I was speaking with a reader a while back and we were talking about bloggers and running. As you probably know, running is everywhere on the blogs and it seems like everyone is running out the door for their next 8 miler.
She was telling me that she felt a tremendous amount of pressure to not only run, but to keep increasing her mileage.
I asked her why she felt this way and she said she felt like bloggers set the bar so high. If they were running 7 miles, she felt like she had to as well.
She also saw that some were increasing their workouts more and more and she questioned whether they were doing it for the sake of training or whether it was purely because they felt pressure to do more.
She said that she was pushing herself too hard and she wasn’t happy with her workouts anymore. Each workout became more of a scheduled chore than something fun and healthy for her body. And eventually something has to give. She got quite sick because her body was begging for rest.
For me it was an injury. Sometimes the only way our bodies can get us to rest is if we incur pain and physically cannot keep the same routine. My injury was very difficult and I realized that I too, felt pressure to maintain my previous activity levels.
I actually felt so much pressure that I had to stop reading running blogs for a while. When I couldn’t exercise, it was painful for me to read about others going on long runs or hitting new PR’s for a 5k. I felt low and I had to distract myself from the desire to run.
Being injured made me realize how much pressure I actually put on myself. I wondered what my readers would find interest in without my daily workouts. This is a health blog primarily, I thought, so certainly they will find their healthy activities elsewhere.
But what it made me realize is that the pressure we sometimes feel to ‘keep up with the Jones’’ is not put on us by anyone else but ourselves.
What I realized is that no one really cared whether I was still logging my planned 6 mile run or my Tuesday speed run. From what I saw, my readers didn’t up and leave. Actually, what I noticed is that readers showed an increased interest in my experience.
Injuries happen to everyone at some point and showing that I was vulnerable too made others feel like they could relate to me. I wasn’t some superhuman that could run and run and run.
I think when we feel any sort of pressure with respect to exercise or healthy eating we need to ask ourselves why we feel this way. I think it is easy to say ‘well so-and-so runs 19 miles a week and so should I’ and that is why I feel pressure.
But I think it is deeper than that.
I always think about the saying ‘no one can make you feel inferior without your consent’.
Ultimately we chose whether we are putting pressure on ourselves or whether we feel negativity surrounding our health.
The social comparison game is a dangerous trap that we all fall into now and then.
It is important to listen to our bodies and decide for ourselves what a healthy lifestyle will be for us.
And running might never be a part of it.
What works for me or what works for someone else, may not be a good fit for your life. And that is ok.
The key is to do what you love and what makes you happy. You will know it when you find it because you will look forward to doing that activity each week!
Do you ever feel pressure when reading other blogs to maintain a certain activity level? Do you ever feel like you can’t keep up and aren’t doing enough? Why do you think this is? Or on the other hand, are you able to not feel pressure from others and decide what is right for you? Do you have any suggestions for those who are falling into the social comparison trap?
Have you ever had to re-evaluate your exercise goals in the past because of over-training, injury, or loss of motivation?
As always, I look forward to your thought provoking comments.
![Angela_Signature Angela_Signature](/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/angela-signature-thumb71.png)
I never blame myself when I’m not hitting. I just blame the bat, and if it keeps up, I change bats. After all, if I know it isn’t my fault that I’m not hitting, how can I get mad at myself?
~Yogi Berra
PS- Sun and highs of 26C/78F today…what crazy spring weather we are having!
i have DEFINITELY experienced this. there were many runs i went on not because i wanted to, but because i felt like i had a commitment to running due to my blog. i ran many, many miles because i “had to.” which actually isnt a bad thing entirely, but its not the best thing b/c i obviously suffered an overuse injury. i always say the only race is against yourself, but i think we are all naturally competitive.
insightful post!
I totally know what you mean. I always feel like I need to be keeping up with the workout plans that I’ve set out for myself. However, this has also made me feel more accountable and truly WANT to hit the gym more. I’ve always wanted to start running, but it wasn’t until I started reading blogs that I truly got the push to start. I think the most important thing is just to listen to your body.
