We are surrounded by people for whom sport is an obligatory part of life. Today is cardio, tomorrow is an hour-long workout with an instructor. On other days – simulators and group classes. They are told: “Well done!”, “Keep it up!”, “I would like your willpower!”. However, many of them do not enjoy training. How playing sports turns into an obsession, says clinical psychologist Yulia Lapina.
It has been proven that physical activity gives strength, reduces stress, improves sleep, strengthens bone tissue, increases immunity and in general has a good effect on health. Training can prevent obesity, strengthen muscles and give a completely different feeling to your body. All together, it certainly improves mood.
If physical activity is good, then the more it is, the better? Not always. As with any medicine, adverse effects can occur in the event of an overdose. The most common problem is injury to the muscles and joints. This happens if the workouts are too long or too intense. And in combination with a lack of nutrition, this approach to physical activity can generally end fatally.
The problem of overtraining is a reality that harms both the body and the psyche. The body suffers from injuries, sprains, nutritional deficiencies, chronic fatigue. Periods may stop and heart problems begin, fears and anxieties develop, addiction to training appears, an obsession with appearance even at the cost of health.
If the “ideal” cannot be achieved in any way, against the background of general fatigue and lack of food, depressive and anxiety disorders can easily appear.
What does “overtraining” mean?
Here are some signs that your workout is not good for your health:
- pain or pressure in the left chest, in the left shoulder or arm, or in the left neck during or after exercise (may mean heart problems);
- sudden dizziness, cold sweat, pallor, loss of consciousness;
- severe pain during the exercise;
- loss of coordination of movements;
- headache;
- loss of appetite;
- chronic muscle tension;
- problems with the gastrointestinal tract;
- persistent colds caused by a decrease in immunity;
- severe fatigue after exercise.
Bad sign if…
- You exercise more than 2 hours a day every day.
- You have severely low self-esteem.
- There is always a feeling that you need to work out “a little more.”
- Avoid meetings with relatives, friends, problems at work and at school, because training takes more and more time.
- There is a feeling of stress and anxiety if you are forced to skip a workout.
- You continue to practice, despite the feeling of discomfort and the intuitive feeling that it is time to stop.
- Fanatically preoccupied with weight, diet and body shape.
- You do not feel joy from training and success, you constantly think about new goals in training.
Time to stop
The saying “everything needs a measure” applies to physical activity. So…
- Train because you want to, not because you have to.
- Do the types of fitness that you enjoy.
- Vary your workouts so you don’t get bored.
- Connect outdoor workouts to diversify the experience.
- Stop if you are in pain or feel tired!
- Never exercise if you have an injury.
- Listen to yourself, to bodily sensations.
- Remember that physical activity is just walking around the house.
- Drink enough water before and after your workout.
- Replenish your energy supply with enough food.
These tips are basic. They will help to maintain “connection with reality.”
But, of course, each person has individual needs for physical activity. They depend on his physical fitness and lifestyle, and only intuition can tell what these needs are. Someone wants to go for a run to relieve stress, someone wants to swim in the pool or just walk at a brisk pace.
Children follow the intuitive way to live
The purpose of the training is to help the body express desires, to let out the accumulated energy. When we say: “I have to go to the gym, even though I don’t want to,” we are not relieving stress, but creating it.
You can take an example from young children – that’s who is a professional in intuitive movement. It is natural for them to move when they want to, eat when they are hungry.
Children follow the intuition to live until they are taught – accidentally or on purpose – to ignore intuition. It is much more difficult for teenagers and adults to listen to it. We have already learned the rules of the outer world or are accustomed to pleasing others, instead of listening to what the inner sensation tells us. But we can re-learn how to live, eat and even move intuitively, we can return to these “childish” sensations.
Where to start change?
- Spend as much time as possible with yourself, listening to the needs of your body.
- Find “your” fitness – one that you really like.
- Be aware of the motives for training.
- Do not think about calories and “wrong” body shapes – these thoughts are unlikely to help you enjoy physical activity.
- Do not be afraid to give your body pleasure and take care of it, it will be immensely grateful to you and will give you a completely different quality of life.
About expert
Julia Lapina is a clinical psychologist and author of The Body, Food, Sex, and Anxiety. What worries the modern woman” (Alpina non-fiction, 2018). Her .