There’s a little old lady in my building that walks her dog approximately four times a day. And yes, she really is a little old lady. She’s maybe 5 feet tall and probably somewhere in the vicinity of 80 years old. Not the point. The point is that she never misses a beat. Rain. Shine. Snow. Wind. Doesn’t matter – she’s out there. It’s pretty admirable, actually; and it makes me feel like a wimp for refusing to go outside when the wind blows. But again, not the point.
I don’t spend a lot of time talking about fitness here on Spoons, and it’s not because I don’t think exercise is important, but because I really don’t have a lot to say on the subject. I wrote a post about my current “routine” waaaaay back when I first returned to blogging after my hiatus, and not much has changed since then. I still haven’t committed to any real workouts and I’m assuming that telling you guys that “I went for a nice 45 minute walk today” would start sounding redundant after a little while. Yep, I’m still keeping it to a walk a day, and sometimes I don’t even get one of those in. It really depends on how busy life gets.
Those busy days where you end up running around like a headless chicken. I didn’t want to traumatize you guys by showing you an actual headless chicken, so hopefully this gets the point across.
So it’s been well over a year and a half since I gave up on formal workouts. Before that, I was working out 5 or 6 days a week for about an hour a day, alternating between lifting and cardio. I go into a little bit of detail about why I cut back on exercise here, but basically I just started feeling really run down all the time and I experienced what I believe were the symptoms of overtraining on a pretty regular basis. I’m still not entirely sure why, since I didn’t feel like I was overdoing it at the gym and I did my best to make sure I was eating enough, but maybe my body just didn’t have enough time to heal after the whole eating disorder fiasco – after all, five years of starvation is a lot of damage done.
But I digress. I have no idea why my workouts were having such a negative effect on me, but I do know that I experienced a world of good when I gave them up. It sounds horrible, doesn’t it? Praising the benefits of not exercising in a world that’s trying to get people off the couch? But I don’t really think that motivation to exercise is an issue in the blog world; exercise addiction seems to be a much bigger problem.
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I get quite a few e-mails from girls struggling with exercise addiction – girls who want to cut back on their workouts, but continue to slave away at the gym because they’re afraid of what might happen if they don’t. I get it – I was the same way. Words like unhealthy, lazy, and fat plagued me constantly in those early stages; but after a year and a half, I feel like I can confidently tell you guys what does happen when you stop exercising…
Nothing.
Or at least, nothing bad. I did go through a lot of changes, but none of them were what I was expecting.
Physical Changes
Weight. A fear of weight gain seems to be what holds most people back from cutting back on exercise – at least that was definitely the case for me. But as counterintuitive as it may seem, I actually ended up losing weight and leaning out, despite not making any huge changes to my diet. Before I stopped, I was working out regularly and eating clean, but in spite of my best efforts, I was slowly putting on weight that was not muscle. This is all speculation, but I think what wound up happening was that the physical stress from exercise just ended up being too much for my body, exhausting my adrenal system, screwing with my hormones, and causing my my body to hold on to fat. Not good. After I stopped, that extra weight dropped off, and I’ve been easily maintaining ever since.
Sleep. Big improvements here. I have a way easier time falling asleep and actually staying asleep. Before, it would take me forever to drift off to sleep, and I’d constantly be waking up during the night. And if you think my current 5:30-6 mornings are bad, they’re nothing compared to my 4-4:30 mornings from before. Oi.
Energy. Obviously, more sleep means I have a lot more energy, but in addition to that, I don’t feel nearly so fatigued all the time. Back in the day, I was constantly dealing with limbs that felt like they were made of lead, and always fighting the “I-don’t-want-to-get-up-from-the-couch” feeling. I would get my workout in and then just want to be lazy for the rest of the day.
Digestion. As with sleep, huge improvements here. Less bloating, less cramping, less stomach problems in general. It may have been the increased amounts of protein that I was trying to eat, but my stomach seemed to be in a constant state of unrest back in the day. It still acts up occasionally, but usually only when I eat something that doesn’t agree with me or I get overly stressed out.
