Wow. Thank you all for your amazingly supportive comments on last night’s “I’m finally admitting I’m kind of addicted to exercising but now I want to get better” post.
Here’s the post, in case you missed it.
It felt cleansing to pour my heart out last night, and I loved the discussion the post sparked. As I’ve mentioned a few times, February was a tough month. As March picks up, things aren’t necessarily easier on most fronts, but my attitude is positive.
I’m confident that by March 31, I will have a huge smile on my face and (hopefully) a new half-marathon personal record.
You know what made me happy this morning? Listening to Avril Lavigne’s new single, “What The Hell.” It’s so dang catchy and I love the message behind it about going out and doing whatever you want.
Most days I say that in order to feel happy, I dress happy (bright colors, sky-high heels, etc.). Today I didn’t totally do that. Instead, I threw on one of my go-to outfits.
It’s easy, it’s comfortable, and I actually prefer it without the blazer.
The necklace is one of my favorites that I snagged at the J.Crew outlet this past summer.
Yesterday I was talking to a coworker who reads my blog (to my knowledge, she’s the only one at the office who knows about it). I asked her how often she reads, and she responded, “Enough to know that you take pictures of yourself in the bathroom every morning.”
Ahhh that little things that make me laugh.
The workday should be fairly busy today, then I’m hoping to make it to my favorite spinning class tonight.
SHARE: I’d love to continue hearing peoples’ thoughts on over-training and over-exercising. I feel like it’s so common today, especially with 20-something women. We have a “do it all, and do it all full out” mentality that’s hard to shake. Thank you again for all of your kind words — you make my life better.
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it is so hard with the abundance of workout classes available to me and the desire to stay “healthy” and get all my runs in for the week and be the best i can be to over work it sometime. The first step is recognition right?
You have the best clothes! I always love seeing what you wear to work, it makes me want to dress better for work. Sadly I can’t wear jeans to work.
Anywho, regarding over exercising, I think it’s really easy to get caught up in it. It feels great when you’re done, and when you start seeing results, and subsequently getting positive feedback it makes it really hard to want to stop. But, I also think it’s great to realize we’re all human and that sometimes, if you just don’t feel like going to spin, or running, or whatever, it’s not the end of the world. One missed class will not derail all your fitness success.
Hang in there! It seems like February was a tough month for a lot of people, but hopefully March will be better!
Hi Ali! I’m a first time commenter but have been reading your blog for a while. You seem like the sweetest person 🙂
I agree with everyone else that there is so much pressure on women to look a certain way. I think as long as you’re honest with yourself about the amount of exercise you’re doing and the reasons for doing it you won’t steer yourself wrong. I’m currently training for my first Ironman and I feel like I over exercise once in a while too, even though I’m training for a major event. It’s important to listen to your body, just like you said.
Happy Running!
Danielle
http://sweetdtermination.wordpress.com/
It’s re-assuring to hear that I’m not the only person with an issue with over exercising!
The problem is I have an all or nothing attitude and if I take a few days off from exercising/training I lose my motivation. That on top of the incisive, extremely irrational fear of gaining weight. If anyone has tips on finding balance I’d love to hear them!
I’m glad you’re feeling better! You’re outfit is super cute!
I was over-exercising last summer and I only stopped because I was feeling so fatigued and slow. I had all these ridiculous fears that I’d gain a ton of weight or become out of shape if I cut back. Well that didn’t happen at all. It is crazy how much pressure is on women!
Hooray! I just wrote a post about how I’ve been feeling really run-down lately and while I suspect it might be due to low iron levels, I also think it could be the result of overtraining and taking it too hard. I push my body when it’s tired to hit a certain # of miles for the week and most of the time it’s fine and I get stronger, but lately I haven’t been listening to the warning signs that I need a rest day! It’s sometimes a fine line between being able to tell when you REALLY need a break, and when you’re just a bit tired but can push through.
I am proud of you for taking ‘me’ time and listening to your body- you deserve some rest and your legs will feel much fresher heading into the race if you don’t beat yourself up continuosly!
i agree there is something in our culture that makes us think “if exercise is good… tons of exercise must be better!” Even my beloved lululemon is part of it with their “sweat once a day” thing. Really, every single day? Is that healthy? Anyway, I definitely think I have over-trained in the past to the point where if I didn’t attend two group classes on a Saturday the rest of the weekend was ruined. Crazy. I knew it was bad when my fiance said he thought I loved my spin bike more than him… eeek. That was a good catalyst to re-assess my priorities.
I agree – “over-working out” can be very unhealthy. That’s why I stick to a bi-weekly workout schedule…I go to the gym once every couple weeks or so.
Loved the heartfelt post, Ali! Lately I have found myself fighting that addiction to exercise battle too. Not only do I feel guilty, but I don’t feel happy unless I work out (which is totally unhealthy). I really need to veer away from that because beating my body up day in & day out is not good. Thanks for the inspiration to find other ways to be happy without running my brains out! 😉
Also, that outfit is super cute !
I’m TOTALLY in agreement with Becky here (shocking!). The comparison trap is SO easy to get caught up in, especially in blog land which is sad because there are SO many great things about blogging, you know? I’m glad you are feeling better – and girl, you look so cute in your outfit! Here’s to a rockstar month of March!
I’m glad that writing your feelings has made you feel better. I honestly think that woman put so much pressure on themselves because they feel like they can’t measure up to the people around them. It’s that all too familiar comparison trap. It’s discussed in blogging, but it definitely makes its way into daily life – at work, at home, at the gym.
For a short time, I felt like I was questioning myself – my choices, my lifestyle – but I know what I need to be happy. I had to stop listening to/reading about people that made me feel uncomfortable or negative.
I’m sorry you’ve been having a tough month. Here’s hoping that March is better for you!
Once again you look adorably put together. I seriously look like a mess every single day. Maybe this is why I can’t find anyone willing to have sex with me.