Are you a gym freak? Find out if you are addicted and obsessed with the gym and exercising in general

A gym freak is a person who is unusually addicted and obsessed with exercising and spending time in the gym. In a gym freak's life, everything from eating, working, relaxing and even having sex somehow seems connected to going to the gym. Here is a humorous yet very practical test, quiz or simply a list of questions you can answer to find out if you are a gym freak or take exercising a bit too seriously for a normal person who does not have a career in the fitness or bodybuilding industry.

1) Is gym and exercise the first thing you think about when you wake up?

As silly as this question sounds, ask any gym freak and they will tell you that the first thing they think about when they wake up is "What time do I go to the gym today?" or "What part of my body am I exercising today?" If you are doing the same, you may want to calm down and think happy thoughts or think nothing at all to give your brain a rest from all the thoughts about lifting weights or running on the treadmill.

2) How do you decide what to eat for breakfast?

If you simply pick what you find in the refrigerator or are happy with a normal yet happy breakfast, you're fine. But if your breakfast consists of carefully picked food items keeping in mind the number of ounces or grams of protein as a proportion of your body weight, and the grams of fat, cholesterol and some such, you may actually be a gym freak. A breakfast definitely is one of the most important meals of the day but really, it doesn't need to be rocket science.

3) How do you normally walk?

If you answered "like a normal person", you're fine. But if you walk around town trying your best to either pull your tummy in, show your beautiful body, toned muscles, or inflate your chest out like Jennifer Nicole Lee or Arnold Schwarzenegger, may be you are indeed, a gym freak.

4) Do you carry fitness supplements to work or everywhere you go?

It is understandable if you carry your protein powder or diet shake along with you if you head straight to the gym from work. But if you carry a shaker, protein powder or other supplements in your backpack everywhere you go, you may be obsessed with exercising.

5) How many times do you think about the gym and exercising in general?

Normal people generally answer "once" or "only when I got to the gym". Did your answer sound like "I think about the body part I am going to exercise today all the time" or "I continuously think about how much time I'm going to spend on the treadmill and cross-trainer" the gym freak inside you may be peaking. Exercising and going to the gym is something you do to keep fit and should be at the back of your mind, not on your mind all the time.

6) Assuming you have been regular in keeping up your fitness levels and are hitting the gym daily, would you consider skipping exercising for a day or two if you "just don't feel like it?"

"Yes" would be the answer a normally fit and regular person would probably give. But if you were nodding your head in absolute denial or even went to the extent of saying "Don't feel like it? What's that?" you may be addicted to exercising.

7) Would you cancel a gym session if your friend wanted you to go shopping or run some errands with him/her?

You would probably not do that every time, but hey, once in a while friends are allowed to interrupt you, aren't they? After all, what are friends for. But if your answer was on the lines of "Of course not. I wouldn't sacrifice a gym session for the world" or "Absolutely not. If he/she was really my friend, they'd know that I don't like being disturbed in the gym" the answer to the big question, are you a gym freak, may indeed be a big yes.

8) How do you decide what to eat for lunch and dinner?

Answers like "Lunch is on the go. But dinner is generally a nice and healthy home cooked meal", "Things I can cook easily" or "I like to eat home cooked meals but I may go for a takeaway every now and then when I'm too lazy to cook" are the ones normal people would give. But if lunch and dinner menu is all about calculating protein to bodyweight ratios, recommended intake, ounces or grams of fat and cholesterols and some such, you may have become an exercise freak. Eating is all about enjoying delicious, warm and skillfully cooked meals rather than weighing and minutely thinking of each gram of fat, protein, vitamins and other elements in a food item.

9) What time and how much do you sleep at night?

The average joe would probably give an answer on the lines of "I sleep when I feel sleepy. It is generally around about half past 10 or 11" or "I sleep early". A gym freak or a person who is obsessed with the technicalities of exercising and body recovery time would reply "I sleep at 10 whether I feel sleepy or not because 8 hours of sleep is necessary for the broken tissues of my muscles to recover after a workout" Which answer did you come up with?

10) What do you think when you see your naked body in the bathroom mirror?

It is okay to take a quick look at your own naked body in the mirror every morning when you have a bath. But if you spend heaps of time in front of the mirror simply flexing your biceps or looking at your toned abs, or are comparing how your body looks as compared to the previous day, you may need to tone down your thoughts about fitness. Men and women who are obsessed with exercising and sculpting their body may also spend hours in front of the mirror flexing their muscles to look like a tough guy or stretching their abs to see if they've got a sexy midriff every woman desires.

If your answers to all these questions lean towards answers that of a gym freak, you may want to tone down your outlook on gym and exercising in general.

You should also know that in no way does this article mean to demean the thought of being healthy. If you have a medical condition, eating disorders, are obese or are sensitive to weight gain, this humorous take on exercising may not apply to you. Princesswithapen is a strong advocate of healthy living and lives a healthy life in all respects.