Obsessed with exercise

H

hortyhoos

Member
Wondered if anyone has friends or family who think they are obsessed with exercise?? I've had several people tell me that they believe I take it a bit too far in the fact that I feel the need to do it 6 days a week. I've been exercising regularly for about 12 years after a weight loss of 60 lbs. and have kept the weight off every since. I admit I get frustrated when something keeps me from it, but I enjoy it so much and it has definitely helped with the weight.

I feel a bit alone on this, my husband doesn't understand. He thinks I'm too thin now but I think I look good and I feel great. When I was heavy, someone in my family (and I won't say who) said I looked like a beached dolphin in my bathing suit. I think it's funny now, but not at the time. Just no pleasing some people.

Any thoughts??

Karen
 
Karen,

I get that too. I find it such a strange phenomena - the use of the word "obsessed" in relation to regular exercise. BTW, I am assuming here that you mean "regular" and not several hours a day for those 6 days.

I too have had people tell me I'm too thin or I'm obsessed, but DH thinks I look great and like you I am happy w/how I look. Of course I live in rural Arkansas where biscuits w/sausage gravy is the breakfast of champions, so naturally I am considered a little different.

I'm certainly no psychologist, but there seems to be some kind of defense mechanism that kicks in for some people regarding others fitness success. They are not sure how to relate to you as this fit person, you've "changed".

And lastly, if we're obsessive, does that mean the couch potatoes that sit in front of their TV nightly for 2-3 hours are "obsessed" with TV?

Sorry for the rambling, but this one hits home with me. Oh and apologies to the biscuit eaters, nothing personal.

Kim
 
Hi Karen! I've read estimates of people in this country who participate in regular, vigorous exercise as 3 to 5%. That's it. We are a relatively small, elite group. However, the health benefits alone of regular exercise are more than worth it to me, as I'm sure they are to everyone on this board and others. I'm a critical care nurse who currently works in a CCU, and every day at work I see the devastating effects of a sedentary, unhealthy lifestyle. That alone is enough to keep me in front of my VCR, barbell and dumbells in hand! LOL! I think if I knew why some people "hate" to workout and others get hooked for life I would be a very rich woman!! Obsessed? No. Not any more than the rest of us. It's really difficult for people who - for whatever reason - can't or won't get up and move their bodies to deal with the reality and guilt of not working out, when they're confronted with people like us. My coworkers say I'm obsessed too. Out of all the nurses in our unit, only one other I know of works out consistently, and she admits she "hates" it. How sad!! I would ignore the naysayers. You are leading by example, but you also aren't responsible for their reactions to you, or to the idea of working out. Only they are. You're doing something healthy and good for your body, your mind and your spirit, and no one can take it from you! Celebrate who you are and enjoy!!

Carol
:)
 
Hi... just wondered, how tall are you, and how much to you weight/body fat??? you didn't say. I think that obsession is the wrong word, as an obsession is about thinking about doing something all the time where conpulsion is " you have to do it" regardless. I think that if you miss a day and you cannot function correctly (ie - worry about it all the time, feel intense guilt, etc...) then something is wrong. I however think that more people should be more concerned with the amount of time they spend watching TV then worrying about how much exercise you do. And i'm assuming you only do an hour 6 days per week...so sounds perfectly normal and healthy to me! :)
 
Ohhhh my children think I have a major obsession!! I biked for 56 miles Wed... whoa that was a nice change to my program.. but I find if I take off a day I FEEL LAZY! .. but it is good for muscle development!!! ....
I am 5'7" 132 and 47 years old.... AND I HAVE MUSCLES and I luv that!!... I will never be built like I was at 21 ... but I am a woman AND PROUD OF IT! ... now if I could just get my gear on and start lifting ..........:+
 
Aren't muscles great??? LOL!! I'm almost 46, and I have better muscle definition than I ever had in my 20's, and even 30's. I love weight training!! My problem is I have to remember to do enough cardio as well. What a fantastic example you're setting for your children!! Good for you!! They'll remember that. My 12 year old daughter loves to go with me when I buy heavier dumbells or new workout gloves, and she's even tried to do a couple of Cathe tapes with me. She really loves Boot Camp and the CTX tape Kickbox! She uses 3 and 5 pounds weights, but she keeps up fairly well!

