What's your why? Do you workout as a form of self care or is it more about self punishment?!
So why are you really working out? What are your thought patterns and mindset around it? Wanting to look good and feel good about your reflection is ok but the goals you set and the reasons why set the tone for your whole lifestyle. Thoughts and reasons can be very unhealthy, destructive and self sabotaging. You’ve heard of disordered eating before but have you ever thought about disordered exercising? In this blog post I will examine some of the most common negative reasons for exercising and then I will follow on to explore a different rationale which addresses the upside and positive reasons for exercising.
THE BAD
1 – Fear, guilt, shame or because you feel fat Do you hit the gym or over exercise after over indulging to try and undo any damage? Exercise shouldn’t be a form of punishment or feel torturous. If this is your mindset then you are on a slippery slope to an unhealthy relationship with both food and exercise.
2- So you can eat more Working out definitely helps to balance out the energy equation but it’s far easier to over eat calories than to burn them off. You can’t out-train a bad diet – plain and simple. So if you think by committing to exercise you have a license to eat whatever you want without any adverse affects to your physique then you are mistaken. Especially if you are fuelling your body with fast food and junk. This only serves to put your body under further stress and starve yourself of vital macronutrients, vitamins and minerals. None of which will help you reach that ‘dream body’.
3 – Running away The gym and exercise is a great way to unwind and switch off for a while after a stressful day but if you are trying to escape big problems in your life then this tactic won’t work. Your problems won’t simply disappear if you keep yourself so busy and distracted that you suppress them. If anything they will just grow arms and legs and could end up being far worse than the original issue ever was. You have to face up and deal with life’s struggles head on.
4- To get skinny This is an incredibly unhealthy mentality which is definitely not sustainable. Exercise shouldn’t be about trying to be a certain size or to try and imitate somebody you idolise. Exercise is not a temporary fix and with this mindset you will quickly lose motivation and or any results you achieve. We are bombarded constantly with images of super ripped, fit and/or skinny physiques in the media and online which make us feel inferior and pressure to strive for those standards. This is setting unrealistic goals and expectations for yourself because for a start every body is different and if you are a large framed 6ft female there is no way that you are ever going to have a lithe body like say Rebecca Judd. Also the majority of the images that you see are photo-shopped and edited to death so even the model in the image will never actually look like herself! Seriously, don’t take everything you see or hear as being gospel and you’ll have a more realistic view on life. How about you think for yourself?! There’s more to exercise than just what you look like or want to look like.
5-To be energised If you are exercising to try and bring some life and energy back into yourself this could also be an issue. If you are feeling fatigued, irritable and sore after your workouts or it is taking you more the 48-72 hours to recover from your sessions then this is a sign of overtraining. This links back into the fear-guilt-shame mentality.
6-Self worth If you feel less of a person or less than perfect for missing a workout or are constantly depriving of food or overtraining to feel like you have your sh*t together then it’s definitely time to re-evaluate. Do you think it makes you more of a person or better than everybody else when you stick to a rigid fitness regime? If so, it’s time to do some self-worth and self-love work to stop the negative thought patterns around how and why you move.
Exercising for the wrong reasons may make you feel overwhelmed, hopeless and frustrated which will inevitably result in you quitting sooner or later. If you relate to some or all of the above, then it’s time to change the mindset. Your reasons for training are personal to you and so may be different to the reasons your friends, colleagues or partner may have. Try and align your reasoning with positive, empowering and uplifting reasoning to ensure it’s the best motivation for you! This will help you stick to a regular exercise routine and make it a lifestyle change that is sustainable over the long term. Here are some positive reasons to consider.....
THE GOOD
1-To feel strong and energetic Don’t punish yourself by overdoing it. Focus on how good it makes you feel and marvel at what your body is capable of. It’s not just about burning calories but is a way of taking care of yourself inside and out. When you are feeling depleted and tired you’ve gone way past the finished line. Play with intensity, type and duration till you find what works for you and so that you can walk away from each workout in a great mood, energised and feeling strong and capable.
2- Eat to support your lifestyle Instead of exercising to eat whatever you want, think of food as fuel or as medicine to help support your healthy lifestyle and to boost your health and happiness. It’s ok to indulge in occasional treats but it shouldn’t be something that happens every day. This also allows us to really enjoy those occasional foods so when we do actually have them, knowing that they don’t happen every day, means there doesn’t have to be (nor shouldn’t) be any guilt associated. Stop the negative binge-deprive-self punishment cycle. Focus on getting nutrient dense foods into you at every meal and the occasional foods are just the icing on the cake. Love your body and treat it well.
3-Clear your head Use exercise as a short period of time to clear your mind, think things through, reset and come back better equipped to deal with your problems. After your workout out come back ready in a positive mindset to resolve your issues or to put plans in place to help defuse your problems. Exercise is an outlet to improve your life not stick your head in the sand. Learn to handle your problems as they arise.
4-Improve your self worth/confidence Exercise does not discriminate and everybody should be doing it because it is good for you. It’s not just about losing weight, skinny people need to workout too because it is good for their health and well-being. Any age, shape or weight! Focus on workouts that you enjoy and feel good which will also help with motivation and make you stick to it for the long haul. If doing long workouts 5 days every week feels like a chore then the intensity is too high, switch to something that works for you and that you can maintain. Try three to four 45 minute workouts a week instead and watch your motivation and enjoyment soar! There is nothing wrong with working out to feel more confident in your body but it’s not the only reason why. Write down your reasons why and refer to it every time you feel bad about yourself or your motivation is low. It always comes back to why.
5-Improve your health Exercise to improve your overall health and improve sleep quality. Listen to your body, respect it and treat it well. Move it regularly but allow for rest. Workout because you want to improve your overall health, happiness and quality of life. Focus on the positives of exercises instead of using it as ‘fix’. Remember your body needs a good 7-8 hours of sleep each night so if you are sacrificing that to fit in your exercise routine then it’s time to adjust the plan. It’ll only slow your progress in the long run by delaying recovering, squashing motivation and increasing cortisol (which is our stress hormone-hello belly fat!).
So what are your reasons for exercising? Do they have a negative connotation? How can you change that and turn them into positives? Is it time to take a break from your routine?
If you are struggling with motivation or feel your reasons for exercising are becoming disordered in any way then feel free to reach out and I’ll help you put a plan in place to create a healthy home, work and recreation balance in your life again. Or if I feel you are out-with my scope of expertise then I am aligned with some of the best psychologists out there that I can refer you to.
Be gentle!
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