Exercise is great and it is vital to a robust, healthy lifestyle.
Heck, I've dedicated my career thus far to helping people move, feel, and perform at their best.
But exercise, or more specifically our thoughts and behaviors associated with exercise, can lead to unhealthy habits.
For example, if your main motivation for exercise is to create caloric neutrality, you have probably found yourself fighting an uphill battle. For starters, it's damn near impossible to burn enough calories exercising to offset calories consumed. Not to mention, this train of thought can lead to obsessively thinking about food and exercise in a way that can be utterly exhausting.
A few other examples...If exercise feels more like a mandate rather than a healthy hobby...
Or if you can't relax until your Apple watch, Fitbit, or exercise wearable says you've done "enough".
Or if you feel off or your under the weather, but you can't take a day off because you HAVE to exercise...OR if you just want to take a day off and watch TV but you can't because you HAVE to exercise...
And the list goes on...Unfortunately, social media and the internet don't usually make it any easier. In fact, we are bombarded with fitness models and instagram stars that typically just make us feel even worse about ourselves.
My advice is to reject all of that. Exercise can and should be something that is a benefit and a blessing. The ability to move comes with so many profound physiological and psychological benefits. But if this wonderful gift gets tied up in obsessive and unhealthy behaviors, it can cause more stress than benefit.
Like anything in life, there are times where you make yourself do something you may not want to in the moment. However in the long term, it's important to develop a healthy physical and mental relationship with movement.
If you're not sure how to get there, we can help. Our programs are designed to meet you right where you're at. We do this by eliminating the guess work, building a sustainable program rooted in medicine, and providing support along the way.
You probably already have enough stress in your life...Imagine what a healthy, stress-free relationship with fitness could look like.