Mental Changes
Less stress. This might just be the best change I experienced. I know people use exercise as a way to deal with stress, but for me it became a huge source of stress. Back in the day, my life revolved around exercise and I would basically plan my entire day around when I could get to the gym. All of my meals and snacks had to be perfectly timed and planned (pre workout/post workout macros), I would turn down opportunities that clashed with my planned gym time, and I would freak out if something spontaneously came up and prevented me from going to the gym. Stress, stress, stress. The constant planning and rigidity got to be way too much. Now? No plan, no stress. Sometimes I walk in the morning, sometimes at lunch, sometimes in the evening – sometimes I don’t get a walk in at all. If the opportunity presents itself, I take it. If not, I don’t worry.
Less obsession. I’m not quite sure how this one came about, or if it’s even directly related, but I became a lot more relaxed after giving up formal workouts. There’s no longer that mentality that I have to get a certain amount of exercise in or that I have to eat 100% clean. Lazy days don’t bother me and neither does enjoying the occasional slice of cake or serving of McDonald’s fries. Even without my constant planning and stressing, my body seems to be managing just fine. Better, in fact.
. – . – . – .
These changes definitely didn’t happen overnight. I was one big ball of anxiety when I first gave up exercising, but as the benefits became more and more apparent over time, my anxieties slowly eased up.
I should probably end this with a disclaimer that I don’t think exercise is a bad thing at all. In fact, I think being physically active is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle… but what that means is different for everyone. Going to the gym and following a structured workout plan isn’t the only way to be healthy. It may work for some, but it’s not the only way to go about it. I recently came across a pretty interesting article that claims that normal, every day lifestyle activity is as healthy as going to the gym. I believe it. I don’t exercise but I do my best to stay active, and I can honestly say that feel and look the best that I ever have.
No questions today. I would just love to hear your thoughts.
I just want to skip exercise or yoga for 4 day ( as i am going on trip)a i am afraid will my muscles will get cramped
This is a really great post. I’ve had two kids and finally lost the baby weight about 1 1/2 years after my second with a controlled diet and walks. There was a small amount of excess around my middle that I thought I could get rid of with more intense exercise, so I bought a tredmill last March. Well, what a horrible idea that was. I started running, an then soon after that I started noticing my weight go up, and my appetite go up. I was horrified to see that I had put on 10 pounds within a month and a half. Not only did I gain weight I also had knee and ankle problems. I told myself that it would all balance out, well it never did. All the new clothes I bought from losing my 20 pounds of baby weight weren’t fitting anymore, I was so confused, angry, depressed. Why wasn’t this working!!!
I stopped running for a while and lost some of the weight I had gained. I still had it in my head that I had to really exercise to lose weight. I stared incline walking on the treadmill. My knees and ankles felt better but my weight skyrocketed again. I have recently stopped exercising and am now focusing on my diet in hopes to fix the damage I did in the last 10 months. Buying that treadmill was a waste of time and money, now not only do I still have occasional pain from my knees and ankles I have 12 pounds that I have to re lose. I will be sticking with walking for exercise.
I completely fell off the face of the blog world. Not only did I stop writing but also reading. *ashamed* Well, I’m not gonna stop reading you. I went through the 23 posts I had to catch up with and I’m happy to see everything is so upbeat and colourful. (That chicken cracked me up!) Now let’s leave a few comments here and there.
