Having a Fitness Obsession

Good morning Fitness Gurus,

 

I wrote yesterday about setting Tiny Goals  and how they help me accomplish bigger goals in the long-term. I find that smaller goals set you up for success as they are less intimidating and easier to accomplish, yet still give you that feeling of success once reached. Smaller goals help you stay on track without falling off due to feelings desperation that you will never reach your larger, more intimidating goals.

I love that within the blogging community you run across posts of like-minded individuals; I am learning as I become more fluid with the whole ‘blogging’ thing that it is very inspiring to read posts on similar topics.

One post I read this morning really resonated with me; Straight Talking Fitness, on how to never become obsessed with the gym.  In the past I have  been borderline obsessed with not only the gym but taking a healthy lifestyle to the extreme. Social time, time to enjoy life, time to just be spontaneous, these things are not available to someone who is focused on nothing more than achieving a fitness goal. The maintenance of such a strict fitness and diet/health lifestyle allows for none of the other joys in life.

 

I’m feeling obliged to add a disclaimer; this post doesn’t really apply to people who have a career in fitness, e.g. professional body builders, fitness competitors, professional wrestlers, etc… Fitness in these cases falls in the ‘career’ category, I would imagine. 

 

And now…

If you have read any of my other posts you may start to notice that I have a small obsession with finding balance in everything. 

 

Finding balance in life is the hardest goal I have ever set for myself. 

 

It is so easy to fall off track, and in opposition to this, so easy to build a routine that becomes an addiction. Fear of breaking this routine can cause obsessive behavior; “I had better work out harder today and eat cleaner because who knows what will happen tomorrow.”

Albeit these are extreme situations where a lifestyle can really overwhelm your entire being. I believe that it is important to imagine things to this extreme! One day you may look at yourself and be shocked at what you see.

These habits sneak up on you and as they become more engrained in your being they become harder to break.

So how do you maintain a fitness regimen without it affecting the quality of your life or becoming an obsession?

I am sure that many people who have been members of the fitness world for longer than myself have many ways to find balance. For me, I learned to stop counting.

Working out four, five, six days a week, is a great way to set a goal for yourself when you are just starting to workout. However weeks are relative, as are days (as is time…) Once you understand what working out so many times a week feels like, why not ditch the numbers?

I have no idea how many times I worked out last week. I know that I worked out yesterday, I know that I worked out the day before, and If I’m tired tomorrow I might just  take a long walk in the evening or do some gardening. If I’m still going strong tomorrow I’ll work out again and continue taking it day by day. Fitness is just a part of my daily life but it does not supersede other aspects of my life that I believe are important.

My family is important, having a nice garden and a clean home are important. Going to happy hour with a girlfriend, or perhaps my sister is important, and guess what? If I don’t work out because of one of these things, there is always tomorrow.

But how to we find the line? How important does another activity have to be to sacrifice a workout? 

How about you? Do you find it as challenging as I to find balance within your fitness routine? How strict can you be with yourself before you look at yourself and say “have I gone too far?”

 

❤ Cammy