@justinbond This is so much me. I constantly go from "I'm a runner" to "I was a runner" and back. I'm just starting to run again and I feel weird saying "I'm a runner" again. Like the fact that I quit running for a while invalidates it somehow.
Anyone here ever had to change their “fitness identity”?
- Thread starter anton0003
- Start date
-
- Tags
- female fitness
@anton0003 Yes...sort of.
So for me, I was fat, I was an artist, I was a photographer and I was a career woman.
When I started my "weight-loss journey"..I didn't just lose weight, but I fell in love with fitness. I didn't start an Instagram sharing that..but instead it took over my personal. I replaced photos of my art with photos of new exercises I've learned and sharing my struggles and wins. For me, it was great. I received so much support and motivation. And it wasn't that I stopped sharing 'who I was'...but this new fit female, that is who I became.
I stopped going to pubs, because pints were tempting. I stopped going to the late night shows so that I could sleep and crush it at the gym the next day. This was my life now. And a lot of my 'friends' and the people close to me, were not okay with that.
Then last year, as I ended a five year relationship..I broke my ankle. And it put an abrupt halt to my progress. It shook up my lifestyle. I got really low about it. I had that 'identity crisis'
...and it wasn't the ankle break that triggered that. Because I still tried, I went to physio, I learned how to swim, I worked on my arms..it was hard..I didn't do the best I could have. But while my depression was hitting me hard, I tried.
What triggered it was 'a friend' that said to me
"You stopped being Stacey the artist, all of a sudden you were Stacey the athlete. This isn't who you are. It doesn't stick"
...and it hit me hard. THAT triggered my crisis.
Long story short.
I'm here now. And I'm losing the weight again, I am running again. I've earned OCR medals since and I'm still selling my art and crushing my career. Because we cannot be defined 'by just one'
You can be a crossfitter, you can be lifter, or circus arts...you can be anybody that you choose to be...but overall, at this point in your life..you are an athlete.
Crush those circus arts!!
So for me, I was fat, I was an artist, I was a photographer and I was a career woman.
When I started my "weight-loss journey"..I didn't just lose weight, but I fell in love with fitness. I didn't start an Instagram sharing that..but instead it took over my personal. I replaced photos of my art with photos of new exercises I've learned and sharing my struggles and wins. For me, it was great. I received so much support and motivation. And it wasn't that I stopped sharing 'who I was'...but this new fit female, that is who I became.
I stopped going to pubs, because pints were tempting. I stopped going to the late night shows so that I could sleep and crush it at the gym the next day. This was my life now. And a lot of my 'friends' and the people close to me, were not okay with that.
Then last year, as I ended a five year relationship..I broke my ankle. And it put an abrupt halt to my progress. It shook up my lifestyle. I got really low about it. I had that 'identity crisis'
...and it wasn't the ankle break that triggered that. Because I still tried, I went to physio, I learned how to swim, I worked on my arms..it was hard..I didn't do the best I could have. But while my depression was hitting me hard, I tried.
What triggered it was 'a friend' that said to me
"You stopped being Stacey the artist, all of a sudden you were Stacey the athlete. This isn't who you are. It doesn't stick"
...and it hit me hard. THAT triggered my crisis.
Long story short.
I'm here now. And I'm losing the weight again, I am running again. I've earned OCR medals since and I'm still selling my art and crushing my career. Because we cannot be defined 'by just one'
You can be a crossfitter, you can be lifter, or circus arts...you can be anybody that you choose to be...but overall, at this point in your life..you are an athlete.
Crush those circus arts!!
@corush254 To add to this, you are not Stacy "the artist", or Stacy "the athlete," etc.--you are STACY the person, who has passions for lots of different things. We don't have to feel that we are defined by our activities, even if they are super important to us.
therese1234
New member
@corush254 Love it! I always keep reminding myself that it's okay to have multiple identities, that I can be more than one, even if in society's eyes they don't mash together. I'm a human with complex, contradictory opinions and hobbies. I like my wine and late night philosophy chats and I also like my workouts and healthy food. And it's ok.
@corush254 Ugh this resonated with me so hard. I used to do SO many things that i loved while growing up- i was an artist, an athlete, a musician, a bookworm..,and when i had to start taking real-world life more seriously i had no choice but to stop doing all those things and it really fucked me up hard. I moved to a new city, had no local friends and no social life to make new friends because all i did was work to survive...I got so depressed i almost killed myself, actually, because i didnt know what i was doing with my life. I felt like i had no future and no progress and had nothing that i used to identify myself witg anymore. To top it off i was miserable with my appearance and when i finally started to care i also started to workout. It wasnt team sports anymore which made it really difficult to motivate myself but over time it got easier and i was seeing results and then i started making time to draw and read again and do things like visit museums, see movies, eat something tasty- all on my own without friends to do it with or a team or coach or teacher telling me when and what to do stuff.
It really helped me a lot figure out myself and while i’m still working on it, and i fall in and out of depression still and lately dont have as much time to do all the things i like to do, i try to remind myself that its a process and that i am capable of adapting. And i always remember to try and prioritize active living and exercising regularly because that is really the one thing that helps keep me sane and level-headed (and also healthy) the most!
It really helped me a lot figure out myself and while i’m still working on it, and i fall in and out of depression still and lately dont have as much time to do all the things i like to do, i try to remind myself that its a process and that i am capable of adapting. And i always remember to try and prioritize active living and exercising regularly because that is really the one thing that helps keep me sane and level-headed (and also healthy) the most!
jensdreams
New member
@corush254 As someone who recently broke an ankle (recently
being fall 2016) and is struggling with pain in the gym, what do? I already had surgery and went to physio, but my dr said I’m likely going to have arthritis like pain for the rest of my life due to the bones I broke (weight bearing-talus and heel). Running and stair machines are out of the question, I LOVE biking, and have access to an apartment pool but it’s questionably green right now so I have to figure something else out for the moment.