Exercise… We’ve been friends forever. I’ve always been quite active but it wasn’t until I decided I was a fat cow that I started actually paying attention to my physical activity. I increased and increased the number of exercises in my daily workout until I didn’t have enough energy to keep up with the crazy routine and eventually kinda ruined my knees. At some point I started coming back to my senses and gradually got rid of almost everything on the workout list but never really let myself have a day off. Imagine 2 days off for 4 years. 1 day spent on a transcontinental trip that is hell of a workout on its own and 1 day being too sick to move. Even if said workout takes 10 minutes a day, there is something really wrong in the inability to stop. I finally realized it won’t kill me less than a month ago thanks to le boyfriend who dragged his butt all the way to Japan. I thought it would be absolutely ridiculous to leave him alone while doing my workout after he flew 6500 miles to see me. And surprise! The world didn’t end. There were no floods, earthquakes (well, there were 2 but that’s Japan after all) or other disasters and, of course, I didn’t gain any weight. I’m supposed to be a smart girl but I tend to act really stupid sometimes. I think we can count cuddling as exercise in addition to walking 🙂
It’s good to hear from you, girl! I was wondering how things were with you, but I remember coming across a pic of you and your boy on IG so I assumed you were out there having a great time 🙂
I love your perspective on this! I swear, my outlook on exercise has changed dramatically over the last couple of months. I think I had actually started getting a bit into the exercise addiction before I gave up calorie counting, because I was experiencing a lot of burnout/depressing thoughts. And of course, I always ended up comparing myself to others feeling guilty if I missed going to the gym. But after my knee surgery and being faced with the fact that I could NOT exercise, I definitely don’t take movement (no matter how simple) for granted anymore. A walk is a WALK…it’s SOMETHING! And there are some days where it is my everything…just being outdoors, walking in the sun, listening to the birds…I can’t believe I used to scoff at the thought when now it’s probably my favorite form of exercise!
Well thanks for admitting that you were totally scoffing at me back in the day! 😛
Hahaha! I was scoffing at myself too! Which I will NEVER do again…I swear, the first time I was able to walk with my knee I just wanted to keep going forever JUST because I could actually do it…and then I was all kinds of sore the next day! Lol
It’s so great to hear another perspective on exercise! From the complete opposite side of the spectrum. Exercise addiction definitely seems to be rampant in the blog world these days, and it’s something I’m cautious of. Whenever something hurts, or I feel exhausted for an unknown reason, or I’m just plain stressed out about not having enough time for this that or the other, exercise falls to the bottom of my to-do list. The greatest realization happened for me during grad school when I quite literally had no time for exercise and skipped it entirely for 3 weeks. Anddd…nothing happened. No dramatic weight gain. Or increased stress. Or decreased sleep. I was just fine without it. But I am happy to have time to exercise again, I do still enjoy it, and whenever I stop enjoying it, that just means it’s time for a little break.
I love this post! I used to workout way too hard and now I just listened to my body and it feels so much better. Yoga and light jogging/walking is doing it for me. Love your blog!
I love to exercise; it makes me happy and helps me manage my stress. It’s a wonderful release for me, and I truly feel differently when I go for long periods of time without it. That being said, some weeks I exercise five times a week and other times only two. It depends on how much time I have and how stressed I am, and I don’t carry any guilt over not exercising on days off. It’s important to give your body a break from time to time.
Amanda, you don’t realize how unbelievably helpful this post is for me in my life right now – thank you beyond words…
love love love that quote (90% of the things you worry about never happen)
wow. so true.
I think this is definitely a topic that a lot of people struggle with. I know I definitely had quite some time of working out way too much, but I’ve finally reached a point where I know when I need the extra rest and am actually okay with taking consecutive days off. I know that everyone is different and can take on different levels of exercise, but I’m glad you talked about what works for you!
LOVE. THIS. POST. This is such a serious topic going around my circle of friends (otherwise knows as gym addicts) as we speak. I have experienced all sides of this being a competor and could not agree with you more. Sometimes in this instance LESS is actually MORE and better for you. Its all about listening to your body!
*competitor
This. Is. Awesome. I don’t really read blogs anymore, but I know most bloggers who are “recovered” are now suddenly addicted to weight lifting and protein. Ugh. Keep doing your thang, girl!!!
Very interesting, Amanda! I would say that I do rely on the mood-lifting benefits of exercise but I never thought of it as a problem? Eye-openinng post. But for me it’s not just the exercise itself that helps my mood, it’s my friends who I see when I go to the rink to skate. And surely that’s healthy? I like the feeling of skating itself, it’s not just the exercise, though that is certainly a part of it, it’s that the motion feels very freeing. It is also true that my sport (figure skating) requires a lot of repetitive motion to get the skills, and I have dealt with those kinds of injuries, though I have more awareness of them and strategies to prevent them now. Certainly it’s very important to have a lot of strategies in life to feel good, and not just be totally reliant on one like exercise.
