When you start your fitness journey, there are a few harmful habits that may sneak up on you. Keep an eye out for them.
1. Scale Addiction This happens when you are constantly weighing yourself, even multiple times throughout the day. It's a given that your weight is going to fluctuate throughout the day or even throughout the week and there are multiple reasons for this. Unfortunately, there are people who simply can't help themselves and must step on that scale. The real problem starts when that number affects your emotions and your self-confidence. Please remember that the number you see is simply data, data that will allow you to be more strategic about your fitness journey and it's simply that. Don't let it become more than it is.
2. Eating Disorders
The second habit is usually connected to a scale addiction and that is an eating disorder. People who become unhappy after stepping on the scale usually end up avoiding food or overindulging in food in an attempt to get themselves to the weight they desire. Again, this can become very harmful as it can cause some people to go on unnecessary fasting periods or develop bulimia along with overly exhausting workouts or on the flip side it may cause someone trying to gain weight to start binge eating to the point where they feel sick. Your fitness journey is a marathon and going on a “crash diet” may solve your problem short term but later down the road you will be right back where you started. If you are unable to create sustainable eating habits that will take you to your goal, please seek advice or help from a nutritionist or dietician.
3. Body Dysmorphia
This is something we may have all been guilty of at one point, you look yourself in the mirror and all you see are your flaws. Even when everyone tells you you look great, even when you know to yourself that you look better than most people around you. In your eyes, all you see are never-ending flaws. This disorder usually leads to people losing ridiculous amounts of weight to the point where they're pretty much a skeleton or on the flip side, someone involved in muscle building never being satisfied with their size. There is a constant desire to get bigger. Please remember the reason you started your fitness journey and what your goals are. If you feel like you may be experiencing a body dysmorphic disorder please seek help from a professional.
4. Exercise Addictions
The final habit on today's list is an exercise addiction, something else we may have been guilty of at some point. This occurs when one more set turns into 3, or when that hour long workout becomes 3 hours. Other signs would be you canceling other engagements to go workout or you scheduling your day around your workouts and making working out a top priority in your life everyday. This can easily start affecting the relationships around you and even your job performance or other areas of your life. The gym is usually an escape for a lot of people and we can easily end up spending more and more time there in an attempt to avoid our issues, instead of facing them head-on and dealing with them. Please remember that in everything, balance is important. Missing one workout will not throw off your progress so don't feel like you will be falling behind if you don't stick to a rigid schedule.
Thank you for reading and as always, feel free to reach out with any questions.
