Tips To Stop Feeling Overwhelmed By Fitness

You start with your great intensions - new exercise routine, new nutrition plan, and all the new gear you bought for it. But before long, the pressure you are feeling is becoming way too much. You have too many workout plans and routines, too many diets, so many different opinions as to what is the "correct" way to do all this; and instead of feeling good, you feel overwhelmed. 

The reality is that fitness should not be stressful but rather should be a source of energy and empowerment; it should compliment your life, not take over your life. Yet, many athletes and people going to the gym and many of the beginners fall into the trap of doing too much or trying to accomplish things too quickly or listening to everyone else instead of themselves and their own bodies.

The question is: How do I eliminate feeling overwhelmed by being fit and learn to love fitness once again?

This blog is filled with tips for how to build a fitness routine that works for you based on your desired outcome (joy). There are no rigid guidelines or specific programs here; but rather, useful examples that can be applied regardless of what type of exercise you do.

As you read through this blog, take some time to think if you are exercising for enjoyable purposes (joy), or simply because it was something to do (box checked). Does exercising leave you feeling more energized than tired? At the end, you will walk away with a system of easy-to-use tools to allow you to achieve success in fitness and create an equilibrium in your physical health and well-being.

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Simplify Your Routine

People often find themselves feeling pressured with an overwhelming amount of choices in the fitness industry due to all the different options such as HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), Yoga, Strength Training, Cardio and many other “musts” that exist in the fitness industry.

Therefore, the key solution is to simplify your workouts. Find 2-3 exercises you really enjoy (the ones that you look forward to doing) and do them with as much frequency as possible... no need to master every possible workout trend, just have a schedule where you consistently are moving in a way that feels good for your body.

Reflect: What's an exercise you truly enjoy doing? (Walking, Dancing, Lifting weights, etc.)? Build your workout program around that, rather than chasing down any and every new exercise trend.

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Focus on Small Wins

Big, scary goals tend to create a lot of pressure and tend to lead us to a point where we feel overwhelmed—we might want to drop 20 pounds in 30 days or run a marathon without training. Instead of that, try looking for small wins you can achieve now.

• Move your body for 10 minutes
• Drink more water
• Stretch before bed

These are all small goals, but they will help make you feel better about yourself and build some confidence about yourself over time through momentum. Eventually, those small, little wins can become larger wins as well as turn into overall permanent improvement.

Interactive thought: What is one little win you can make a commitment to do today? Write it down. This will be the first thing that allows you to start being consistent.

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Tune Out the Noise

Fitness advice is all over the web—from the influencers on social media to blogs, trainers, and peers—but too much information can often lead to confusion or hesitation about what to do. You hear “lift heavy” from one influencer and then “do yoga daily” from another, leaving you feeling stuck. To get around this, simply turn off the chaos by using one trusted source or program and commit yourself to following it until completion—without rushing to switch to another source/program every week.

Quick Test: Do you have five different people/places of accountability for your fitness routine that you are following at once? Pick one that best fits your routine and stick with it.

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Balance Effort and Recovery

Being overwhelmed is not only caused by your brain; it’s also a physical response. Training too hard without allowing your body to recover will result in fatigue, burnout and frustration. Recovery isn’t being lazy; it is an integral part of training.

• Sleep: 7 to 9 hours (a minimum of 7 hours is reasonable).
• Hydration: Always have water available throughout the day.
• Rest days: Schedule rest days just like you would schedule workouts.

Self-reflection: If you suffer from guilt because you rest, change your way of thinking…rest is fuel for your next workout rather than your wasting time.

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Listen to Your Body

Are you paying attention to the way your body communicates with you? Ignoring the body’s signals can result in overwhelming feelings and include: pushing through your pain, training when you are overly fatigued, and forcing yourself to comply with workouts where your energy is at an all-time low.

Discipline and Self-Sabotage have similarities, but they are very different. Discipline is consistently showing up, and Self-Sabotage is ignoring your warning signals and putting yourself at risk for injury.

Think back to your last workout…Did you feel energized or drained when you finished? How you feel after a workout will tell you whether your workout is supporting you or overwhelming you.

Also Read: How To Stay Fit in a 9-5 Desk Job?

Make Fitness Lifestyle-Friendly

You don't have to live two lives. You can have your exercise as part of your lifestyle. Don't try to find time for complicated fitness regimens; instead, include physical activity in your everyday habits:
• Use stairs instead of elevators.
• While watching television, stand up and stretch your body.
• When answering your phone, keep moving around by walking.

These minor adjustments will relieve the amount of stress placed on you to create a workout regimen.

Thought exercise: Where can you fit five minutes of movement into your routine today, without any hindrance from your routine?

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Mental Reset: Redefine Success

Unrealistic expectations often cause individuals to feel overwhelmed. The beauty of social media is that it has a way of highlighting extreme transformations and 6-pack abs; this can lead to false beliefs about what fitness is for everyone. How can you redefine your success in regards to fitness? For example, some examples of redefining success are:

• Feeling stronger
• Having more energy
• Sleeping better
• Moving without pain

The shift in focus from looks to improving one’s well-being can create a feeling of performance rather than a feeling of being overwhelmed.

Reflection: Define what success looks like to you and write down three of the non-scale victories you want to achieve.

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Conclusion: Fitness Without the Overwhelm

When you hear the word “fitness,” many people have a misconception about what that entails. The first thing we need to realize is that fitness doesn’t mean you necessarily have to do everything under the sun that is considered “exercise.” It really just means that you should find ways to repeat back those certain types of things in a way that fits into your daily routine, and enjoy doing them! The stress of working out can be eliminated by simplifying your physical activity routines and focusing only on completing the small goals that you set for yourself. Additionally, be sure to take no more than needed so as to not become distracted by not "being successful" in completing those goals, by alternating exerting effort and resting, and by paying attention to what your body is telling you about how hard you work.

Final interactive hook: Tomorrow, when putting on your shoes or unrolling your mat, think: am I seeking perfection or am I creating consistency? Contemplating this one question may unlock a fitness experience full of empowerment and support with lasting effects.

An ideal fitness journey is not a burden; rather, it’s uplifting. Disconnect from the noise and stress of the world while establishing balance within yourself; let every movement serve as a reminder that achieving progress should be fun, rather than stressful…

Fitness will help you recover from adversity and build resilience, maintain simplicity, and transform your journey…

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