Mind Over Muscle: Prioritizing Mental Health in Fitness

The fitness world has been bombarded in recent years with phrases like “no pain, no gain” and “push past your limits”. While these slogans are meant to motivate, they can sometimes backfire by creating unnecessary pressure and guilt. It’s easy to fall into a toxic cycle where fitness becomes more about punishing your body rather than looking after it, and where taking a break feels like failure. But prioritizing mental health in fitness is essential. And ignoring it is a slippery slope. As Olympian Simone Biles demonstrated in her own battle; sometimes the bravest choice is to listen to our minds, not just our muscles.

So, how can we find a healthy balance between fitness and mental well-being? Let’s look at some practical ways to approach fitness mindfully, based on insights from mental health experts and research in this area.

1. Understanding the Role of Mental Health in Fitness

Fitness is often framed as a physical pursuit, but mental health plays a huge role in our approach, motivation, and long-term commitment. Think about it, how often do you skip the gym because you’re just “not feeling it?”. Or how often do you force yourself to work out that bit longer because you feel bad about the chocolate you ate earlier? Mental health and physical fitness will always be intertwined, but it’s how they’re intertwined that sets you up for success or failure.‍

Studies show that exercising purely out of guilt or body dissatisfaction is linked to negative outcomes, including burnout and avoiding exercise completely. Mental health professionals suggest that engaging in physical activity from a place of self-compassion makes us more likely to stick with it, feel positive about it, and experience real benefits.

By prioritizing mental health when improving your physical health, fitness will feel like a sustainable and enjoyable part of your life rather than a burden.

2. Check Your Motivation

One of the first steps in balancing mental and physical health in fitness is to understand your motivation. Are you exercising to feel strong and energized or because you feel you “have to” or “should”? Reflecting on these questions can help you recognize whether your approach to fitness is one of self-care or shame. Here are some helpful questions to ask yourself:

• Am I exercising to take care of my body, or to punish it?
• Do I use exercise solely to manage my emotions?
• Is exercise taking up so much of my time and energy that other areas of my life are suffering?

If your motivation for exercise is coming from a negative place, it might be time to reassess and take a more balanced approach. Exercising should feel empowering, not exhausting or depleting (mentally, obviously, as exhaustion after a 5k run is pretty normal for a lot of us!).

3. Listen to Your Body

The idea of “pushing through” is embedded in fitness culture, but it’s not always a good way to think. Overtraining is linked to higher injury rates and mental burnout, and ignoring our body’s need for rest in this way can really backfire. Taking breaks doesn’t make us weaker or less committed. Instead, it allows our muscles and minds to recover, resulting in greater progress over time.

• Feeling tired? Listen to your body. A day of rest reduces injury risk and gives your muscles time to repair and grow.
• Craving movement? Great! Choose an activity that you enjoy and doesn’t feel forced. If that means dancing around the kitchen with the stereo on blast, then why not!
• Experiencing pain? Don’t push through it. Modify your exercise as needed. There’s no shame in making adjustments, and doing so can keep you healthier and happier in the long run.

4. Avoid Comparison

With the prevalence of fitness content on social media these days, it’s easy to get caught up in comparisons. But it’s important to remember that your fitness journey is yours, it’s unique to you and no-one else. You won’t be surprised to learn that studies note comparing ourselves to others can increase feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, and stress, which can take a toll on our mental health. Instead of fixating on how others look or what they can accomplish, focus on your personal journey and what makes you feel good.

One practical way to stay grounded is to set your own goals based on how you feel rather than on external achievements. Reflect on progress beyond aesthetics – consider how your stamina, mood, or overall energy levels have improved. That might mean setting a personal goal for your lifts in the gym, sticking to the routine of going for a walk every evening, or simply getting a good night’s sleep. It all counts.

5. Recognize the Limitations of Exercise

Exercise is a powerful tool, but it’s not a cure-all for mental health. It’s important to acknowledge that while exercise can help regulate emotions, it isn’t a substitute for therapy or other forms of emotional support. You can probably already think of someone who’s overly reliant on their strict workout and dietary schedule to keep their mental health in check, and they might think that’s working for them, but it’s not. A balance is needed here, and if missing one gym session sends you spiraling into a depressive episode then you don’t have that balance right. 

If exercise is the only way you “feel good,”it might be time to explore additional coping tools. Try incorporating other practices such as mindfulness, journaling, or talking with a therapist to support your mental health as a whole.

6. Embrace Rest as Part of Growth

Rest is often undervalued in fitness, but it’s a key part of both mental and physical growth. Sleep and rest days are essential for muscle recovery and mental clarity. Without adequate rest, stress hormones like cortisol can rise, leading to feelings of anxiety and impacting our overall mental health. Taking a break doesn’t mean giving up. It means setting yourself up for better mental and physical well being that’s sustainable in the long run.

7. Redefine What Success Means

To create a healthier relationship with fitness, it helps to redefine what success means to you. Many people associate success with physical achievements such as lifting heavier weights, running faster, or losing weight. But consider redefining success as showing up, listening to your body, and caring for your mental health. Instead of focusing solely on the physical milestones, recognize the value of staying consistent, enjoying your workouts, and staying tuned in to what you need.

You can start by setting small, realistic goals that align with how you want to feel, not just what you want to accomplish. This shift can create a more sustainable fitness journey. For example, if you’re aiming to exercise four times a week, try measuring your success by how energized and refreshed you feel afterward, rather than just how long you exercised or how many calories you burned.

The Power of Mental Fitness

Prioritizing mental health in fitness isn’t about lowering your standards; it’s about adopting a healthier, more sustainable approach that looks after both your body and mind. Improving your fitness is an amazing way to feel strong and empowered, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of your mental health. Striking this balance means challenging the “no days off” mentality and embracing the compassionate and realistic approach to fitness we’ve discussed in this post.

By checking in with yourself daily, listening to your body, valuing rest, and setting meaningful goals, you can set yourself on a fitness journey that makes you look and feel good. Remember, fitness isn’t about how much you can push yourself; it’s about creating a lifestyle that supports your overall well-being. 

As Simone Biles reminds us, “Put mental health first.” When we approach fitness with compassion and self-awareness, we can genuinely enjoy the journey, rather than merely enduring it.”

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