How Crazy Is Compulsive Behavior at the Gym?

Some people insist on using the same exercise machine. Some repeat a mantra while they run. Some have to wear the same headband, with the logo in the same position. Are they crazy? Or are they just doing what they have to do to get through their routine? How about answers numbers one and two. Abby Ellin talks about compulsive gym behavior with trainers and shrinks in this piece in the New York Times, and comes away with an attitude that is way more sympathetic than anything Geezer has seen in the gym rats in his neighborhood. Ellin quotes Joan S. Ingalls, a sports counselor in New York, explaining that  “One definitely needs to be in a particular
psychological and emotional state to exercise. People can
create so-called markers in the environment that stimulate the
emotional state that they need to exercise.” 
Read more in the New York Times.