In October 2021, after a year of symptoms of hormonal imbalance, I decided to finally stop the intense exercise that I continued to put my body through: heavy weights, cardio, running, etc., I I probably did.
Fast forward to today, a year and (almost) a half after I decided to completely change my relationship with fitness, it’s been good for me and my hormones.
I’ve always struggled with exercising less, so the biggest change for me has been how I’ve changed my mindset and attitude when it comes to fitness. Here’s how I did it…
Break away from the unhealthy habit
This will probably be by far the hardest thing you will do. It’s never easy to break habits, especially those that have been formed over the years.
I knew I needed to take a break from what I was obsessed with at the time (CrossFit) and that’s exactly what I did.
I’m not saying you have to give it up completely in order to break away from an unhealthy habit, but instead try to work on yourself until you know that you can come back to it later with a completely different mindset. Personally, I decided to stop focusing on numbers (how much weight I could lift, etc.) and instead focus on whatever felt good – mentally and physically. This meant completely freezing myself out with heavy weights and focusing on the other, less intense types of exercise I enjoyed like swimming, walking, yoga, and Pilates. Once I did that, I focused on that…
Research how to exercise with your menstrual cycle
Considering that the only reason I decided to give up CrossFit and any other intense workouts was due to my hormonal imbalance, I decided to start researching tailoring my workouts to my menstrual cycle in order to help support my hormones. Read: How I sync my exercise with my menstrual cycle and why
If health is a big priority for you, then learning about the benefits of working out based on your menstrual cycle and why can really help change your mindset. Ultimately, ask yourself what your goals are right now. To look good, or feel good?
Once I started to realize the importance of ovulation, having healthy periods, getting optimal sleep, and recovering well (which I wasn’t when I was obsessed with my shape physical fitness), I was then able to take a different approach to fitness.
The wonderful thing about our bodies is that we are all different, so taking the time to understand yours is one of the most important things you can do.
I now loosely sync my exercise with my menstrual cycle since 2021, but since I started working with a nutritionist in September, I’ve been taking it more seriously and it’s really helped support my body.
Break away from online fitness accounts
Repeat after me: A social media detox is always healthy. When I gave up CrossFit, I had to unfollow many accounts on my Instagram so I wouldn’t experience any FOMO. Finding and following accounts that inspire you, motivate you, and most importantly, make you happy online is extremely important, if only for your mental health.
Additionally, following people who follow a lifestyle you want to adapt to can help you on your journey to stop obsessing about fitness as well. For me, this followed more accounts focused on yoga, Pilates, and a lot of self-care as well. This allowed me to learn a new way of living (and exercising), rather than focusing on a fairly intense and continuous training program 24/7.
Find the Ying and Yang of fitness
As human beings, we need a lot of balance to thrive, especially when it comes to our work/life balance. So why not treat fitness the same way? For the past year, I’ve been approaching fitness in a completely different way by focusing on a contrast of different exercises that complement each other, otherwise known as Ying and Yang.
Just last year I mixed things up with Pilates and yoga to help rebalance my body while continuing to work on my strength and conditioning goals and along the way it didn’t Not only has it allowed me to readjust my mindset when it comes to fitness, but it has also opened up a whole new world of trying new exercises, especially ones that are gentle on my body.
While it’s important to move more, do the things you love, and keep your body mentally and physically active, it’s just as important, if not more so, to slow things down and understand the yin and yang of fitness. physical. Go for high-intensity workouts if that’s your thing, but also learn to go a little slower when your body needs it. Fitness isn’t about how much weight you can lift, how many miles you can run without stopping, or how many days you can workout per week, it’s about improving your quality of life.
Hannah x
Disclaimer: This article is sponsored by adidas. You can shop my entire outfit in the adidas women’s clothing range. [ad/pr product].