Carol
:)
 
RE: Welcome to your world

This subject comes up frequently here, and many of us experience the same sense of slight (or not so slight) loneliness for being committed exercisers who enjoy not only the aesthetic but health benefits of exercise, AND who simply enjoy the act of exercise.

Non-exercisers will NEVER understand how exercisers cherish their activities; it's like a blind man trying to understand color. I've let go of trying to explain my commitment (what others might call "obsession") to Couch Potato America. And I've stopped apologizing for my "obsession" for exercise, both in terms of the time commitment and the upfront expenses. When I think of the amount of time people spend on watching TV, shopping for sh*t they don't need, yakking and sitting, when I think of the amount of money people spend on season tickets for pro sports events, cable TV, cell phones, movies, weird hobbies, I know I don't have a thing to feel bad about.

I'll be biking to the store in my '90's while my contemporaries will be sidelined in nursing homes, living on pills and the tender mercies of low-paid PCA's. And they'll all be scratching their heads and wondering why they're there and I'm here.

A-Jock
I'm Not Ornery, Am I?
 
RE: Welcome to your world

What are everybody's exercise regimes? I'm just curious.

My husband thinks the same of me, so I can totally relate. We are definitely all on the same page. We all want to have fit-healthy bodies and the only way to keep that is to exercise and eat well! :)

We are worth that effort!!

Marcia :)
 
RE: Welcome to your world

A-jock, you bring up a very good point! I'm a critical care nurse and I work in CCU. Every day I work I take care of patients near my age, and some even younger, who are experiencing a multitude of *preventable* health problems due to their unhealthy, sedentary lifestyle and eating habits. Yes, some people are afflicted with chronic medical conditions, and some medications will cause people to gain weight (Prednisone, for example), and others have low thyroid function and don't know it yet, but 99% of the people I take care of have medical problems because of poor lifestyle and eating choices. Adult-onset diabetes and heart disease in your 40's is NOT a necessary part of aging. It's preventable. Exercise is a very large part of the prevention. With all the education available, it's always a mystery to me why most of America would rather spend 3 or more hours a night watching mindless garbage on TV than spending an hour or so working their bodies. Exercise has been medically proven to reverse hypertension in some cases, negate the necessity of being on medication for Adult-Onset diabetes, and even negate the necessity of being on anti-depressants. The cardiothoracic benefits alone are more than worth it! For women especially, it's very important for bone health. I agree with the others on here that I would rather be thought of as "obsessive" about exercise, than obsessive about watching the latest episode of some mindless, inane reality show, while I down a bag of potato chips or something. I suppose it all comes down to choices. We all have the gift of free will, and I choose to be healthy, and to move my body!!

Carol
:)
 
RE: Welcome to your world

Hi Marcia, I'm Carol!

I'm still fairly new to Cathe (less than three months), and I currently do three days (or less, depending on my work schedule that week) of cardio and two days of weight training, then I reverse that the following week. I work 12 hour nights, so I don't workout the day after I've worked. Some weeks I have 5 days I can workout, some 4, and others 6, so I do what I can, when I can. Right now I'm working a lot of extra shifts, but as we near the holidays, I'll be taking time off. I work PRN, which means I make my own schedule. I definitely miss it the days I can't workout!! If I had a "normal" job - LOL - where I worked the same hours and days each week, I would do something every single day. I'm so hooked, but I love it!!

Carol
:)
 
hI CAROL..

Its funny my kids are 26 and 21 and THEY ARE NOT REAL FITNESS FANS.. I wish they were but they are not!!!.... I always exercised .. hummm
but I guess it hasnt rubbed off on them!!!! :(
 
RE: Welcome to your world

I exercise every morning M-S I take Sundays off. I homeschool my boys and without exercise I think I would go bananas!!:eek: Just the meer fact that they are home all day everyday, tells me that I have to do something for myself and I do I exercise and weight lift. I am enjoying the fact that I am back in my smaller clothes again after medicine the doctor put me on made me regain half of the original weight I had lost. And perimenopause screwed up my losing ability. But with weight training and upping the cardio up to Cathe's intensity I am not at a higher weight but in smaller clothes. So that says alot by itself.:D

Do what you feel is best for your body and don't worry what others think. My mil laughs and says that she doesn't want to ever have to mess with me because I am in too good a shape.LOL!!:7
 
If exercising 6 days a week is "obsessive", what about eating every day, or brushing your teeth every day. How obsessive of you! LOL

I think some of this is jealousy and rationalization: most people don't make the time to be active on a daily basis, so it's easier for them to think of those who do as "obsessive"(ie: something bad) than as doing something healthy, and what they themselves should be doing but aren't.
 
