Do you have any of these 6 fitness & health obsessions? Here is how to fix them

Developing obsessions is never a healthy thing, it often takes away from other important parts of our lives. It also takes away from the bigger picture and can often lead to failure. The same applies to the health & fitness field. There are those who develop complicated obsessions that often lead to bigger issues such as eating disorders. I have personally met plenty of people who develop unhealthy obsessions that lead to an unbalanced life. Leading a balanced lifestyle is important if you want it to be a healthy one. In this post, I will outline some of the most common health & fitness obsessions, how to recognize them and fight them. 

Resistance exercise obsession: 

The signs: you do resistance/weight training everyday for 1.5+ hours

Unless you are an athlete with a well planned program then you should not be doing resistance training on a daily basis. Resistance and weight training involves the breaking down of muscles in the gym. Your body responds by building them bigger and stronger (providing you have proper nutrition and rest). If you train everyday then you risk over-stressing your body which needs the proper amount of rest to rebuild. Picture a plant that you water too much, it simply won't grow. You should reduce the amount of resistance training to 3-5 per week depending on your goals and expertise. 

Scale & weight obsession:

The signs: you weigh yourself multiple times per day

Obsessing over your weight can disappoint your or cause you to fail. The body weight changes multiple times per day, so if you are going to weigh yourself on a daily basis anyways then do it at the same time everyday. Furthermore, those who are doing resistance and weight training will often see times of weight gain or no decrease due to the fact that the body should be building muscle. Instead, use a measuring tape to measure your waist, hips, chest, arms and legs. Restrict use of the scale to once a week. Instead focus more on exercising and eating healthy.

Calorie (kcal) obsession:

The signs: you worry about every kcal you take in and aim for a very low kcal diet (below 1500). 

This in my opinion is one of the worst ones. Obsessing about every kcal you eat will only cause you to lead an impossible lifestyle, you will be bound to fail and revert to an unhealthy lifestyle. Instead, focus on eating kcals from healthy sources such as whole grains, proteins, good fats, fruits and vegetables. Some foods will be high in kcal but are excellent sources of nutrients such as nuts and seeds, don't shy away from them. Finally, aiming for a very low kcal diet will cause your body to starve and draw on energy from itself which leads to muscle wasting and bone mineral loss. The best way to lose weight is exercise and eat nutrient dense foods. 

Cardio (running) obsession:

The signs: you use running (often multiple times per day) as your primary weight loss tool

Again, unless you are a specific athlete, obsessive running is not recommended as a weight loss tool for several reason. Firstly, running has high impact on the knee and will wear your knees out over time. Secondly, long runs often lead to muscle wasting since the body draws on the muscle stores for energy use. Make sure you supplement your cardio activities with resistance training and sports. 

"I will start next Monday" obsession: 

The signs: you keep promising yourself and others that you will start eating healthy and exercising next week

This one is self explanatory, if you keep promising to start next week because of that birthday or travel time then you are most likely to keep postponing. If you keep finding excuses then you will most likely find another one when Monday comes. Instead, try starting right away by making better food choices and finding an activity that will get you moving and sweating! 

The measuring obsession:

The signs: you measure every oz of water and food on a daily basis

Unless this is a short term phase for a specific goal then this obsession is most likely going to cause you to fail and revert to an unhealthy lifestyle. Measuring everything you put in your mouth is time consuming and tiring, very few people can do this in a healthy way. Instead, focus on differentiating between nutritious and low nutrient foods. Know how a cup of grains looks like or use a cup to scoop it but don't avoid eating grains because you have no measuring device in some situations (restaurants etc).


Love it, or use fitness & nutrition to change it,

Mohamed