Psychologist Andero Teras: “You don't always have to train”
04.01.2023
Reading time: 6 minutes
Well-planned training undoubtedly has a health-promoting effect. Although we are used to hearing that a large number of people are not physically active enough, the exact opposite, and at least as problematic, effect is creeping up in the background: training at any cost. Let's take a look at the behavioural and psychological side of this topic.
Lately I have heard people say – quite casually – that they don't know how to be without training. “I'm almost addicted to it,” some say. Yet this seemingly exemplary slogan may hide a bitter, health-damaging and literal truth. First recommendation: ask yourself honestly and without false modesty whether every workout is a joy in itself, or whether skipping a workout is linked to anxiety, a feeling of failure or general restlessness. We often forget to give ourselves this kind of feedback and, in good faith, reward every workout even when it is no longer actually functional. Paradoxically, by triggering a stress response, training temporarily helps us mask even obvious symptoms of exhaustion, so we may draw the wrong conclusion that our body needs an ever greater training load. The buzz is just so big! Yes, within reasonable limits training helps relieve stress and promotes our mental and physical health, but if the motive for training is to avoid feeling guilty, we take one step forward and two steps back (even though the training data shows we moved, say, 25 kilometres forward ☺ ). According to statistics, for up to 10% of people training represents chronic, compulsive and addictive behaviour, and even more people show shades of this combination.
The second recommendation, which helps build sustainable training, continues this line of thought and prompts you to ask yourself analytically: have I set myself adequate goals? Here you should think about goals not only in the context of training/competitions, but across all your roles in everyday life. Today I see many people setting and achieving exceptionally high goals, yet the picture just doesn't add up. Many of them work in highly demanding environments, have a family and a fast pace of life, are very social, and on top of that have some passionate hobby. Does the one who does a lot achieve a lot? Yes and no. Sooner or later, the likelihood of psychological, social or physical costs increases. Common psychological costs include mood swings and excessive anxiety, as there isn't enough sleep for recovery and every other area of life is also running at full throttle. Social costs may mean there is no longer enough attention and mental energy left for the people who matter, and relationship problems can easily arise. On the physical side, training through injuries is worth noting. The body signals a problem, but the idea of a training break triggers anxiety, which more and more forcefully persuades us to ignore it until we decide to train anyway. Sensible and adequate goals help prevent anxiety even when a workout is missed. And perhaps no workout will be missed at all, because exactly as many workouts are planned as are manageable in every sense.
As a third recommendation, you could assess to what extent your training behaviour is linked to self-presentation and image-building. There is a risk of slipping here: going to the gym and working on your body may be seen as inner growth, even though it is fuelled by an external motive or a need for achievement. When training serves the role of social comparison – in Estonia you have to be better than your neighbour, after all (pure sarcasm) – more serious things may start to pose a threat. Some competitiveness is necessary, of course, but the risk factors behind it include, for example, the development of eating disorders, body image and self-image disorders, or, once again, overtraining. Sadly, various types of eating disorders are common among both amateur and professional athletes, because training driven by external motives, and the resulting anxious brain, starts looking for faster and more aggressive ways to get results. Because the goal has been set thoughtlessly high and time keeps running out, illogical connections may be made – for example, in endurance sports weight loss is equated with faster results in competitions, but the time frame left before the competitions is not assessed, and people fail to realise that this weight loss comes rather at the expense of performance and at the cost of insufficient nutrition. When collecting kilometres or training hours, quantity becomes the yardstick and the anxious brain can no longer assess quality.
Let's return to the beginning – we talked about how we sometimes work in highly demanding environments or have a fast pace of life and a lot to do. All of this increases mental fatigue. The fourth recommendation is the cherry on top: training on top of that same mental fatigue may, in the long run, make you give up training altogether. One result of mental fatigue or exhaustion is poorer self- and emotion regulation, which – surprise, surprise – is needed in abundance in training. Without it, we may, for the wrong reasons, start to see training as too pointless, unsuitable, needlessly hard, negative and so on. In other words, training should in any case be an enjoyable activity, even intense training. Hard, yes, but still making you happy.
On the one hand, this is simple and logical, but on the other hand, for that very reason we sometimes overlook this kind of analysis. We forget, make mistakes, compensate and end up on the wrong path. It nourishes both mind and body to do this analysis yourself, with your own head, from time to time. In addition, many algorithms in Garmin watches are built on the principle that by measuring physiological parameters they also draw indirect conclusions about your emotional health and give pretty good advice on how long you may need to recover, or, to help you succeed in your evening workout, they guide you and suggest relaxation exercises during the day. Interpreting such measurements is very individual and also requires cooperation with your coach and other specialists in the field.
The author is Andero Teras, team and leadership trainer, psychologist. (www.mõttemaru.ee)
