Exercise Guilt? It’s Time For An Intervention
By admin
I’ve been there, done that. I’ve been the one that needed the intervention, and I’ve held fitness interventions for others.
And you know what? Something tells me, I am not done. I’ll need interventions in the future, that’s just my personality. I’m often find myself in a healthy place one day, and then it almost seems suddenly that I’ve pushed beyond the healthy spectrum and into the obsessive side of fitness.
I go from having a “normal” grasp on my health, body and fitness to allowing exercise to dictate my emotions, my confidence and my energy levels.
In a word… I’m an addict.
The 3 Stages Of Of Fitness
After years and years of being a personal trainer, I have discovered something.
There are 3 stages of fitness.
Some people experience just 1 stage, while others will experience all 3. You can’t get to the 3rd stage without having gone through the previous.
- STAGE 1: Exercising because you have a goal: weight loss, strength, endurance. At this stage, the soul purpose for putting your workout clothes is because you have to. You know that in order to accomplish what you want, you have to work out. You might not like working out, it might take someone to encourage you, but you do it. Sometimes not consistently, but you try.
- STAGE 2: Exercise is something you love. You realize how happy you are, how much energy you have, and how much confidence it can give. In this stage, you’ve got a healthy and happy outlook on health and fitness. You love working out, trying new forms of exercise, and setting fun new goals. Exercise is a regular part of your life… consistency is in place. Oh, and no one has to tell you to get your sweat on. You can motivate yourself.
- STAGE 3: Exercise is something you need, you crave, and you demand. In stage 3, you are afraid that if you miss a workout that you’ll end up waking up 5 pounds heavier. You’re afraid that your body will almost instantly become flabby and muscles will melt away. You find yourself in a state of panic if something pops up on your schedule, taking you away from your workout. Exercise (or lack of exercise) now runs your life, you obsess over it. You’re addicted.
I personally am quite familiar with stage 3.
Letting Fitness Run Your Life
I’ve been a fitness addict for the past 10 years. It’s no secret, I’ve shared it many times here. I have my good times when I am able to put my workouts into perspective. I can skip a workout and not freak out, I can enjoy a nice walk knowing that running isn’t mandatory. <– I’m here 90% of the time.
And most importantly, I know when to rest.
Then, I have my bad times.
When I’m here, I sneak in extra workouts. Sometimes doing 2, even 3 in a single day. I know my body is tired, overworked, yet I push on.
The thought of not working out?
It scares the shit out me during these times.
My heart beats harder, I obsess over what workout I will do when I can, and my hands… oh my pour hands.
I have this terrible habit of picking the skin (hang nails) around my nails. I’ve done it since I was a kid and it gets 10x worst when I’m stressed or anxious.
So where am I right now? Take a guess:
This is gross, and I am embarrassed by my hands every day. But if I’m being honest, I have to share.
In truth, I can feel myself beginning to cross that line of healthy fitness and obsessive fitness. Which is the reason for the stress. It’s an internal battle, where my smart brain is trying to convince my dumb brain to chill the f*ck out.
Normally, the smart brain wins. Seriously, it’s amazing. It also helps having a husband that makes me take breaks.
He’s counting down our Thanksgiving vacation so that we I can be active while simultaneously relaxing.
He’s my radar for when I need a break.
Just this past Sunday, while out on the trails (above) he mentioned how much I’ve been working out lately and suggested that I stop before I get hurt.
This Is About Exercise Guilt
Believe it or not, I had no intentions of making this post about exercise addiction. From the start I wanted to talk about exercise guilt. But I felt I personally couldn’t tackle one without first sharing the other.
They are linked. When we begin to feel guilty about missing a single workout, that’s a sign that perhaps we’re too focused on our fitness.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…
Just like eating a single piece of pizza isn’t going to cause weight to pack on, missing a workout won’t change your body composition.
In fact, it takes around 2 weeks of missed workouts before strength begins to decrease. And even longer for muscle tone to begin to dwindle.
Skip A Workout!
If you’re having a hard time wrapping your head around missing a workout, that’s a sign to skip!
We all should be missing a workout from time to time! It’s a requirement.
Pro athletes often take weeks off to allow their bodies to recover, their stress hormones to return to a normal state, and for their bodies to rest. After time off, they come back in a state that is ready for physical gains. Training can resume!
Here’s the general rule…
Your body will love you.
Benefits Of Taking A Week Off
- Allow stress hormones to decrease (cortisol).
- Fight plateaus. Not seeing results? Taking a week off can help reset the body.
- Decrease inflammation and allow for full muscle recovery.
- Injury prevention: overtraining injuries are the #1 fitness caused injury.
- Catch up on sleep: turn off the 5am wake up call and sleep in!
- Realization that your body won’t change overnight to help get back to Stage 2.
I know what you’re thinking. When the week is over, will you be able to jump right back into working out at 100%?
No, chances are that first workout or two, you’ll feel weak and slow. But that’s the great thing about the body…
It remembers how strong you were, so after those 2 not so great workouts, you’ll likely be right back to where you were. As if no time had been taken off.
How Do You Know If You Need Time Away?
You just do. The bottom line is this… if you feel anxious or guilty just thinking about skipping a workout, then take a day off. Clear your head, realize that the world won’t collapse around you and that you’ll wake up the next morning feeling and looking the same.
This week is a rest week for me. Like I said, I can tell when I am starting to let exercise run my life… literally, I run too much.
With a race this weekend, I am trusting my training that I have put in and using this week to allow my body to recover. Eating lots of anti-inflammatory foods, stretching, and listening.
My hands will be better in no time at all. Exercise is what I love, it’s what I do for a living, but I refuse to let it run my life and my emotions.