I definitely have a fear that if I stop working out, I’ll gain weight suddenly (oh the horror). You have no idea how comforting it is to hear that missing that one workout won’t suddenly put 20 pounds on my body. I’m definitely making leaps and bounds with intuitive eating, and I think intuitive exercise is next on my “to tackle” list.
thank you for this! I’m not a total exercise addict, but I do like staying in motion… however, this reassures me greatly that if I do take a break sometimes I won’t turn into a total potato 🙂
This is a really great post lovie.
Exercise addiction was totally my problem. Being a soccer player I already had 2 hour practices everyday, but I would then go home and run some more. It was just all sorts of bad. And def when I started fighting back against my ED, toning down the exercise seemed impossible. Some days it can still be hard. The difference is now instead of being addicted to the calorie burn, Im addicted to the sweat and muscle burn! Oh and just the muscles in general. I must admit that I love when I get compliments from someone about my arms or my fitness. 🙂 But it is totally a balance. Some days are better than others.
I struggle the most on vacations, because Im just eating and not doing anything. I think, like you said, if I were just more active it wouldn’t be such a big deal, but who is really active on vacays?! lol
I’m probably more active on vacations than I am at home 😆 All the walking around from sightseeing really adds up!
AAAAAAAAAAAAND this is why you are my favorite blogger <3 I work with so many women who feel the need to go to the gym 6 times a week, and I can see the exhaustion in their eyes (and hair, and skin, and lack of periods, and the list goes on….) That was me years ago- teaching 14 fitness classes a week, THEN going on a run, THEN going to hot yoga…..when I got really sick with an autoimmune heart condition and LITERALLY could not do anything. I almost died because of the condition, and since have developed multiple autoimmune issues, to which I manage fully through balanced diet, TAKING IT EASY and not overdoing it (!!!!!), sleep, and stress management. Exercise for me is teaching and doing yoga and walking my dog. Ironically, my body and brain never felt better. It felt so good to not have to plan my life around when I was going to the gym, and to just live my life. When the voices creep in and I start to worry about not being in good cardiovascular shape- I say to myself "what would the purpose of me being able to run 10 miles be?" Can I walk my dog briskly without discomfort? can I garden, and kick the soccer ball with my husband, and walk up the stairs without gasping? Can I go hiking and live my life? To me, that is health and fitness. Thanks for putting this out there. There is a lot of overexercising going on in this community, and it needs to be talked about.
Okay… I’m a little late with the comment but first, Running with Spoons is officially my favorite blog to read right now. Going on the top of the blog roll list.
Anywho, I’m pretty sure we are the same mind in a different body. I’ve been recovered for a year this month (yaye!) and I have had the same problem with exercise. I’m actually training for a full marathon right now so I do have to run a lot BUT I am really learning to not freak out if I miss a run. I had a huge anxiety attack about two months ago and ALMOST purged. I knew then that I needed to work on my anxiety, not about food this time, but when it came to missing a work out. However, I do strongly believe that running and having a fitness goal that doesn’t involve weight, has really really played a part in my recovery.
I actually felt guilty after my recovery for wanting to be fit. I thought people would take it the wrong way and think I still had ED thoughts. Now, I think recovery doesn’t mean you don’t have to care what you eat or what you look like. For me, it means focusing on being healthy and being the best, happiest person I can be.
Feeling guilty for wanting to be fit after recovery? I can definitely relate to that. Sometimes I almost feel like I’m not allowed enjoy exercise or healthy food anymore. But I really love what you said about focusing on being healthy – there’s definitely nothing wrong with that 🙂
I felt compelled to write a post about it today! I’m glad someone can relate and I’m not the only one!
