Why sport can harm us if we do it for the wrong motivation

fitness psychology
Why using exercise to relieve stress can actually harm you

Sport is healthy, we need sufficient physical activity to feel good – physically and mentally. But in fact, sport can also damage our health. Once, of course, when we do too much of it and overload ourselves physically. But also if we train out of the wrong motivations. Because that can significantly reduce the positive effect of exercise.

That is why motivation for sport is so crucial

This happens, for example, when we do sports to escape from negative feelings. Just as emotional eating does not solve our problems, the happiness hormones released during running or fitness training can only fight the symptoms – but not the cause of what is currently bothering us.

So exercise is just a form of escapism, just like binge-watching 13 episodes of our favorite series or munching on an entire chocolate cake. Instead of dealing with the negative feelings and just feeling them, we repress them.

Study on the effect of jogging

There is even scientific evidence for this: A Norwegian research team investigated how jogging for different motivations can affect our well-being. To do this, the researchers examined 227 running fans and their relationship to sport and exercise. Above all, they analyzed two motivations for jogging: personal development and suppression of feelings and thoughts.

Participants were asked to indicate how much they agreed with statements such as “When I run, I try to learn something new about myself” or “When I run, I try to forget the difficulties in my life.”

Those among the joggers who run out of positive motivation were able to derive more benefits from their sport in the long term. They were also more likely to get into a flow state during the run. According to the researchers, this ensures “an intense cognitive focus, attention and a feeling of joy”.

Suppressing emotions dampens positive feelings

The running fans, who tend to jog to suppress something and distract themselves from unpleasant thoughts and feelings, experienced fewer positive effects. Because according to the research team, suppressing negative emotions can dampen positive feelings. This can lead to poorer impulse control, procrastination, and overall well-being, according to the research.

Of course, that’s not to say that you shouldn’t exercise if you’re having a bad day. After all, jogging and the like can ensure that we feel much better afterwards thanks to the released happiness hormones. But maybe you could reflect on whether exercise is your go-to action when a negative emotion such as stress, sadness, and anger arises. In this case, you could try allowing the emotion first, feeling it consciously, maybe writing something about it – and then doing a workout when you feel like it. Because if we exercise mindfully, we benefit more than if we degrade movement to a tool against unwanted feelings or, even worse: to punishment.

Sources used: mindbodygreen.com, frontiersin.org, healthnews.com

mbl
Bridget