@livingtildead This is really interesting to me, as someone who’s in the midst of becoming a devoted ashtangi. I wonder sometimes if I can stick with it for... years? For ever? I’ve never done anything especially not exercise with this level of devotion and regularity. I hope if I ever leave Ashtanga I can bring that commitment to my next “thing.” Cheers for finding a fitness outlet that’s a better fit for you!
Anyone here ever had to change their “fitness identity”?
- Thread starter anton0003
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livingtildead
New member
@pastabarr thanks!! also see my below comment. I had the same thoughts about longevity in ashtanga but realized I was missing the nuts n bolts of a solid, biomechanically integrated vinyasa (esp chaturanga). also tbh the guru reverence left a funny taste in my mouth. but I'd be lying if I said the initial sequence doesn't find its way into my movement repetoire occasionally. love that ninja transition between both sides of parivritta trikonasana 
edit: I also was not fitness oriented at all before ashtanga!
edit: I also was not fitness oriented at all before ashtanga!
@pastabarr I don't think it's one thing or the other. If you drift away from Astanga at some point in the coming years, you'll always have this experience - the one you're living now - to inform who you become and where you go. And you'll always be able to look back on it with fondness. Even if you do stay with it forever, your practice in 20 years will be vastly different from what you're living through now.
livingtildead
New member
@anton0003 I am, or was, or am in between being, a horseback rider, a singer, a career woman, a partier, a cyclist, a gardener, a runner, a knitter, a dog owner, a mechanic, a squash player, a Whitewater kayaker, a swing dancer, a punk rocker.... The list goes on. Some of those parts of my identity I was exclusively devoted to at certain points. Some parts I'll likely never do again for all sorts of different reasons, but they still form part of who I am. You're a dynamic person and your interests and priorities will be equally dynamic. You can be artsy, strong, sensitive, daring - none of those things keeps you from the others. Just rock whatever it is you're doing!
charles1967
New member
@anton0003 I came here as a derby girl, and now I'm a swimmer/ triathlete..
For those the years I ate slept and breathed derby. It was what started me with lifting. It gave me more confidence than yoga did. It made me a strong badass, that took no crap on the track or in life. People from suppliers knew me as the derby girl, they rarely knew my name.
I retired after an injury and I still run into people that ask me about the team. Not being on the track crushed me for a long time. Letting go of that part of me has neen an ongoing struggle.
Due to my injury, I went back to swimming (no impact), I had been a swimmer in high school. I've always been a cyclist across multiple disciplines. So doing tri's came naturally.
I'm still not calling myself a triathlete other than on this post. I definitely feel a difference in how I feel about training. .ow it is purely for me, which is nice. Before it was to not let my coach or team down and to prevent injury.
For those the years I ate slept and breathed derby. It was what started me with lifting. It gave me more confidence than yoga did. It made me a strong badass, that took no crap on the track or in life. People from suppliers knew me as the derby girl, they rarely knew my name.
I retired after an injury and I still run into people that ask me about the team. Not being on the track crushed me for a long time. Letting go of that part of me has neen an ongoing struggle.
Due to my injury, I went back to swimming (no impact), I had been a swimmer in high school. I've always been a cyclist across multiple disciplines. So doing tri's came naturally.
I'm still not calling myself a triathlete other than on this post. I definitely feel a difference in how I feel about training. .ow it is purely for me, which is nice. Before it was to not let my coach or team down and to prevent injury.
pumpkinpieohmymy
New member
@charles1967 Feeling this. Derby has been my be-all-and-end-all for the last 6 years and...I just don’t have the love for it any more, so I’ve been considering retirement. But who am I without derby??? I think I want to compete in Strongewoman but that seems like such a lofty goal that it’s almost not worth trying haha.
charles1967
New member
@pumpkinpieohmymy It is okay to change and do grow beyond the comfort zone.If you aren't feeling the love, it is time. Before Derby you were a ___girl. Me I was a yoga girl, before that an outdoors woman, and also that fixie chick.
Derby is one of many iterations/chapters of you. Change is hard, but you're derby strong (we're just stubborn)
Derby is one of many iterations/chapters of you. Change is hard, but you're derby strong (we're just stubborn)
cartesian12
New member
@charles1967 Blerg, I feel this real hard. I've been getting into so many other activities in the last year and it's hard to justify to time commitment for derby. It's been my identity since 2011 and just...oof. I'm still trying to decide if I'm going back this season because I don't want to be injured and ruin my other activities/training.
I'm still skating, but distance skating on rail trails, so great for my endurance and still having wheels under my feet.
I'm still skating, but distance skating on rail trails, so great for my endurance and still having wheels under my feet.
charles1967
New member
@cartesian12 "Derby is a cult, not a sport" according to an ex-partner. They were a skater too, so they got it.
I feel for you, I was considering going back midseason. But the smart side of the brain realized that if I got seriously hurt, it was game over for everything else that I do for at least a year. Everything else actually won over derby. For me it was like a legit death for a while. But I can still toss on a riot girl record and old jersey and run or bike my guts out
I'm hoping that by summer I can trail skate again. Best luck with which ever choice you make.
I feel for you, I was considering going back midseason. But the smart side of the brain realized that if I got seriously hurt, it was game over for everything else that I do for at least a year. Everything else actually won over derby. For me it was like a legit death for a while. But I can still toss on a riot girl record and old jersey and run or bike my guts out
I'm hoping that by summer I can trail skate again. Best luck with which ever choice you make.
@anton0003 Yes. I'm glad to see a thread on this because I've sort of been dealing with it for a few months, and I'm not sure what to make of it.