I heard ellipticals can work but might as well be on a treadmill due to the same type of ache. I’m wondering if my new job (I start next week—a desk job as opposed to Starbucks where I walk 6 miles during a shift sometimes... will still be there 2-4 days a week though) will help with that because I’m not on my feet 8+ hours then trying to hit the gym... I’m just nervous I’m way in over my head with this journey but know if I drop even 50lbs my ankle will feel so much better. I’m already half way through the post injury weight gain.
being fall 2016) and is struggling with pain in the gym, what do? I already had surgery and went to physio, but my dr said I’m likely going to have arthritis like pain for the rest of my life due to the bones I broke (weight bearing-talus and heel). Running and stair machines are out of the question, I LOVE biking, and have access to an apartment pool but it’s questionably green right now so I have to figure something else out for the moment.
I heard ellipticals can work but might as well be on a treadmill due to the same type of ache. I’m wondering if my new job (I start next week—a desk job as opposed to Starbucks where I walk 6 miles during a shift sometimes... will still be there 2-4 days a week though) will help with that because I’m not on my feet 8+ hours then trying to hit the gym... I’m just nervous I’m way in over my head with this journey but know if I drop even 50lbs my ankle will feel so much better. I’m already half way through the post injury weight gain.
@corush254 Thank you for posting this. As someone who struggles with their identity, this is incredibly helpful.
In my life to date I've been through this a few times. I'd like to say that it gets easier, but for me personally it doesn't. Every time I lose my identity I feel as though I've lost my place in the world and struggle with feeling adrift and as though I no longer know my role in social groups as the role I formally filled is no longer mine.
In my life to date I've been through this a few times. I'd like to say that it gets easier, but for me personally it doesn't. Every time I lose my identity I feel as though I've lost my place in the world and struggle with feeling adrift and as though I no longer know my role in social groups as the role I formally filled is no longer mine.
@corush254 I don't know if you guys listen to him, but Matthew hussey talked about this. It's important to have other sources of validation. So that the day you break your leg, you have other stuff that make you feel confident.
It was hard for me to find new things as I was maaaad into fitness. Reading 10articles everyday, navigating through fitness forums only and nutrition. I still love it but I don't learn anything new now. And don't feel the need to read those stuff daily anymore . I still love training and reading you guys.
I'm recomping so I'm basically in auto pilot mode.
Right now I'm learning more about skincare, building a business and cooking healthy stuff
It was hard for me to find new things as I was maaaad into fitness. Reading 10articles everyday, navigating through fitness forums only and nutrition. I still love it but I don't learn anything new now. And don't feel the need to read those stuff daily anymore . I still love training and reading you guys.
I'm recomping so I'm basically in auto pilot mode.
Right now I'm learning more about skincare, building a business and cooking healthy stuff
notfogotten
New member
@corush254 This really speaks to me. I'm a vocalist and musician, and I've spent the majority of my life being "a singer". It wasn't until I accepted myself as a musician, gamer, athlete, and general geek that I was truly satisfied with myself. We are more than just one love! From one lady athlete- artist to another.... keep crushing it!
@notfogotten Same here! I have always been all-music-all-the-time but really became a different person when fitness became a part of my life. Now it's really the best of both worlds because I just nerd out over making curated themed playlists for my workouts, haha.
@notfogotten Me too! I’m also a musician, and I only matured as a musician when I got out of the practice room, got fit, and got a life.
gladaonkth
New member
@corush254 Thank you for sharing!! It drives me crazy when people try to put me in a little box that defines who I am. And then they seem so personally offended when it turns out that I don't actually fit in that tiny box. I define who I am. And if I want to change that definition, I get to. Thus is life. I wish it were easier to find friends who can grow and change and accept you no matter how you grow and change too.
@gladaonkth
It's because they aren't doing it for you, they're doing it for themselves. It's the "you" they are comfortable with and if you change that (how dare you!) you're inconveniencing their view of their own little universe. As annoying as it may be to realize that somebody has made you a narrative in their mind to suit themselves, it usually stems from a place of insecurity and weak personal identity. This is poeople defining themselves by their situations and those around themselves rather than by who or what they are or want to be.
It's because they aren't doing it for you, they're doing it for themselves. It's the "you" they are comfortable with and if you change that (how dare you!) you're inconveniencing their view of their own little universe. As annoying as it may be to realize that somebody has made you a narrative in their mind to suit themselves, it usually stems from a place of insecurity and weak personal identity. This is poeople defining themselves by their situations and those around themselves rather than by who or what they are or want to be.
@corush254 I just wanted to say thanks for sharing this. What a great perspective.
@anton0003 was a dancer for most of my life, injured my hip/developed really bad anxiety and had to quit. it bothered me for a long time and I kinda gave up on fitness as a whole, but it got easier. I mostly lift now but I’m still that annoying person who criticizes dancing whenever I see it (to myself; and just on technique and form like “that foot should have been pointed more,” not the dancers themselves). not totally the same situation but I get where you’re coming from. my mom also was a cyclist forever and now she barely does it and it’s hard because she still has all the gear. it’s something she loved for a while and still loves but doesn’t prioritize it.
it’s a weird adjustment but try and think of yourself for your qualities rather than your interests/what you do. you’re not any less of a person because you fell out of love with crossfit, nor are you any more of one because you have something new. our interests develop and we change but our values and what’s important to us won’t waver as much.
it’s a weird adjustment but try and think of yourself for your qualities rather than your interests/what you do. you’re not any less of a person because you fell out of love with crossfit, nor are you any more of one because you have something new. our interests develop and we change but our values and what’s important to us won’t waver as much.