Yet another refreshing, thought-provoking, and timely post, Amanda! This one in particular, though, resonates *very* deeply with me. During my eating disorder years, my anxieties about food expressed themselves in a variety of ways; I adhered strictly to low fat foods; then low carb; then diet everythit ang; then vegan; then “clean”….However, what remained constant was my relationship with exercise. More was always better, and if I missed a workout, or wasn’t able to exercise for at least 60 minutes (minimum), I’d fall apart. It was only a matter of time before my body began to fall apart physically, too. I stress fractured bones, and experienced adrenal fatigue and exhaustion. Not fun! Being forced to sit out on the sidelines was torturous, but it helped me reevaluate my addictive relationship with exercise. Not only that, I realized that resting for extending periods of time–or at least doing different forms of exercise like swimming and biking—worked wonders for me physically, emotionally, and spiritually. 🙂
Last year, I began following structured exercise regimens again, however the difference is that I’m now able to acknowledge when I need a break, and actually TAKE the break. I enjoy the structure, but completely agree that exercise is far from “one size fits all.” What works for one person, won’t necessarily work for another. And not only that, but what works for one person during one phase of their life, won’t necessarily work in another phase. We’re constantly evolving and growing, and being able to adapt to changes and desires is, what I think, truly makes a person healthy.
Happy weekend, love! <3
I’m so glad you posted on this today, because it’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. I feel like I might possibly have exercise addiction, because I feel guilty when I get too busy to exercise, or to fit in as much workout time as usual. I can rarely go a full day without working out but I feel like I’m not seeing much progress though I exercise daily. I often will still exercise even though I have a headache or am feeling off, and then I feel bad afterwards when I didn’t have a great workout. And since I’ve been exercising more, my weight’s gone up a bit (not in an unhealthy way, since a year ago I was quite underweight, but it’s making me uncomfortable and anxious) and it’s been driving me crazy.
I always assumed eating clean+intense exercise would equal weight loss, but what you’re saying here about stress and exercise is starting to get through to me. I’m actually starting to believe that I don’t have to restrict my intake significantly or ramp up the exercise to maintain or lose (and I can honestly say I probably don’t ‘need’ to lose weight, but I still feel anxiety about my body and struggle with body dysmorphia sometimes) and I could probably actually benefit from taking a week off from exercise to reevaluate, then adding back in yoga and walking into my routine and then returning to a more regular workout schedule with at least one rest day per week. It scares me to make such a huge jump out of my comfort zone, but I don’t want to live like this forever. I can honestly say I love exercise, but not when it feels forced, and I want to get back to loving the way it makes me feel.
What perfect timing for you to write this. I plan on reading all of the comments afterward.
2 weeks ago I became aware of how much my life was revolving around going to the gym. It was never cardio…always circuits and weights, but it turned into a few times a week to every. single. day. My body was exhausted, my mind incapable of working to it’s full capacity, and my day’s revolved around the workouts. I would lie to go to the gym, tell people I was places I was not…it was horrible, and in a weird way, extremely stressful.
I told my Nutritionist 2 weeks ago about this realization and we both realized that with an increase of exercise came a decrease in food intake. Something needed to change. So I was told to get back on track with eating and only lifting weights 2-3x per week MAX. But this didn’t seem right to me. To me, 2-3x would just continue the addiction, so instead I upped my intake and stopped going to the gym all together.
I checked back in with my Nutritionist today and despite increasing my intake and stopping all exercise, I lost 1/2 a lb. Nothing to worry about, but for someone who assumed she would immediately balloon up…this is a big deal. But like you, my anxiety decreased SIGNIFICANTLY since I stopped exercising. Sure, I get anxious that I’m not going to the gym, but I’ll just go for a short walk instead. But knowing that I’m being honest with myself and others, that my days have SO much more free time and I don’t need to rush out the door to squeeze in a workout…it just feels great. And I’m not tired all the time and am much more willing to be productive at home AND at work.
