Category: Exercise Addiction

Fitness, Pregnancy and Extremes

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As I’ve mentioned here on my blog countless times, I am all about working out during pregnancy. It’s good for the mind, the body and the soul. It’s good for baby, and it’s good for mommy – especially when a mom already has a routine in place. And being active can help with post-partum recovery.

But with everything in life, moderation is key. And although I’m no doctor, I feel that just because someone is fit and healthy and CAN run a marathon and then deliver a baby hours later … or lift uber-heavy weights at CrossFit 8.5 mths along (the latest story in the news) doesn’t mean she should.

Of course, I’m not saying women shouldn’t exercise while pregnant–I’d be a total hypocrite if I did, given my own 6-7 day a week routine!!–but there are limits and boundaries and pushing yourself to the limits consistently isn’t exactly the smartest decision when the health and well-being of your baby ought to be one’s top priority.

It might come as a surprise to some of my readers that I feel this way.

After all, I talk a lot about fitness and pregnancy. Continue reading “Fitness, Pregnancy and Extremes” →

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“Can” and “Should”

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Today I made the decision to stop formally working out for the duration of my pregnancy. It wasn’t an easy decision to come to, but it’s the right decision for me right now.

For weeks, Luis has been asking me — OK, begging me — to take it easy and stop working out. Friends have asked if I’m sure I should be still doing Zumba/Body Pump/training.  But I’ve been on the go and didn’t want to slow down. My logic (however twisted) was: “I feel good, I should do it now while I still can!”

And while there is truth to that — I do think being active during pregnancy is a good thing and will still say it’s been great for my mind, body, and soul — I also have not just been “active.” More like, I’ve not really taken many days off from working out the whole nine months. And it’s catching up to me … Continue reading ““Can” and “Should”” →

Outside influences on body image

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Body image issues can begin anywhere.

Maybe it was your well-meaning dad who suggested you back off from seconds at Thanksgiving one year — and you never forgot it.

Maybe it was your thin older sister who was constantly dieting, making you feel uncomfortable for every bite you took.

Maybe it was seeing your mom pinching her hips in the mirror every morning or stepping on the scale multiple times a day. Continue reading “Outside influences on body image” →

Combating Emotional Eating … Hmmm, No Thanks.

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It shouldn’t surprise anyone — as I’ve discussed it here before on numerous occasions — but for as far as I’ve come in my journey and relationship with food, I’m still an emotional eater. Yes, I just admitted that.  That  issue hasn’t gone away.

The difference is now, I just manage it better … i.e., I move on. I don’t over-exercise to compensate, I don’t restrict to compensate, I don’t berate myself to compensate, and I don’t talk about food  incessantly to compensate. Continue reading “Combating Emotional Eating … Hmmm, No Thanks.” →

Not Down With The Biggest Loser

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I’ve never been a Biggest Loser addict … I get the whole premise of the show and why so many of my friends dig it, but to me, it has always screamed of extreme dieting/restriction, disordered eating (and thinking) and over-exercising. Considering my history, it’s not surprising I’d feel this way. But I know I’m not alone; a lot of other critics have come out and said similar things.

Tonight I happened to flip the channel to NBC and the contestants had apparently gone home for a short time (maybe a weekend? I missed how long). Watching them sitting there with their families at restaurants agonizing over every single calorie and food choice reminded me of my ugly past … and also why I have a problem with the show.

Continue reading “Not Down With The Biggest Loser” →

Polar F6: My Enabler Way Back When

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I own a fabulous Polar F6 heart rate monitor (HRM), but I don’t wear it anymore.

There’s nothing wrong with the watch or the strap – both are in perfect condition.  But my HRM is a reminder of a bad time in my life, when lived at the gym and I was obsessed with exercise. Back then, my HRM was my everything: my personal trainer, my motivator, my drill sergeant. I was one of those people that had to burn X calories. I couldn’t stop at any odd numbers and would always need to round up … 430 calories wasn’t good enough; I’d pump out a few more minutes for 500.

Continue reading “Polar F6: My Enabler Way Back When” →

Me & Gym … we’ve been on a break … <>

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I don’t know about you, but every breakup I’ve ever experienced has been downright agonizing.

I remember after one particularly hard breakup freshman year of college, my ex — who was a year ahead of me– decided two and a half years later  to cleanse his soul the semester before he graduated … throwing me for a complete loop and giving me false hope that maybe we’d reconnect. We did not … it was awful, and I drowned my sorrows in a bottle of Malibu.

Fortunately, I met my now-husband the following fall … but to this day, I have not been able to drink Malibu since. Which is probably a good thing. Continue reading “Me & Gym … we’ve been on a break … <>” →

Major Ink –> Mixed Emotions

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A loooong time ago I mentioned that a student pursuing her master’s in journalism at Columbia was interviewing me during my pregnancy for her graduate thesis. Every two weeks or so during my pregnancy we’d touch base just to see where I was at mentally and physically, and it was a great way to put into words some of what I was feeling.

She recently told me that the story was going to be published somewhere big … but didn’t say where.

Well … today I got an email and whoa nelly, there it is! ABCNews.com in the Health section: Pregorexia: When Pregnancy and Eating Disorders Mix.

Aside from the title, which I think is a bit misleading (and I know editors make those decisions, not the writers themselves — I wouldn’t describe myself as having battled pregorexia) … the article is totally accurate and true to form.

I did chew and spit and overexercise previously. I was afraid of getting fat during my pregnancy. I did emotionally eat during the testing. I never returned to chewing/spitting or overexercising as coping mechanisms; I put Maya first.

There’s nothing untrue there. It’s just hard to realize that, hey, that’s ME they’re talking about! Continue reading “Major Ink –> Mixed Emotions” →

Skinny Girl: Hypocrisy or Smart Marketing?

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Let me state up front that I love Bethenny Frankel. I find her hilarious and neurotic and adorable and snarky all at the same time. I admire her work ethic and am impressed by the success she’s single-handedly amassed.  She’s pretty much the cat’s meow in my opinion.

So you could say I was a little more than disturbed about how contradictory her cover story in Us Weekly is compared to her “healthy lifestyle” SkinnyGirl line of beverages and books.

In the article she confesses to being obsessed with dieting and admitted to a past exercise addiction. Now I don’t think there’s anything wrong with her admitting these things; she’s human after all! And I can empathize with her quest for thinness … she’s an American woman and it’s ingrained in our psyches to look a certain way (however wrong that is). Continue reading “Skinny Girl: Hypocrisy or Smart Marketing?” →

30 Minutes of Heaven

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Boo-yea, I’ve still got it!

Sure, I’m not in the same shape I was in pre-pregnancy, and I’m definitely carrying extra weight at the moment but holy hell, I’ve still got it!

Today I got the green light to exercise at my 6-week check-up (and was told my scar is healing perfectly! YAY!).  As soon as my husband got home from work, I booked it to the gym. I did a half hour on the Precor with arms and from the moment I stepped on the machine, I felt “home.” Continue reading “30 Minutes of Heaven” →