Do you work out twice a day? Have you found yourself missing commitments to go to the gym? Do you fit your workout into your day or does your day fit into your workout?  If you have asked yourself these questions, you may suffer from exercise addiction.

For most of us, regular exercise is a healthy habit.  However, today as many as 10 percent of runners and bodybuilders are classified as excessive exercisers.  According to the Harvard School of Public Health, the average person only needs 30-45 minutes per day of exercise to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but there are many people who feel adding an extra 1-2 hours on to that regiment automatically gives them the upper hand with their health.  They fail to realize that it doesn't work that way.

"From a strength and conditioning standpoint, excessive exercise is when the catabolic effects of rigorous exercise exceed anabolic effects of muscle building and bone reformation," said Christian Barnes, exercise science lecturer at UNCW. "Basically, stressing the body more than one can keep up with."

Those with exercise addiction often become dependent upon the pleasure it brings them and become unable to stop. There is an excess release of endorphins in the brain during exercise, causing a gratifying feeling resembling that of a drug. Too often gym-goers become addicted to that pleasure, yet fail to see the damage they are causing their bodies.

In 2011, a study was conducted in Britain to compare the heart damages of excessive exercise on active and retired Olympic athletes ages 26-67 years old. The control group included 20 healthy adults 50 years of age and older who were not Olympic athletes. Exercise addiction was proven most prevalent among those 20 years of age to those in their mid-thirties, however there were cases in athletes older than 50.

The young adults and control group showed no serious damage to their hearts. Conversely, the group of retired Olympic athletes aged 50-67 had relevant heart damage. Half of the older Olympic group was diagnosed with fibrosis (scarring) of the heart. This particular half included those that had worked the most vigorously over their careers, proving strenuous exercise can be seriously damaging to the body.

So how do you know if you're exercising too much?

"In 1890, a study was conducted on exercise throughout a man's day. At 4:30 a.m. he would chop wood. He would make breakfast, change, and walk four miles to work as a doctor. After he would walk home four miles, chop more wood, make dinner and go to bed just to do it all over again," said Barnes. "Genetically we all respond differently to exercise as a mechanical stress."

Regardless of how much you exercise, how it will affect you is dependent on your genetic background and personal lifestyle. For the man mentioned above, that was an average day. However, for the average man today, that may be more exercise than they perform in a week.

Today, if you are a male with less than 5 percent body fat, or a female below 8 percent, then you most likely need to cut down on your exercise. But there are other, simpler, ways to tell.

"You've got nerves in your body and an inflammation system. If it hurts? Then stop!" said UNCW professor Robert Boyce. "Start off very easy if you are not used to exercise. In the first two weeks there should be no severe soreness. Soreness means injury."

According to Barnes, there is often a four-stage process in the bodily functions of adults addicted to exercise. The first stage involves altered neuron function. The cells in your body begin to function improperly. The second stage involves altered motor unit movement, or lack of muscle coordination. The third stage involves mood alteration, increased blood pressure, and an altered immune system. Lastly the fourth stage involves sickness, infection, and emotional and sleep disturbances. But these symptoms may vary depending on the specific person.

Exercise can serve as a positive outlet for anyone willing to take the time to do it. However, it is easier to overdo exercise than one would think. Take it slow, monitor your progress, and if something begins to hurt, stop!

Love is in the air. The birds are chirping, stores are filled with a sweet, chocolatey aroma, and-wait, what's this? A new message from Bustybabe91? That's right, you too can now "chat online with babes all day."

Online dating may soon become the go-to place to find your future husband or wife. As surprising as that might sound, it was reported by the business firm Chadwick Martin Bailey that in 2010, 1 out of 6 couples found love online. This statistic is rising each year, with more people turning to cyberspace for their significant other, including myself. I've been in a happy relationship for nearly half a year.

There's a lot to like about online dating. It's convenient, easy to set up, and makes the selection process as easy as hitting the "block" button on your computer screen. However, there are a few negative aspects to choosing a partner online.

Psychologists from the Association for Psychological Science generally agree that although the online "profiles" we create and browse are made with our intentions clear, it's often the case that what we perceive as desirable for ourselves is not always realistic. Another problem is the sheer number of profiles at disposal when browsing these dating sites. Rather than settling for a potential partner, one can simply hit next and continue their search for the perfect one-much like shopping for a pair of jeans or shoes.

Popularized by MTV's television show "Catfish," fake profiles have been trending too. These profiles will bait naïve users into relationships that hold no face value. The online dating world can be a hunting ground for people like this, and it's important to request some form of verification before proceeding to give away personal information about yourself.

It's not all bad news, though. Online dating is indeed a great invention for those who don't have the time to find that special someone in a real-world setting. By setting realistic goals and not limiting yourself to the top 5 percent in compatibility, nearly anyone can find someone they fancy.

With technology quickly integrating itself into every corner of everyday life, many students attending college in the past decade have migrated their dating life into an online setting where it's more manageable. Instead of wasting time and resource on a disastrous first date, discovering interests, hobbies, and personality traits before going out may save you a lot of headache on top of stress from school and work.

Here's some advice: do not hesitate to meet someone if they check out. My partner and I met only a few hours after I created my profile. We went on a date the same night. Also, keep online dating strictly for meeting people to date and set up a night out sooner rather than later or else you're no closer to discovering a spark between the two of you.

Any single person interested in getting their feet wet in the online world should not hesitate. According to Google Trends, Match.com reigns as the most popular dating website whereas OkCupid is increasing in popularity and coming in a close second. UNCW students may find their niche on DateMySchool.com (a new dating website that's slowly but surely making an impression) where like-minded college students can date people who are going to college or who have already graduated.