Thanks for this post…it was extremely reassuring. And tomorrow I’m calling my gym and canceling my membership. I would much rather spend my summer days outdoors than inside a gym anyways. =)
Thanks so much for sharing, Laura! Hopefully someone will come across your story that can relate and get inspired by the positive steps you took <3
Ahh, this reminds me so much of my experience with giving up exercise! I walk and occasionally run, but giving up strength training was really hard for me because I had images of myself getting fat and flabby, but it just didn’t happen. My body barely changed! I’m definitely much happier now 🙂
love, love, love this! I feel so much better after cutting down my exercise. It allowed my adrenals to bounce back and my hormones are starting to get back to normal. I don’t think people realize how much over exercising can effect!
Ahh another great post, Amanda! I feel as though I’m pretty good at not overexcising, yet I do also have those days when I get annoyed at myself for missing my workout that I was looking forward to. That’s when I know that I need to chill out and reassess my habits because it’s borderline idolizing working out. I know I love exercising for the mental benefits and how light it makes me feel because I love to be out there doing things without having to physically struggle, but your posts on this subject matter always keep me in check and remind me that I shouldn’t stress out about it, and just simply enjoy it. 🙂
Fitness is near and dear to my heart, as is psychology, so I found this post to be quite interesting.
Addictions can come in many forms. So, I don’t necessarily think it is ‘exercise’ that is the culprit, but instead the psychological ties that a person develops with it. I’m of the philosophy that exercise is a very essential part of living a healthy and balanced lifestyle; the physiological advantages far outweigh the alternative. I could go on and on about these advantages, but I think everyone has already heard that song and dance.
If exercise becomes stressful and controlling, that’s when the issues arise- when it dictates your life choices and views about self-worth. That’s when adjustments to one’s fitness routine should happen. However, what if someone works out for other reasons than “losing weight”? My husband needs to workout every day due to a re-occurring hip problem that stays away as long as he exercises. I’m trying to get back into pre-baby shape right now. Although food choice is the #1 way to achieve a healthy body weight, I won’t achieve the results I want unless I incorporate some higher intensity exercise.
I think the main point here, and the one you are trying to make as well, is that there isn’t a 1-size-fits-all for exercising. I think it takes a bit of exploring until eventually you find what gives you the most satisfaction and leaves you with positive energy: walking? HIIT? cycling? Body Pump? yoga? The options are endless. Sedentary lifestyle is just as problematic as is exercise obsession, though. It’s all about finding the “thing” that gets your heart pumping and makes you feel alive. 😉
Love your blog, girl. xo
Exercise has a LOT of benefits, no doubt about it, and I definitely agree that physical activity has to be part of any healthy lifestyle. But like you said, problems arise when it starts taking too big of a toll on the body, which is unfortunately exactly what happens when it becomes obsessive and excessive. Any exercise puts a certain amount of stress on the body, but it’s a positive stress that the body can go on to recover and benefit from. It’s when the body can no longer recover properly that it’s time to take a step back.
I totally get what you are sang and couldn’t agree with you more! I think someone has to have experienced what you went through (me currently) to get hat you are talking about. Sometimes the break is needed, mentally as much as physically. I love exercise and with always stay active, but I have driven myself to a point where I am so burnt out I hate every part of it. lol. Mentally this is not good for me because I a experiencing almost exactly what you mention in your blog. I have hit a point of mental and physical fatigue and almost feel like a failure. But honestly there is more to life and I just need a break and regroup and come back with a new attitude and balance from what I am enduring right now. Thanks for the blog!
Slam dunk yet again! So true that nothing “bad” will happen! I’ve made huge gains with this recently. Allowing myself to stay in bed when I wake-up really tired instead of pushing myself to workout & not freaking the eff out if I don’t exercise as planned. It’s scary the point we allow ourselves to get to. I have to thank you for continuing to serve as an awesome role model for many of us!
