Zojnik has translated for you this column by Samantha Kellgren on fitness without obsession . The author is the creator of simplywellcoaching.com, marathon fan, Certified Personal Trainer (ACSM), Healthy Lifestyle Consultant (ACE), Running Instructor (RRCA).
This column was reviewed by The PTDC community of American trainers and included the material in top recommended reading articles.
I’ve always been praised for my willpower, but truth be told, it’s very easy to get up at 6 a.m. for a run or kick in a BootCamp workout after a long day of work simply because I haven’t seen any other option. And this mentality – that rest and delicious extra calories must be earned – began to gradually poison my life.
A huge number of people, mostly women, fall into the same trap. They eat so much that we can already talk about RPP, but they do not gain the necessary amounts of important nutrients. They go to the gym too often, but they do not train in such a way as to really change their body. Often quite slender, but not enough to be pleased with themselves.
From the outside, it looks like purposefulness. You seem to be eating right and enjoying sports. But in reality, you are driven by an extremely unhealthy mindset, which includes giving up your favorite foods and fearing weight gain.
Here are 5 signs that you are overly obsessed with fitness:
1. You think that you can eat as much as you worked out in training
I’ve just tied my calorie intake to training for years, years . After heavy crossings, with a clear conscience, I overeat and indulge in cocktails, but the thought of behaving the same way when the workout was not so tiring made me feel guilty. This trap is easy to fall into, but even easier to get out: just “untie” calories from exercise. ( From Zozhnik : this behavior is a direct path to RPP. In general, the various signs of RPP and what to do with them (go to a specialist!) – described in more detail in our book “9 Steps to Healthy Weight Loss” – here are the reviews and contents of the book ).
We can eat a lot more than dieters eat , and low calorie intake doesn’t mean you’re eating “right.” Ever since I started dumbly eating as much as I needed and switched to flexible training, there has been a dramatic change. My body just found its optimal weight on its own – and I didn’t put much effort into it!
Treat your workouts like the icing on the cake (easy trolling , yes). We burn the vast majority of calories through our daily activities. Think about how hungry you feel after a hard day at work. This is because your brain also uses this energy and needs calories. You burn tons of calories just by supporting your metabolism and organ function, so if you “just” did yoga, your body still needs enough food to cover its costs.
2. You try to move as much as possible on rest days, and because of unplanned skipping workouts, your conscience gnaws.
From time to time, we need to take a break from this mental stress of not plowing enough in the gym. It is unhealthy to blame yourself for skipping a workout (even if it is a “legitimate” rest day). In fact, this is the clearest signal that your fitness hobby has become an obsession.
Tell me honestly, extremely honestly: does your conscience torment you for not doing anything on your rest day? Afraid that you’ll get fat right away if you don’t get your 10,000 steps?
When I finally gave up and started really resting on my rest days, life became much easier. I can go on a hike if it was planned, but I can also calmly read a book while lying on the couch. I like to be active, I can stretch , for example, but at the same time I will not think about counting calories and steps at all.
When you rest, the body recovers from the damage it has suffered from training. Not getting enough rest means more injury and less muscle mass. In addition, returning to the first point, if you eat less on rest days or light training days, where will the body take energy to repair and build muscles?
Let’s face it: nothing bad will happen if you decide to take a break. The body will only thank you for the time spent resting and repairing. A week of training will not get you in perfect shape, and in the same way a week (or more!) Of complete relaxation – without remorse – will not spoil anything.
3. Something bad makes you move towards sports goals.
Ideally, fitness goals should motivate and empower you. But if something goes wrong, they can make you obsessive and just take away any joy from what you are doing.
Here are two questions that I suggest you ask yourself before you opt for exercise or diet.
Who needs it? Do not rush to blurt out: “Yes to me myself, who else ?!” Think carefully first. Because I know a bunch of people who were dumped, and they are now painfully trying to lose weight in order to show those who have ditched “whom they have lost.” You don’t need it yourself. I also met a lot of marathon participants who ended up there only because their friends wanted to master the marathon. If you are not a fan of running, I conjure you don’t do this, as you will end up just hating life!
An easy way to decide is to think, would you like to achieve this goal, even if no one ever knows about it? No one will notice how hard you tried and how much progress you made?
How will you feel if it doesn’t work out? Imagine how you will feel if, for some reason, you fail to achieve your ultimate goal. Can you be proud of what you did, or won’t it matter without the top prize?
The ability to perceive every step towards a goal as a success is critical to a healthy attitude to training. If you are not capable, then there is a great risk that fitness obsession will poison your life.
4. Fitness photos on social media make you compare yourself to others
At first, subscribing to thousands of athletic accounts seemed to be motivating. Every day you see gorgeous bodies and reminders of the importance of moving more. Do your best and never miss your main workout on Monday!
However, as I see in numerous examples, this “motivation” turns into a trap in which you again blame yourself for falling too far behind the fitness stars.
How do you feel when you scroll through the Instagram feed ? How many bookmarks have you made with diet advice, low-calorie substitutes, and outright fat phobia ?
Constant self-flushing of the brain with images of super- slim people and their calls to “be healthier” distorts the idea of what is actually healthy.
Maybe they helped at first, but when you feel worse in your own body, having created too many idols, the time has come for social detox – a refusal from all this “motivating” binge of “health”. Trust me, I went through this!
5. You begin to perceive yourself through a healthy lifestyle
And the last trap – you associate your unique personality only with some kind of dietary or fitness trait. For example, describe yourself something like this:
– I’m fit,
– I’m a runner ,
– I eat right,
– I have a press ,
– and I’m vegan .
With this new identity, the question gradually overcomes: what will happen if we stop doing this? If we don’t sign up for the next marathon or if we quit running our sprints uphill, buy a cake instead of a protein omelet for breakfast, gain a few pounds … Who will we be then? What will others say about us?
This point is somewhat more difficult to figure out, but when you cope, you will only become stronger and freer.
Start by answering the following questions:
1. Who am I outside the hall and kitchen?
2. What qualities make me an amazing friend, partner, child, parent?
3. What do I really love? What am I striving for in life?
You were not born to plow in the gym seven days a week and give up your favorite treats with a pain in your heart. Believe me, many friends just out of politeness withstand your chatter about workouts for more than 30 seconds.
So, if you’ve read this and found one or more items on your site, then you should think about what fitness has become for you. It’s time to rethink your relationship and rebuild it so that exercise and healthy eating will only bring joy!