As a budding sports psychologist, I know the importance of exercise on relationships. I know that exercise can make you feel better about yourself, thus leading to being happier to be around and boosting social interaction. I know that group fitness classes and running groups are great ways to meet people and increase your friend circle.
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But what happens when exercise starts to become more important than those relationships?
What happens when you choose a run over a happy hour?
What happens when you miss the beginning of a friend's birthday party because you were at the gym?
What happens when you miss the beginning of a friend's birthday party because you were at the gym?
What happens when a healthy goal takes precedence, takes dominance, and then takes your life?
It's a slippery slope, and I've teetered on it occasionally.
For example, I've said no to going to brunch because I would honestly prefer to go on a long run over sitting for hours drinking booze on a Sunday morning.
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However, I have also said no to going out on a Friday night because I didn't get my workout in earlier, and I felt obligated and guilty.
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One was decided on preference and happiness, and the other was decided on a feeling of duty and shame.
I think it's very important to take the time to determine your motives. If you're starting to dread your workouts, or you're finishing them feeling angry and beat (in a not-beat-because-I-worked-my-ass-off-good-way-but-rather-beat-because-my-body-is-internally-rebelling-way), then assess your regime. I'm not a doctor (yet ;) ), but if skipping workouts or even the thought of skipping workouts is making you uneasy, irritable, and/or anxious, take a step back. Sit out for a little bit. Bench yourself from the game. Or even go talk to someone.
If you take a long break, you will lose some fitness. NOT ALL - but that's just basic body mechanics. That used to freak me out. Two weeks off of running, and my VO2 max decreases by 7%!? Yeah, I used to be really concerned about that, honestly, until I realized that it meant nothing to me.
- I'm not a "highly trained athlete," I'm a recreational runner.
- I don't even know my (then) current VO2 max, so clearly I'm not going to know A) if it decreases any or B) if that decrease is 7%.
- I'm already stressed about Garmin miles and paces, why add more numbers to be obsessed about?
Think about yoga. You begin softly, you warm up the body, you strengthen the body, and then at the end, you rest. The rest is built into the exercise.
This blog post went from exercise addiction to the importance of rest... but I guess they're related?
Do you struggle with wanting to and having to workout sometimes?