This was so refreshing to read! I never suffered with exercise addiction, in fact throughout my eating disorder relapses I never exercised at all (I was very young, so i guess I didn’t understand what exercise does). I HATE sports and always got really bad marks, but yet, I force myself to exercise. I swore to myself I’d never join a gym, as it’s just not ‘me’. I loathe any sort of machinery, and I find classes just awkward. And plus, who wants to pay for exercise when you can get it for free with a walk or youtube or something? I went to England 5 months ago and did NO exercise for 2 months. I would maybe go for a few walks to the shop a few times a week (and even then, it wasn’t decked out in sports gear) and I have never felt better about my body. Since I have been back I’ve pushed myself to exercise at least once a day (even if I’m working which is quite physical work) and I’ve tried running, it’s not for me, but I force myself to do at least a fast paced 45min walk, PLUS something like pilates videos (which I hate) or another bike ride or something like that. Since doing that I’ve gained weight, and not even muscle, and I feel extremely uncomfortable in my skin, and my digestion has been all over the place. Sorry for the ramble, I just really liked this post!
Don’t apologize at all, girl! Thank you for sharing your experience. You never know – someone who’s going through the same thing might come across it and feel less alone.
Wow, I’ve heard a lot of people talk positively about cutting back on exercise, but having it all laid out here is a real eye-opener. I have definitely cut back on exercise lately and I’m okay with it because I like having more time to do other things and not feeling sore all the time. I still like to do something almost everyday, but I keep my strength workouts short and intense (10-25 minutes) or I do yoga, go for a run or just a long walk. You really were a big inspiration in my making that change 🙂
Great post, I couldn’t agree more! I work with a lot of clients who are workout and numbers obsessed and getting them out of that notion and just relaxing about it makes such a huge difference in the stress factor which also lessens belly fat, hello stress causes belly fat! Crazy but true! Thanks for being so open, you are changing lives. Love and shine courtstar
I couldn’t agree with you more! I am currently at a point where I was told not to exercise. It was initially hard (from the standpoint that I feared what would happen after not working out) but I actually really needed that in my life. I was addicted to exercise, obsessed with doing as much cardio as possible on as little food as possible. As my recovery process continues on, I’ve let go of the need to exercise and rely on that. I know I can be healthy with just walking when I want to do so. It’s refreshing and releasing to realize I can still be healthy without having to exercise vigorously. It’s a freedom I never thought I would accept or welcome!
Good post overall, but how is walking ON A TREADMILL any less formal than running or any other type of exercise? The idea seems even more obsessive/weird to me than traditional cardio.
You know when you have some extra energy/time to blow and it’s too cold to go outside? That’s when a treadmill comes in handy. You’ll never find me in the gym when the weather is nice, but considering we get pretty much 6 months of winter here, it’s a nice last resort to have. I don’t enjoy running so I walk, and it’s not obsessive because it’s not something I schedule in or feel like I have to do – I go when I feel like it and I pass when I don’t.
Exersice can definitely be addicting. Right now, I just don’t have time to spend a lot of time at the gym or working out. And just devoting about 30 mins a day to being active has been much better….there are so many other things to enjoy. I’m glad the you realized you had a problem and it’s great that you’ve had such great results with not following a strict exercise schedule.
You nailed it. Awesome post! I’ve definitely been there too – I had to get a run in every day. Then even when I got my first running injury I started cross-training two hours a day…now crosstraining is important so you can get back to running more easily but like…it got to the point where I was working out for twice the amount of time I’d previously spent running. And then, I couldn’t even get back to running because I tore my labrum through all that crosstraining. And so, I’ve taken the past 3-4 months off from formal workouts – and the first two months I wasn’t exercising at all (except physical therapy obviously)…..and you’re right nothing bad happened! It sucks that I had to learn that lesson via a major surgery, but there you go.
I will also say that the only exercise that’s good for you are the workouts you can recover from. That includes fueling properly (before and after), as well as sleeping enough and taking into account how active you are during the rest of the day. That’s why a lot of athletes are very lean – because they actually fuel well enough so that their bodies don’t need to hang on to excess weight. There were three months between my diagnosis and the operation, and during that time (basically once I moved to Colorado) I got my act together and started eating and sleeping enough to support my workouts. So that said, I did gain a few pounds during the inactive period, but it’s the kind of thing that only I notice (well…I hope at least LOL). And I also sleep WAY better when I can exercise, but again that’s only because I finally learned how to do it right – back in my addiction days I slept terribly, was slowly putting on weight, was bloated and crabby all the time, my digestion sucked…..all of that’s been better both since I started training properly and has continued when I stopped training.
