4 Things to Avoid During a Workout
If you have been diagnosed with an E.D. (eating disorder) or you are very judgmental of your body, One of the most essential tasks your mind has during a workout is to keep negative thoughts away. It sounds easy right? Wrong, it is a very difficult task. However if you follow these simple rules, controlling those thoughts becomes a lot easier.
1. Avoid Mirrors.
This is for anyone who struggles with bad body image. You do not want to push yourself during a workout because you think your body deserves to be punished as a result of how you look . Instead, you want to push yourself because of the health benefits and athletic goals. Watching yourself in a mirror only adds a third component of worrying about body image. Doing a sit up is not the most attractive fold of the body, the last thing you need is to judge how you look while doing one. If mirrors are such a distraction why are they even in gyms? Mirrors have a great purpose in regards to making sure your form is correct. Today, I definitely utilize mirrors and I love them! However, if you are struggling with body image; or just beginning to work out during your recovery, avoid them.
2. Avoid Phone Calls
The phone typically rings for one of two reasons. First, because someone needs you and second, because someone is bored and just wants to talk. Both cases can wait. If you feel rushed during a workout, this can lead to thoughts of inadequacy after the workout. The exception to this rule of course is your ‘must answer list’ which includes children. But we all have those people in our life that can say something that just sends us into a negative place in our brain. It is vital not to answer when these people call during or right before a workout. When you hang up the phone, you are likely to turn the workout into a session to take out your anger or stress on your body. It is true that working out is a great stress reliever, but you should never workout for the sole purpose to take revenge on your body.
3.Avoid Social Media
Avoiding social media is a good rule of thumb in general when in recovery. The internet is full of great resources (like this one or this one!). It is also full of posts, people, and topics that trigger bad behavior. Reading how your friend on Facebook worked out for 3 hours and reached a goal of losing 15 pounds is not motivating. Instead, it will fuel E.D. to want to compete to be better than that friend. He may react by pushing you to workout for 4 hours instead. The goal is to workout for yourself, not for anyone else. Say goodbye to Facebook before and during your workout!
4.Avoid working out with people who trigger you.
We have people in our life that serve different purposes during our recovery. It is essential to have people who support your ventures with exercise. On the flip side, if there are people who you will compare yourself to or feel judged by, you should not workout with them. When I first started working out in recovery I could not exercise with certain people because I was stressed that I did not live up to their expectations as an athlete. Thoughts like this definitely negatively influence the quality of the workout. Instead work out with a trainer, or someone who understands your triggers and situation.
When I first started working out in recovery I realized quickly I had to follow each of the these rules in order to be successful. The hard part was that no one told me these rules. I was just told in order to work out again I had to train with a trainer, and I could not train by myself. Now that I am further in recovery, my rules have changed. I no longer avoid mirrors and I am willing to workout with anyone. But recovery in exercise also means knowing yourself well enough to know when you have to re-instate these rules in order to be healthy. If I am talking on the phone before I go into the gym and the conversation starts to get heated, I hang up. I re-instate my rule. Your loved ones should know these rules, so that they can respect it if say you need to hangup the phone. The goal with these rules, is to have guidelines so that you can avoid triggers to keep your workout intentions pure. Since everyone’s triggers are different you may need to adjust your rules. So talk with your trainer and personalize your rules!