For many people, exercise is a good thing. It can be a useful way to regulate emotions and can be an active method of self-care. But what about when exercise is used as a form of self-punishment?
I, like many others, began exercising regularly during lockdown. This was my way of regulating my emotions, taking care of myself, and doing something to better myself. Plus – I loved it. It felt really good to see the improvements to my fitness each week; I found myself being able to run further, exercise for longer periods of time, and felt that exercising was getting easier overtime.
However, what started out as a healthy habit quickly became unhealthy. If I was unable to exercise one day, I got really agitated and stressed. I wouldn’t let myself have days off. I would exercise even when I was sick or injured and I would push myself too hard. I started to dread exercising, but did it because I felt that I “had to”.
You see, it is a common misconception that all exercise is healthy. Exercise can be unhealthy. But how do you know? Some signs that your exercise has become unhealthy or excessive include:
- No longer enjoying your exercise or doing it because you “have to”.
- Exercising to change your appearance, weight, or shape.
- Putting exercise above other important life activities (such as work, school, social outings and sleep) and being unable to be flexible with your exercise schedule.
- Exercising at odd hours and feeling unable to stop.
- Engaging in a high volume of exercise daily.
- Ignoring sickness or injuries to exercise.
- Feeling distressed if you are unable to exercise.
This was exactly where I found myself in 2020. While I started exercising for the right reasons, I soon found myself exercising at an excessive level: I would exercise multiple times a day and at odd hours of the night, I felt guilty if I couldn’t work out, and I was obsessed with exercising to change the way that my body looked. This had a substantial toll on my physical and mental well-being, and what began as a way to improve my mood very quickly became a method that left me depressed and anxious. It is so important to recognise the signs of exercise having a negative impact on your health and know when to take a break if you need it.
Here are some of my tips for finding the right exercise balance, so that exercise can be a positive experience:
- Set realistic goals. Instead of chasing perfection, set realistic goals that are achievable and fit the time that you have available. Focus on setting goals around your well-being, not your appearance.
- Keep exercise fun. Instead of only doing one thing, try mixing it up! Variety can keep things interesting and fun. Alternatively, if there’s a type of exercise you’ve always wanted to do, give it a go. Better still, find people to exercise with! Move your body for joy, not because you’re trying to change it or punish yourself.
- It is important to have time for rest, and it is okay to not exercise every day. Rest allows your body to recover, become stronger, and re-energise. Rest will not hinder your progress – it will enhance it.
- Get help. If you think that you may have an unhealthy relationship with exercise, talk to someone. You could share your experience with friends and family or get professional help.
Exercise should enhance your life and be something to look forward to, not control you. Be kind to yourself.