So…bottom line, if you’re recovering properly then exercise is great. But if you’re not, then you need to stop, let your body re-calibrate and then get back to it – if you want to! And it’s perfectly fine if you don’t want to. Walks have been my go-to activity since surgery and they’re awesome! But I do think I eventually want to run again. Definitely not now, but I want to give it another shot when I feel ready.
Ahhh proper fuelling is such a big part of it and the one that I have most trouble figuring out. Sometimes I think about getting back into something, but that’s the one thing that keeps me from doing it. Never know what’s going to happen in the future, but for now this suits me just fine.
Oh my god I love this! I can TOTALLY relate. Up until about 2 weeks ago I’d been going to the gym religiously 5-7 days a week and it was starting to kill me mentally and physically. I feel like I’ve been striving for a level of fitness that I somehow NEVER seem to attain and it is frustrating because I put so much time into it and work so hard. It has made me depressed, it’s taken from my social life, I feel so guilty if I miss one day of working out, etc. So I went on vacation and realized how much better it feels to just be ACTIVE, like you said! I was walking around a lot, hiking, biking, and just living my life. I haven’t been back to the gym since, and although I still feel fear and guilt about weight and loss of fitness, NOTHING has changed in regards to my body! I’m so surprised! And I feel great!! I’m want to work towards incorporating fitness and activity into my life instead of trying to fit my life into my fitness routine.
Thanks for being seemingly the only blogger that advocates this sort of lifestyle. While I love reading healthy living blogs, I honestly should stop reading the ones that feed my guilty feelings towards not working out constantly or not having someone else’s body or goals. I don’t know how some of these ladies do it! 🙂
It was a vacation that really changed things for me as well 🙂 And I love what you said about incorporating fitness into your life instead of trying to fit life into your fitness routine! It can definitely be hard sometimes when you’re reading about what others are doing, but you just have to remember what makes you feel good and what doesn’t.
My husband wants to walk in the morning before work together. We did it twice this week and it felt amazing. He suggested we do it together every day. I panicked. No interval training, no weight lifting????? I am scared to death to let go and do what feels good. What if I gain weight? What if I am not moving enough on our walks? What do I do? I am recovering from an ED and I honestly feel like I am regressing at the age of 36. I don’t know what is going on, but I feel stressed about eating, exercising, schedules, etc. Most days, I just want to cry. When I read your posts, they make so much sense and I only wish I could feel as you do right now. It has been over seven years since I began my journey with having an ED and I thought I was better. But, I don’t think I am. I would love to just let go and not feel so out of control. I know it’s one step at a time, but I thought I had made progress. I am going to try and make those walks with my husband work. I truly feel like it is what my body is asking for. Thanks for sharing your journey with us. I truly feel more confident making decisions after I read about your experiences.
I love this. I’m working on stressing less about my exercise, but I have to admit that gaining weight is a HUGE fear of mine. However, reading blogs written by people who have overcome disordered eating and exercise obsession has helped me pinpoint which thoughts are healthy and which thoughts are unhealthy, allowing me to redirect my thinking into positive thoughts to stay happy and healthy. Thank you so much for sharing this with us!
I don’t think you should be encouraging people to stop exercising :S Plenty of people train for marathons or on sports teams and they don’t need to be told that if they quit their sport they’re gonna lose weight and be less bloated or whatever. I get that you stopped exercising because you were addicted to it but that’s not the case for everyone, some people push themselves to their limits for other reasons
I’m not encouraging people to stop exercising at all. I’m telling people that are struggling to overcome an exercise addiction that might be harming their body that it’s okay to ease up and that nothing bad will happen as a result. Of course there are people who have a legitimate passion for it, but this post was directed at the people who want/need to rest more but are afraid to.