those coaches peers athletes and
parents who aren’t aware of the risks
more aware so we can prevent these
issues that I’ve been through so let’s
learn off each other never feel like
you’re having to battle through this
addiction alone confront in the future
sport is only a very small part of your
life thank you [Applause]
with cleanliness everything around me
had to be spotless and immaculate this
was not just my own room but my entire
family home including the cupboards the
drawers the pantry even my parents cars
I felt like my mind just couldn’t relax
until everything around me was clean and
tidy I was forever cleaning up after my
family
whether it be vacuum cleaning the floor
or sorting my way through a disorganized
cupboard
I was simply obsessed with things being
perfect they say as you grow older that
you slowly grow out of your habits but
for me my obsession of perfectionism
stayed around the positive psychological
and physiological aspects of sport in
having an active lifestyle as
scientifically well known benefits of
having an active lifestyle include
increased life expectancy decrease in
osteoporosis heart disease and
depression based on all these benefits
one may wonder are there any downsides
so what is the difference between a
healthy passion in addiction a healthy
passion
adds to your life in addictions take
away from it addictions come in many
forms and sport is no exception
Sport addictions sound ridiculous when
we think of addictions we think of
things that harm our bodies and things
that are bad for us such as drugs and
alcohol
however sport addiction is real and
harmful a person who is addicted to
alcohol as seen as being worthless in a
failure
in comparison a successful athlete is
looked upon and celebrated just because
you’re an athlete doesn’t mean you
aren’t damaging your body with you’re
addicted to sport or addicted to alcohol
you are all damaging your body to some
degree and all go through rehabilitation
at some point most athletes can relate
to that high that you get after a hard
training session or game which is
triggered by the release of our happy
hormones such as endorphins which have
mood altering effects these are fixed
are just like those produced from drugs
sports etics share many symptoms with
other etics
they harm their bodies and don’t allow
themselves a chance to recover but it’s
not just a question of physical damage
sports
edek suffer psychological damage as well
you can become dependent on training for
feeling good and life outside of
training becomes boring you can begin to
develop a tolerance to the high and the
highest stops coming all together you
need more and more exercise in order to
get that same effect and when you’re not
exercising you suffer similar withdrawal
symptoms as any other edit including
sports addictions also have a negative
effect on your social life cancelling
catch ups with friends as you’d prefer
to train or your can’t see not mentally
present mean with others as you are
focused and preparing yourself for that
next training session high it consumes
every thought controls your happiness
and self-worth and takes away from you
living a happy healthy balanced life as
you get sucked in and lost and winning
that then begins to take a toll on your
mental health and resilience which then
determines how
you are as a person you can find
yourself in a hole that you feel stuck
in you can feel so good about your
redefine what success looks like for you
instead of being that gold medal or that
personal best I’m success may look more
like turning up to training having fun
being nickel free having good nutrition
good sleep or simply just meditating for
five minutes every day I’ve had to learn
how to become less perfect less intense
in less focused on my ultimate outcomes
maintaining the joy of success is key in
sport addictions the constant need to
exercise often more than your body can
handle can disrupt your training and
performances it can be the beginning of
a downward spiral towards both short and
long term health consequences no one
likes to ever admit they’re in the wrong
acceptance can be a true mental
challenge as you continue to put your
body under constant stress it is
deteriorating right from your gums to
your brain it can bring you to a state
where you can no longer compete and in
fact some conditions can be deadly I
have experienced my body breaking down
right before my eyes I did not want to
admit that I needed to slow down and not
be so perfect and obsessed there was
this voice that constantly reappeared
inside me telling me I’m overweight I
need to keep pushing my body to the
limits train more eat less in only eat
certain types of foods the harmful
effects of sport addictions and not well
understood nor widely recognised and the
social perception differs significantly
from any other type of addiction intense
repetitive training can be
required in order to meet you desired
outcomes many athletes suffer injuries
through high-level trainings and games
just like how many musicians suffer
injuries through over practice and
constant repetition highly talented
people are capable of exciting
mind-blowing and sometimes crazy things
but are all of them addicts probably not
accepting that there will be some
guaranteed damage along the way that’s
part of adaption growth and being a high
performer however many walk a fine line
between commitment and adduction and
show their obsessive commitment beyond
ordinary levels has the potential for
both outstanding achievements and
significant self harm high levels of
exertion can cause serious harm and
lifelong health consequences including
chronic malnutrition which is another
form of growth failure failure to
achieve peak Bo mess which is the
maximum amount of bone you acquire in
your lifetime this typically happens for
females in their early twenties and
males in their late twenties failure to
achieve peak bone mass increases your
risk of osteoporosis in adulthood and in
stress fractures and lastly another
health consequence is immune suppression
which has been there is a reduction in
the effectiveness of your immune system
all of these outcomes will disrupt your
performances which is ironically what
athletes fear the most it’s especially
hard for young girls to explore their
way through puberty and maintain their
performances the body often develops in
a way that is misaligned with the ideal
preferences of the athlete Sport
understand that going through puberty is
only a very small phase of your
development and not a long term
application do not try and fight thus
essential phase of life
I urge you to listen to your body and
listen to your health understand that
when your period starts it’s not
necessarily going to slow you down just
because you have put on extra body fat
it’s also due to your hips widening
defined waist development of breasts and
your limbs start to change length as
soon as you put on extra body fat and
your performances start to slow down
that voice creeps in that you’re not
training hard enough and that you need
to eat less figuring out who I was
outside of my sport was a true mental
challenge Sport does not have to define
you to realize that you have value
outside of your performances is crucial
these are not what makes you who you
Sport addiction is not taken seriously
by everyone let’s get out of that bubble
and start talking to our peers coaches
and parents and make this a normal and
open topic and the big thing is is
getting those coaches peers athletes and
parents who aren’t aware of the risks
more aware so we can prevent these
issues that I’ve been through so let’s
learn off each other never feel like
you’re having to battle through this
addiction alone confront in the future
sport is only a very small part of your
life thank you [Applause]
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