Are you Overdoing it With Your Workouts?

If your workout and health routines are taking over your life, it could be a sign that it has turned from a healthy lifestyle to an addictive one.

This topic is one that I regularly have running through the back of my mind because I want to keep my fitness something that I love to do, not something that I have to do. I have had phases of life that I did let my fitness and my 'healthy' eating go so far that they became damaging and addicting. The consequences negatively affected my mind, my soul, and my body so I don't ever want to go back to that again. Nutrition and fitness are very important to me, but I do not think that they should ever define me. There will be times in my life that I won't make it to the gym as much and my fitness level will always fluctuate, but that should not change my identity or how much value I place in myself. Maybe the priority you have to keep in check isn't fitness, but I think that same concept can be applied to any lifestyle.

Taking fitness and health to an unhealthy obsession can be damaging physically as well as mentally. Overworking your body and not leaving yourself enough time to recover can lead to damage of the muscles, ligaments, and joints as well as dehydration, calorie deprevation, etc. Your workouts can also start to suffer if your body doesn't have enough energy to perform at it best. The pressure to push yourself too far can also start to damage your self confidence, or could signal the beginnings of a body-image disorder. 

There are a few signs that I look for when trying to keep my lifestyle in balance, and when I do notice them, I try to take some time off of the gym and eat some chocolate while reminding myself that my value comes from the person I am inside, not from what my body looks like, or how well it can run sprints.

Signs I watch for: 

- I start to get anxiety if I am forced to skip a workout. 

- I begin to religiously count calories or immediately regret eating anything 'unhealthy'. 

- I start to compare myself to others' fitness levels and feel that I do not measure up, or I am less valuable because they are more 'in shape'.

- I find it hard to cut myself some slack for a bad workout week. 

 

- My focus is shifting from living a healthy, happy life to what people will think of my public healthy, happy life. 

Keeping my own habits in check is something that helps me to continue doing what I love and keep it healthy. If you feel like you could be struggling with a body-image disorder, compulsive exercising, or obsessive healthy eating (orthorexia) and you are past the point of keeping yourself in check, I strongly encourage you to talk to someone that you trust about it. It's never too early or too late to lean on someone else or to seek some guidance when it comes to your own wellbeing. Pursuing a fit and nutritious life is rewarding, but not if it is at the expense of your health and your joy. 

 

Get your run or your lift in today, but make sure it's also feeding good things into your soul at the same time.