I figure skated as a kid until high school, then had a few years of basically no physical activity. I got into running outside via couch to 5k 7-8 years ago to lose weight I put on and fell in love with it. I built up distance, ran a few half marathons, joined a running club. I ran almost every day and I was slow af, but I loved being out there.
Until this past summer. I don't know what happened, but I sort of lost my love for the sport. Nothing happened in particular, I just lost the drive I'd had to get out there every day. It wasn't fun anymore.
After a couple of months of phoning it in, I took a break from running. Not a long break, maybe a week or so. I used that time to think about what I wanted to do and what I was interested in pursuing and working on. I ended up gravitating toward lifting and strength training. I wanted to feel strong, and aesthetically, I wanted to look a little less "soft."
Now my routine is to hit the gym 4-6x/week. I run on the treadmill for 20-30 minutes to warm up, then I lift/strength train. So I'm still running, but not in the capacity that I was, and I don't consider myself a runner right now. I haven't run outside in months, and every time I step outside and feel how freaking cold it is, I'm glad. I feel like I'm doing the right thing for me at this point in my life. Who knows, maybe I'll pick up serious running again at some point. Maybe not. I've also gone back to my first love, which is figure skating. I take lessons and practice when I can, which isn't as often as I'd like, but I'm so happy to be doing something I love so much.
Sorry for the long winded response! Typing all that out was really helpful for some reason, haha.
I figure skated as a kid until high school, then had a few years of basically no physical activity. I got into running outside via couch to 5k 7-8 years ago to lose weight I put on and fell in love with it. I built up distance, ran a few half marathons, joined a running club. I ran almost every day and I was slow af, but I loved being out there.
Until this past summer. I don't know what happened, but I sort of lost my love for the sport. Nothing happened in particular, I just lost the drive I'd had to get out there every day. It wasn't fun anymore.
After a couple of months of phoning it in, I took a break from running. Not a long break, maybe a week or so. I used that time to think about what I wanted to do and what I was interested in pursuing and working on. I ended up gravitating toward lifting and strength training. I wanted to feel strong, and aesthetically, I wanted to look a little less "soft."
Now my routine is to hit the gym 4-6x/week. I run on the treadmill for 20-30 minutes to warm up, then I lift/strength train. So I'm still running, but not in the capacity that I was, and I don't consider myself a runner right now. I haven't run outside in months, and every time I step outside and feel how freaking cold it is, I'm glad. I feel like I'm doing the right thing for me at this point in my life. Who knows, maybe I'll pick up serious running again at some point. Maybe not. I've also gone back to my first love, which is figure skating. I take lessons and practice when I can, which isn't as often as I'd like, but I'm so happy to be doing something I love so much.
Sorry for the long winded response! Typing all that out was really helpful for some reason, haha.
smellofrose
New member
@dawn16 Fellow figure skater checking in! I actually currently work as a professional skater in a traveling ice show. I love performing, acting, wearing costumes, and working up a sweat . . . but I realized that I now hate skating. I’ve always hated jumping but now I even hate footwork and spins.
I’m trying to get off the road and finish my contract but it’s hard to take the plunge, give up my work benefits, and change careers. But the real point is, I was “the figure skater” my whole life but the ice isn’t my happy place anymore. In fact, it’s my angry place because I’m always pissed that I fall so much. It’s so hard to think about permanent retirement from my identity.
I’m trying to get off the road and finish my contract but it’s hard to take the plunge, give up my work benefits, and change careers. But the real point is, I was “the figure skater” my whole life but the ice isn’t my happy place anymore. In fact, it’s my angry place because I’m always pissed that I fall so much. It’s so hard to think about permanent retirement from my identity.
@dawn16 Me too! I was a figure skater as a kid/teen, quit and returned as an adult. I also boxed for several years, and was a runner doing half marathons. My interest in each has ebbed and flowed. I've taken a break from skating due to a job change and struggled with not actively being a skater.
At the end of the day though, I'm still an athlete and am active and I think that's what matters most.
At the end of the day though, I'm still an athlete and am active and I think that's what matters most.
mybloodysweetheart
New member
@dawn16 I actually had the opposite experience but your story resonated so much with me! I was into heavy lifting for a while, but eventually it got to the point where I struggled to care about it or enjoy my time there or my progress. So I took a break--and picked up running. I think it's SO important to take those mental and physical breaks when you feel yourself burning out, to reevaluate your goals and your routines and even start from scratch if that's what you decide, in order to find your happiness and drive again. It's all a journey! So thanks for sharing.
@dawn16 You sound like me! Gymnast, ballet, figure skating until I was maybe 18, then nothing, then running, then lifting. Now I blend lifting with a little running for cardio, and, like OP, I do circus stuff as my real true “love it” fitness pursuit. BUT, it’s pricey and I can’t do it every day (sadly) so running and lifting fill in the gaps and help supplement.
@treacle99 Same with skating, it's an expensive hobby and ice time is hard to come by, so I'm content to run and lift when I can't skate.
@anton0003 Ugh yes I hate that feeling. I feel like it stems from this general societal expectation that in life we find one path/interest and stick to that. Same goes for careers. But I think it is totally ok to try different things and change passions in life. There is no point in sticking to one thing forever if you don't want to or your interest changes.
therese1234
New member
@rajraj1 i agree. one of the things that always made changing programs hard for me (or maybe not hard but a little awkwayd) was dealing with peoples expectations. "Oh youre not running anymore?" or "Oh i thought you didnt lift?" yeah guys i do whatever i want its not like a personality characteristic of mine its just something i do sometimes.
justinbond
New member
@anton0003 Yes! I made my reddit account while training for a marathon but there have been several long periods since then where I haven't been running and I feel like such a hypocrite every time I post haha - Now I'm training for a half again, but I'll go months at a time where I just really fall out of love with running and only want to lift / go to the gym