“I’m back on the bandwagon!” A common phrase used in the health and fitness world. I myself am no stranger to the bandwagon, having been on many rides myself. So the title of this article might seem counterintuitive from someone in the fitness industry. . . but hear me out.
My many rides on the bandwagon have taught me a few things about it. . its impressive speed, its shiny nature and the beautiful sales people representing all the places it might take you. I’ve also learnt of its unreliability, concerning breakdown frequency and safety rating of 0.8 stars. . . not to mention that all those sales people don’t have your best interests at heart when they sell you this wild and bumpy ride.
If we take a step back to observe, the fitness bandwagon is fueled by what we call an all-or-nothing mentality. Also referred to as black and white or “dichotomous” thinking - a subset of perfectionism. Which I’m here to tell you is no friend to you, your goals or your long-term mental well-being.
Have you ever found yourself trying to make good choices for your health when you eat one less nutritious meal and all of a sudden it’s a case of “Oh well I guess it’s takeaways and chocolate this week” or, after months of not going to the gym, you decide you want to exercise more so you wait until Monday, where you will engage in a vigorous routine without mercy, only to be wincing with each step you take. Yeah? Me too.
“Okay Tess, maybe I do recognise this ‘all-or-nothing mentality’
What’s the big deal?”
My thoughts on this subject arise from experience, not only my own but those I have worked with. However, like the nerdy fitness enthusiast that I am, I have taken it upon myself to dive into the research as well.
Research shows that today, there is a clear all-or-nothing phenomenon in this industry. One study involving sedentary people, found that even the well-distributed guideline of 150 minutes of exercise per week holds a “threshold” perception, causing people to decide that because they can’t reach it, they might as well do nothing at all. Another study looking at athletes, found that athletes who have an all-or-nothing approach become fixated on perfection and acquire a feeling of dissatisfaction with anything less (even a silver medal!) - which actually leads to negative performance and even lower adherence. Finally, a study looking at individual levels of perfectionism in college students found that those with the highest levels of perfectionism, or “all-or-nothing” mentalities, had the most barriers when it came to exercise. Taking it a step further, all or nothing thinking is linked to higher levels of negative self-talk, self-sabotage and mental health problems overall.
This is not to say that we shouldn't strive (in fact, the study on students above found that a healthy dose of perfectionism can be helpful), it is simply to say that when we take this too far it does not do us any favors. Put simply, what this research is saying (and what I have observed across 10+ years in this industry) is that it is the space in-between all and nothing where you will see the best and most sustainable results.
My beef with the fitness bandwagon - AKA the notion that we all need to do a 180 or engage in extremes to get into health and fitness - is that it implies that we are either “on” or “off”. There is no space in between.
But somewhere in between all and nothing is where we are able to simultaneously:
Live our lives to the fullest
Look after our health and fitness
So in 2024 put that hitchhiker's thumb down and watch all the bandwagons go by.
Instead, allow yourself the freedom to live your life while also accumulating positive goal-savvy choices. Do that all year round and you’ll be surprised how far you get and most importantly - how easy it is to stay there.
Author: Tessa Nielsen
References:
Flett GL, Hewitt PL. The Perils of Perfectionism in Sports and Exercise. Current Directions in Psychological Science. 2005;14(1):14-18. doi:10.1111/j.0963-7214.2005.00326.x
Ozemek C, Arena R. Evidence supporting moving more and sitting less. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, 2021; 64: 3-8, doi:10.1016/j.pcad.2020.12.004.
Thomas, M., & Bigatti, S. (2020). Perfectionism, impostor phenomenon, and mental health in medicine: a literature review. International journal of medical education, 11, 201–213. https://doi.org/10.5116/ijme.5f54.c8f8
Tchounwou, P. (2021). Perfectionism, Motives, and Barriers to Exercise from a Person-Oriented Approach. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(15).
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