Bigger isn’t always better: 8 signs you’re into yourself and sports

Exercising regularly is commendable. But when the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle becomes an obsession, you need to slow down. Where is this line? Let’s find out together with psychologist Nadezhda Pozharova, nutritionist Alyona Stepanova and trainer Alexander Karpov.

If these points apply to you, you should think about it: perhaps it’s time to reconsider your attitude to training.

You see your body as a commodity

Everyone has complicated feelings about their body in one way or another. Another thing is if it is compulsive, when any deviation from the norm is perceived as a tragedy. That is, a person already wakes up with a sense of guilt that he ate half a refrigerator, although in fact it is not so. Such signs should alert, says the psychologist.

Solution. Pay attention to how you build your relationship with your body, whether you feel comfortable in it. The first thing that should alert is the perception of your body as an object of perfection or a commodity. It’s common for people in these situations to feel horrified whenever they miss a workout. And on top of the destructive feelings, they start berating themselves. Another wake-up call is the fear of going on a date or having sex just because of an insufficiently perfect body. For those who are ashamed of their shape and blame themselves for it, it’s important to revisit limiting beliefs – attitudes that stall a person’s development.

Blindly believing fitness bloggers

Motivating yourself with a textured body from a picture and monitoring yearly workouts among fitness accounts is fine. But buying up all the marathons like “Beautiful butt from scratch” and “trying on” someone else’s body is too much.

Solution. It’s important to realize what message a person takes from these posts. If he thinks that his body does not suit him, it means that he is giving up on himself. Such moments are very important to track and stop yourself. Plus you need to learn to distinguish between real help and commerce. Now a lot of people use various triggers that the user falls for. The same belief “do not lose weight – will not love” – this is pure manipulation. Pay attention to this.

Ignore the signals of the body

Proper nutrition can become a diagnosis if it suddenly acquires the features of an unhealthy obsession. Hunger strikes and strikes never go away. Consciously refusing to eat and drastically restricting calories can lead to eating disorders (ED). A compulsive desire to lose weight, extreme mood swings, and menstrual irregularities are the first signs of incipient EBDs. Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and orthorexia nervosa can develop as a result, warns the psychologist.

Solution. In this case, specialist help is needed. Especially if a person realizes that he is harming himself, but continues to do it, that is, he loses control of the situation. But understanding alone is not enough. It will be difficult to cope with RPP on one’s own – a person simply does not have enough resources.

Alienating yourself from the people closest to you

Attention to your diet and body causes aggression and a desire to defend yourself? Do close people seem like enemies? Is constant weight control and exercise the most important thing? If all the answers are positive, we have bad news. When a person reacts aggressively to those who try to stop him or simply express their concerns, it is a very dangerous thing. In that state, he doesn’t realize it’s time to stop. He may be actively losing weight and still consider himself “full”. All of this can lead to exhaustion.

Solution. Don’t wait for the good wizard. Until excessive enthusiasm for healthy lifestyle has not led to physiological disorders – deterioration of the work of various organs and systems, it is important to seek help in time. And it is necessary to do this at the time of the onset of such tendencies. It is clear that you should go to a psychiatrist only in a critical condition, but an ordinary consultation with a psychologist will not hurt either. At least, it is a reliable way to make sure that everything is in order.

Abusing diets, sports nutrition and supplements

Dieting is a temporary solution, warns the nutritionist. Once you stop it, all the habits will come back again. In addition, it is very difficult from a psychological point of view and can lead to the opposite effect – weight gain and obesity.

Dietary supplements are also not worth getting carried away with – most of them are not clinically tested. That is, their effectiveness is not proven. In recent years, our food has become very scarce in the amount of nutrients and vitamins. According to scientists’ calculations, says nutriciologist, it is necessary to eat five kilograms of food to collect a daily dose of vitamins and minerals. But she does not recommend buying supplements and vitamins on your own. It’s important to look at the composition. Some manufacturers can be trusted only under the supervision of a doctor.

Solution. A conscious approach to the formation of a healthy lifestyle is important here. Pay attention to the quality of food, do not forget about fiber and slow carbohydrates – the feeling of satiety is retained longer. When it becomes a habit, you won’t have to limit yourself in anything.

You feel hungry all the time

Eating often and in small portions is a myth. “In practice, I see this all the time, especially with athletes. But fractional eating is necessary only for those who have serious diseases in the acute stage, for example, gastritis or lack of gallbladder. When a person eats small portions, blood sugar and, accordingly, insulin levels rise. This can lead to the development of diabetes mellitus,” warns the nutritionist.

Solution. It is optimal to eat three times a day: a full breakfast, lunch and dinner. Less often is not worth it. This can provoke various diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Snacks are also undesirable – they raise blood sugar levels.

You often practice drying

Relief body is a dream of many people, we know. Previously, drying was practiced only by bodybuilders, now – everyone who can’t be bothered. But everything has consequences. “Prolonged drying can turn into high cholesterol, kidney damage, osteoporosis, abnormal heartbeat, water and micro- and macronutrient deficiencies,” says a fitness trainer.

Solution. Avoid the “side effects” by following an extreme low-carbohydrate drying diet for short periods of time – no more than a few weeks.

Go to workouts every day

Going to the gym regularly is certainly commendable. But spending half a day there is a straight road to exhaustion. “You shouldn’t do this. Uninterrupted training can lead to poor results, decreased performance, fatigue, negative health effects, and increased injuries,” explains the trainer.

Solution. Exercise regularly, but in moderation. Imagine a graph on which the starting point is the time before training, after which there is a slight decline, and after some time – growth. And your task is to always hit the growth phase. The average time between workouts for one muscle group is 48 hours. It is best to train every other day. Exceptions are professional athletes and some activities that require more frequent training.