I get this some too...but what I think is that since these people are not at my (or all of our) fitness levels, 6 days would be obsessive and IMPOSSIBLE for them because they've never even attempted to work to that level!!!

Working out 6 days a week is perfect for me and my energy level. I don't go full blast every one of those days. I mix higher and lower intensity days. Works for me!
 
Hi Guys, I had to chime in from "Lurker's land" on this topic. It is so wonderful to see others who, despite being told of their "obsessive" behaviour, refuse to see regular exercise as negative. I was a fat inactive child, and not surprisingly, a miserable self-conscious teenager. In University I discovered exercise and my life changed radically, both from a physical and psychological basis. Fifteen years later, I am a successful lawyer, with a great husband and two incredible young children. I volunteer at my YMCA three times a week, and fit in Cathe at home. Without regular exercise, I would crumble under the stress and pressures of my work and home commitments. Without exercise I wouldn't have the physical stamina to play actively with my kids, or make it through long days in Court. If being "obsessive" lets me keep being a productive Mommy, wife, lawyer, and community volunteer, then those who wish to be unobsessed can eat my dust as they watch from the sidelines! Cheers, Cindy
 
What a great thread! Amen,Aquajock! I agree there are many reasons for family and friends to call you "obsessive." Let's point fingers at others so we don't have to take a hard look at ourselves. And hey, anyone who looks different than I, has different priorities or succeeds where I have failed must be strange. If I can insult and demean others or imply that they have problems, I can feel better about myself.

When you consider that people used to work long hours in demanding jobs that involved manual labor, it doesn't seem excessive for someone with a sedentary job to enjoy an hour or so of physical activity per day. In fact, it seems like a pretty good idea.

Angela
 
And lastly, if we're obsessive, does that mean the couch potatoes that sit in front of their TV nightly for 2-3 hours are "obsessed" with TV?

Kim, when I read the first post of the thread, I was going to say the same thing. You are SO right. It really bothers me how health and fitness loving people are still ridiculed so much. It doesn't make me feel bad, though. In all honesty (I know this is really bad), I feel a bit superior. They're not the ones who get compliments and stares when wearing a bathing suit :D

Sara
 
Hi Icklemoley....gained a lot of insight from your response. I do admit I think about when I will get my workout in every day and sometimes if I miss a day I become agitated. I feel the need to move or do something each day. Having been overweight, I fear going back to that, although some say that would never happen as intense an exerciser as I am. I probably need to deal with that issue.

By the way, I'm 5'7 and weigh 130 lbs. Last time I had my body fat checked it was 17%. My workouts last from 1 to 1 1/2 hours each day, but some days are much less intense. This is the least I've weighed in a long time and family and friends are worried I'll waste away. I eat well and feel great with lots of energy.

Thanks for your help, I appreciate your knowledge.:)
 
Hey, i'm glad i can help. When i was in my my late teens i had what you call an "compulsion" to exercise but it was an obsession too. If i missed workout i would "panic" and not be able to concentrate on anything other than my missed workout. Clearly i didnt think i had a problem until the day i had to miss a workout - a day my mum will never forget! lol ... i think if you're healthy, and it isn't taking over every other part of your life, then i'm sure all is fine. For me, exercise was a way of escaping - it filled a gap in my life which should of been filled with friends, going out etc... i exercise daily still, but only for 40 - 60 mins a day, and dont do much cardio, i'm a weight training person. I will always execise, i like how i feel and i feel good when i do. If you're family and friends are worried about you that is nice, and they clealy care, but sometimes when we lose weight, often the people in our lives that liked us "before" get scared that perhpas things will change. I'm sorry if i'm rambling now... anyway... i wish you much wellness. You take care Wayne x
 
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