It sounds crazy right? We’ve been taught to workout harder and eat less to lose weight correct? Wrong! I’m here to tell you that exercising more doesn’t mean we’re going to magically drop the lbs. Often times, we end up gaining more weight because of what I’m about to discuss below.
I want to share a little something with you in hopes this will resonate with those that are still struggling with compulsive exercise. There is a way to stop the madness and I promise you can do it if you set your mind to it and are open to positive change.
There’s a fine line I must admit, when it comes to exercise I mean. Coming from a very talented family in sports, I’ve been around exercise since I was a baby. My dad was a world class athlete (10th in the world in the mile and 2nd in the world for the 4×200) and my mom was a professional bodybuilder back in the 80’s. You know, the days when Reebok velcro pink kicks were in and the metallic thong up the backside was a must have for step up class. Gosh, I remember the men loved to watch that class! Haha.
Anyways, I got the exercise bug too and for a long time I absolutely loved it. The runs gave me the highs, the joys of being out in nature consumed me and the teamwork of the track team were some of the best times of my life. However, I got sick. As many of you know I became Aneroxic and Bulimic in college and it was a true fight for the next 10 years of my life. My eating disorder went through several cycles in hopes of finding the next workout or diet to “fix” me and my so called “unfixable” self.
I became OBSESSED WITH EXERCISE. Not the fun kind, the kind that you had to do to remove any calories that remained in my body, and the kind that caused me to lose pretty much everything in my life. Exercise was my pure obsession. I want to save this topic for another blog but I do want you to understand why compulsive exercise sucks. Especially when it comes to long hours of cardio.
It raises our cortisol. Too much of a good thing isn’t always a good thing. When we do too much cardio, we raise our cortisol levels which causes us to crave more sugars, more carbs, more anything because our bodies are in distress. For those of us that want a flat belly, lean muscle and our sanity I lean against long hours of training. I’ll probably get some heat for this, but in my own opinion, I’m sharing what’s worked for me, therefore I’m going to share.
Long hours of cardio depleated my adrenals. They were fried to put it bluntly. I was f’ing tired, zero sex drive, no motivation, mild depression and weight gain that WOULD NOT BUDGE! I knew it was time for a change.
Therefore, I did a TON of research and tried different things to see how my body and mind responded. I have to say I found a new way that my body really liked. How did I know? I didn’t have insane cravings, I wasn’t bloated, I’ve lost 4 lbs and I feel happier! I don’t feel crabby, on edge and moody and I’m actually enjoying life and living more stress free! Exercise is fun, not daunting like before and it’s a new found sense of freedom for me.
If you’re still struggling with the cardio mindset and nothing is changing, I would love to help! Make sure to subscribe to my weekly emails on my website home page for tons of tips on how to get off the madness train!
Kim