Stop doing the most, do this instead
Written by: Molly McNamee
It is officially New Year’s resolution season, which means many people are rushing to the gym and starting new workout programs.
People want to reach their goals, and they want to reach them fast!
So, around this time of year, many people attempt to overhaul their lives by working out more, eating less, and being “healthier”.
But… after working in the fitness industry for over a decade, I’m here to tell you that hopping into an extreme fitness program and doing the most is actually unhealthy!
By the way, hi! I’m Molly McNamee. I am an online fitness coach and the founder of MFit Workouts. I am all about sustainable fitness and am passionate about helping people find a way to workout that improves their quality of life.
You may be thinking, doesn’t all exercise improve the quality of your life? Turns out, no!
There are situations where exercise can become unhealthy, particularly when you work out too much!
I found myself in that situation six years ago.
Here’s a peek into what my life looked like in 2017…
I worked out every single day. I lifted heavy weights, did HIIT workouts, taught hot yoga and spin classes, hiked, and exercised for at least 2 hours most every day.
I was also super conscious about what I ate. I prepped my meals and tracked my macros.
Finally, I was super active and healthy outside of my workouts. I took 10k steps a day, journaled every night, meditated, and drank plenty of water…I did all the things you’re “supposed” to do to be fit!
Anyone seeing my life on social media must have thought I was the healthiest and happiest person in the world.
Well… I wasn’t.
And my workouts were to blame for that.
While I appeared to be fit, my weight went up and down 30 lbs every few months. I would fluctuate between feeling strong and energized to feeling weak and exhausted.
I was battling with severe anxiety and bloating. I had 1-3 panic attacks every day and looked 7 months pregnant every night.
I felt like I had no control over my body. I was doing all the “right” things, but I couldn’t get my body to feel and look the way I wanted it to.
Those are textbook symptoms of over-exercising that I was ignoring.
If you are trying to work out but find yourself:
Constantly battling a yo-yo-ing scale
Feeling drained every single day
Struggling to fall asleep and stay asleep at night
Experiencing unprompted stress, anxiety, pain and bloating
Having a difficult time sticking to a consistent routine
… You may be attempting to work out too much or are working out at an intensity level that is not right for your body.
You may be thinking… But Molly, my body isn’t going to change if I don’t work out more or push myself harder.
The problem with that is, that you’re setting a precedent for yourself that you’ll never be able to maintain. If you always do the most in an attempt to see a transformation, your body is going to require you to do MORE to see results. And eventually doing more will become impossible; there are only so many hours in a day that you can spend on your health. So, in time you’ll have to stop doing the most, and that’s when you lose all your progress.
If you condition your body to only respond to long, intense workouts, when you try to do anything else, your body won’t change.
If you feel like you’re already experiencing that, don’t fear, if I can recondition my body to respond to a lighter exercise routine, so can you!
So obviously, extreme routines aren’t sustainable.
However, that’s not the only reason over-exercising is dangerous and counterproductive.
Bodies NEED rest.
Your muscles need rest.
While exercising builds muscle, the actual change takes place when you are resting. So if you’re never resting, your muscles will never do what you want them to.
Your nervous system needs rest. Every workout spikes your nervous system a little bit. So, if you are working out a lot, your nervous system can become overloaded. That will result in gut issues, bloating, anxiety, and feelings of panic. All of those things are uncomfortable and also prevent the body from transforming.
Over-exercising stresses out the body.
And a stressed-out body doesn’t change.
Bodies don’t like extremes. They don’t enjoy being stressed.
So, not only is over-training dangerous for the body… but it also won’t get you the results you want either!
So, what do we do instead?
I challenge you to NOT make a big change this January.
I challenge you to make one SMALL, easily maintainable change.
Do that one thing consistently, and then gradually build on it.
Start by doing a 5-minute workout a few times a week. Then progress to 10-minutes. Keep adding on in small increments until you’ve built a routine that is sustainable and actually improves the quality of your life.
This routine shouldn’t stress you out. It shouldn’t feel like a chore. It absolutely shouldn’t feel difficult to do consistently.
Set yourself up for long-term success by creating a routine you can do seemingly forever.
Need help doing that? Molly would love to support you! Sign up for a 2-week free trial of MFit Custom Programming, and Molly will help you set up a routine you can stick to for all of 2024!
Molly McNamee is the founder of MFit Workouts. She has been an online fitness coach for 10 years. As a recovering over-exerciser herself, she understands how fitness tends to swing between two extremes for people. They either are attempting to work out way too much, at an intensity level that is completely unproductive or they aren’t doing enough.
Molly helps people break out of the all-or-nothing lifestyle and make movement a normal part of their lives. Her goal is to teach people how to safely work out for their body and mind so that they feel energized, fit, reduce bloating, decrease stress, balance their hormones, and thrive day-to-day.
You can connect with Molly on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or on her website.
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