The positive and negative side of exercise for women

When I was in college getting my undergraduate degree I was a group fitness instructor (something I was very proud of as one of the higher paid campus jobs, as broke student). My long-time friend, Angie, and I earned our certifications to teach our freshman year. We taught as many classes as we could. Cardio Kickboxing, Ab Lab, The Grind (a la MTV's The Grind dance workout), Butts and Guts...

We were an ambitious pair with upbeat, can-do spirits. At the time I was also struggling

One of the places exercise goes askew, is when it's viewed and used as a punishment for eating food.

intensely with my relationship with food. I had no idea how to eat well and regulate my body weight naturally. I also had a large deal of emotional pain that laid deep below my awareness that I unconsciously learned to manage through cycles of restriction, binge eating, and chronic fixations about my diet and weight.

It's strange to think back at some of the sheer fun and joy I had teaching classes juxtaposed with the demoralizing struggles I was experiencing.

Both were real.

Though I loved to exercise, I also overate sometimes. And sometimes, when too much pain or overwhelm was bubbling to the surface emotionally, I'd binge eat. Those were the days I'd go to the gym to get some extra exercise in outside of my class-teaching commitments and really dial in my caloric intake. I exercised a lot and thought about my diet and body constantly.

Whew. Those were stressful times.

(and by the way, all those extremes resulted in a steady increase in body weight...)

At the time I didn't know what a hamster-like cycle I was in and how confused I was about calories, nutrition, and the proper place for exercise in my life. And I certainly had not addressed the underlying emotional pain and injuries in my life that tightly secured these patterns in place.

The positive and negative side of exercise for women

Fast forward, years later, I am free from those intense cycles I experienced in college.

Fast forward, years later and an incredible journey (to save you a novel) I am free from those painful cycles I just described.

There are several dimensions a woman must explore when really getting into a great, empowered relationship with food and her body. One of those is her relationship with exercise. So here's a thought...

The research is clear - Regular movement and exercise benefits human bodies in multiple ways. It can improve lung capacity, mobility, provide mood and mental health benefits, protect the integrity of the muscles and bones as we age, keep the lymphatic system and circulatory system in good health, protect cognitive health, improve body composition, support blood sugar balance, improve one's sense of personal power and commitment, and contribute to an overall positive sense of self and body image.

However, one of the places where exercise goes askew is when its viewed and used as a punishment for eating food. 

Doesn't that seem bizarre to think about? Something that is as natural and necessary as eating, going punished by exercise. "Food is the enemy," is generally the implicit belief here, leading many women to believe that eating less is always better. And eating in general is suspicious, so one must "make up for" this maddening human need to eat.

But there is good news

After 17 years of working with women, I have noticed a positive trend. When a woman can separate her diet from her exercise routine in her mind, she begins to break the spell she's been under. She can learn how to have an amazing relationship with food without the burden of fear that drives all those inner negotiations: "What am I allowed to eat? Am I exercising? How much? Did I eat too much? Should I go to a fitness class? How many calories do I need to burn to make up for....?"

Remember, a woman's relationship with food is the foundation for her healing because, in it, she will absolutely be called to work on her relationship to herself.

I'll leave you with this...

Ask yourself, "If a woman could learn excellent care of herself nutritionally, and reduce or eliminate patterns of restriction, overeating, or binge eating...what role do you think exercise would organically shift to?"

Laura

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