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 By: Shannon Clark
You go to the gym day in and day out giving 100% each time. You follow your diet to the letter, never letting a forbidden food past your lips. You are maximizing your results right? That depends. There are certain times when people cross the line from being dedicated to their workout and diet to a point where it becomes an obsession and works against them. The case of body dysmorphic disorder is becoming more and more prevalent in the population today.
These are people who look in the mirror and hold themselves to an unrealistic standard of perfection, one that is most likely going to be unattainable for them. The site they see looking back at them in the mirror only makes them more determined in their workouts and diets, becoming even stricter with themselves and further pushing their physical limits in the gym. While perseverance is a great thing to have when it comes to fitness, something that the general population is very lacking in, it can work against you. Answer the following questions to see if you may have a problem.
Never allowing yourself some slack and expecting perfection may be working against you for a couple of reasons.
The first reason is because you are likely creating a great deal of stress for yourself on a daily basis. Having such a high standard is a stressful situation because you are placing extreme pressure on yourself never to have a slip-up.
With this increase stress level will come feelings of fatigue and more important, elevated cortisol levels. Cortisol is a catabolic hormone so it will start to break down muscle tissue and is definitely something you will want to avoid. Additionally, high cortisol levels promote fat storage around the mid-section of the body which again is likely not on anyone's goal list.
The second reason why being a little too obsessed with working out is dangerous is because you may start to seriously put yourself at risk for suffering from overtraining. Never giving your body enough time to rest, because you are so addicted with going to the gym, is only going to limit your gains and potentially set you up for some severe injuries.
A final reason that you need to be aware of this condition is just simply for your psychological health. If you are constantly worried about every little thing about your workout and diet you are going to likely avoid all situations that may cause you trouble with sticking to your plan. While it is perfectly fine to have this dedication when training for a competition, show or special event, keeping this mindset for an extended period of time is not going to be beneficial to you in any way, shape or form.
  Click Image To Enlarge. Constant Worry Will Only Cause More Trouble.
So next time you find yourself getting a little too caught up with your training, ask yourself what your reasons behind it are, if they are valid and if you feel like it may be taking over your life. Working out and eating right should be a lifestyle that you can live with, not something that you struggle to meet on a daily basis. If that's the case you are likely to burn yourself out in a few years and then go in the complete opposite direction and give up on working out and eating healthy. Taking a moderate approach is much smarter in the long run.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Author, Shannon Clark.
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