The relationship you have with the gym, is it healthy or destructive?
Last weeks blog “Why are you obsessed with the gym? Do you have that muscle dysmorphia thing?”, I ended on the question:
The relationship that you have with the gym, is it healthy or obsessive?
Asking this question then lead me to ask myself more questions than answers.
What defines a healthy relationship?
How much is too much, in relation to how frequently you train/ workout?
What is the difference between dedication and obsession?
Is there a difference between dedication and obsession?
And am I dedicated or obsessed?
I can’t answer all these questions for now but what I can do is start off with the easiest ones. Answer the basics and hope that provides the potential to have the other questions answer themselves.
‘What is the difference between dedication and obsession?’
‘Is there a difference between dedication and obsession?’
And so like the 90’s baby I am, I went to google to get the definition of dedication and obsession. And the definitions are as follows (according to Cambridge dictionary online).
Dedication:
The willingness to give a lot of time and energy to something because it is important.
Obsession:
Something or someone that you think about all the time.
The difference between dedication and obsession is that one is a thought and the other is an action, simple.
Essentially they both compliment each other rather than oppose so when either are overused that's when problems occur. When both are used correctly they can be highly effective for you when achieving your goals or attaining a healthy lifestyle.
After my 20 minute research on definitions, the question I realised I should have been asking is;
‘The relationship you have with the gym, is it healthy or destructive?’
And after asking this question I then came up with a series of questions to help someone identify if they had a healthy or destructive relationship with working out.
This is only a rough guide to what I think is healthy/ destructive, so please do not take this as gospel (I am not a doctor).
Signs to help you identify if the relationship you have with the gym is healthy or destructive?
Do you enjoy working out?
Do you feel accomplished when you finish a workout?
Do you give your body time to recover and rest?
Do you look after your body by eating the correct foods?
Do you feel the goals that you have set yourself are realistic and attainable?
Do you feel a sense of emptiness if you have missed a workout?
Do you find it hard to balance working out, recreation, work and relationships?
Do you regularly skip meals?
Do you use gym as a coping mechanism?
Do you consistently workout but are never contempt with how you look?
Do you often compare your body to other people?
Do you often criticise and ridicule your body?
Do you constantly workout until you are in pain (not to be confused with muscle soreness)?
Do you take performance enhancing drugs?
If you answered the majority of the first 5 questions with a ‘yes’ and the remaining 9 with a ‘no’ then you have a healthy and responsible relationship with working out, over time this will grow into a better quality of life.
And If you answered the majority of the first 5 questions with a ‘no’ and the remaining 9 with a ‘yes' then you might want to have a look into your relationship in regards to working out. It’s not a healthy or sustainable way to workout and you will end up doing a lot more harm than good to your body and mind in the over time.
Again, this is only a rough guide to what I think is healthy/ destructive in relation to working out, so please do not take this as gospel (I am not a doctor).
I hope I have been able to help you answer the question,
'The relationship that you have with the gym, is it healthy or obsessive?'
Let me know down below in the comments if this has been helpful.
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