You’ve heard about the benefits of regular exercise, like reduced disease risk and improved mental health. For most, exercise improves physical and mental health. It’s a good thing.
However, as someone who has worked with D1 collegiate athletes as a licensed and certified athletic trainer, I have also witnessed firsthand the underbelly of the fitness world. Disordered exercise is often praised and glorified in our world, especially within the fitness realm (e.g., “No pain, no gain”).
Common issues I’ve seen working with “dedicated” athletes over the years include: feeling anxious, distressed, or guilty if they miss a workout, working out even when very sick, skipping social events to get a run or lift in, experiencing stress fractures or hormone imbalances from over-exercise, using their sport/activity of choice to punish themselves for eating certain foods, etc.
So what makes exercise healthy? And what moves exercise from a healthy outlet to a disordered compulsion you HAVE to do? Let’s dive in!
Does exercise feel like punishment? Something you do because the media tells you “it’s healthy”? Or something you feel like you must do to burn off the extra calories you ate last night?
Here are signs of a healthy relationship with exercise:
- You engage in regular movement that you genuinely enjoy and find pleasure in doing (e.g., “the runner’s high”)
- You look forward to engaging in your exercise activities each day
- You listen to your body to know when to push harder and when to take a break/do something lighter (e.g., play another game of basketball; go for a walk instead of weightlift)
- You find that exercise helps you feel connected to both your mind and your body
- You finish your exercise every day feeling re-energized or rejuvenated, rather than exhausted or depleted
- You feel less stressed leading up to, during, and after your exercise bout
- You exercise as a way to connect with other people and/or to spend quality time with yourself
- You exercise to celebrate your body and all it can do
And here are some thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that suggest you might have a more complicated relationship with exercise:
- You continue to workout even when you are sick or injured
- You feel guilty if you skip a day of exercise
- You decline activities with friends (like biking or going for a walk) because they seem like a waste of time (e.g., it doesn’t “count” or isn’t “enough”)
- You increase the amount you exercise if you think you ate too much food or too many high-calorie foods (compensatory exercise)
- You feel restless or irritable if you take a day off or try to cut back on exercise
- You lie to friends and family about how much time you spend exercising
- You consistently exercise longer than you had originally intended
- You feel the need to work out longer/harder in order to feel good
- You decline going out or engaging in other social activities in order to exercise
- You fear that you if stop exercising, you won’t be able to return to working out
- You believe that you have to experience pain in order to gain benefits from exercise (“No pain, no gain”)
- You over-exercise in order to lose weight or to make changes to your weight/body shape
Did any of these thoughts sound familiar? If so, you may find over time that it’s emotionally and physically taxing, and therefore not the way you want to live. If you’re struggling in this area, reach out to NAU counseling services to talk it over. Therapy can help heal the way you think about movement so that the activities in your life bring you more joy.
Sources and Additional Resources:
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/general-information/compulsive-exercise
The Intuitive Eating Workbook by Elyse Resch, Evelyn Tribole, & Tracy Tylka and Train Happy by Tally Rye