I’m pretty new to intense exercise, so I actually use blogs to inspire me. A lot of the bloggers admit their runs were hard or they weren’t too thrilled with getting up to go to the gym or some other obstacle got in the way. For me, these bloggers are good role models for commitment to healthy eating and activity. I figure, if she can do even if it’s hard, so can I!
But I do sometimes get frustrated that I can’t run as fast or as far as some of the bloggers. And also… yeah, I’ll say it… they’re so dang SKINNY. When I start comparing body sizes to the bloggers I read… that is a bad place to go. :-) I just try to focus on doing good things for me.
As with all things in life, everything in moderation. Do I run a lot? Yes. But I also balance it with other things and listen to my body. If I feel pain, I back off. If I am tired I rest. If I don’t feel like running that day, I don’t.
Personally running brings me a lot of happiness, that IS why I run. I agree that if you are running or doing anything for the wrong reasons,you shouldn’t do it. If you feel good running and it makes you happy, keep doing it. If it is a chore and something you dread find another activity to replace it.
There are too many other important things in life to worry about than how many miles this blogger is running, or what this blogger is eating. Start doing what make YOU happy, and eventually you will find what clicks with you, whether it is yoga, running, biking, walking, dancing, whatever it may be, do it because it makes you feel good!
I hear ya, girl! do what’s best for you!
What a great observation, Angela. Since I started reading running/fitness blogs I’ve upped my mileage and activity level a lot. I realized that if others can push it, so can I. But I draw tha line at doing something just b/c others are, and pushing myself too hard. Reading running blogs has helped me increase my mileage by motivating me to get out there and do it, to learn from my body when it’s trying to tell me something and to fuel myself correctly for the run. But I love the point that you made–you have to do what’s right for you!
i think it’s super important to be comfortable with yourself and what you can do (and can’t). running isn’t a competition, it’s something to do just for *you*. if you’re only doing it to keep up with others, then it’s definitely time to re-evaluate. i think this applies to a lot of things in life. we can all improve on looking inside ourselves instead of always focusing on others and the external world.
I don’t really feel any pressure from reading blogs to exercise more, but I feel pressure from the other gym regulars to make sure I don’t miss a class, etc. There is one girl in particular who always seems to be at the gym, sometimes twice a day, and it is discouraging for me to see her getting so fit when I can’t make it to the gym as much as her.
I definitely agree that people should do what is best for them, regardless of what other people/bloggers are doing. I decided to join the running blog community (as my blog focuses on my running!) because of how supportive and excited everyone gets about running. I don’t personally feel any pressure to get out and do my runs just for the sake of the blog, but I’m not injury prone and my running routine was pretty set before I ever started blogging. (I’ve been running for about 12 years, and blogging for only a few months!) Part of the running blog community is allowing people to react to your runs…if you write that you’re always tired and you’re hurting, people are going to say something, which is good for someone who might not realize that their pain could be the result of an injury or could be leading to one. In the end, no one is going to sit and say “so and so only runs 10 miles per week, and I’m running 25/week so I’m better.” While I love running and reading about running/health, I certainly have better things to do with my time than pressure someone to do more than they can handle! You just have to listen to yourself and gather advice and inspiration from other bloggers…but you don’t have to be become them.
I guess in a way I have felt pressured to run on some days that I really don’t want to for the sake of the blog. And you’re right, who really cares?? I do want to say though that I have been running a lot longer than I’ve been blogging, so in that respect I don’t feel pressured. It’s not like I took up running because of the blog….I just have to remember sometimes that it’s a PART of my daily entries, not a requirement! Thanks for a great thought-inspiring post!!
I have definitely experienced this. I have blogland to thank for GETTING me active, but I also feel some level of guilt/inferiority for a) still being overweight and b) not being a runner. Thank you for this great post, Angela! You rock!
Great post. I don’t feel pressure from reading bloggers, I find inspiration from them. However, I am my biggest critic and have been guilty of pushing myself too hard time and time again. I fractured my foot about 2 months ago, I am trying to use this time to re-set my intentions and expectations of myself, but it is hard. I love the feeling of pushing myself and seeing what I’m physically and mentally capable of. It’s difficult to find a balance.
great post – very thought provoking.
I haven’t let it make me feel “bad” or feel stress to do more. Reading others blogs motivates me to do more, because I see people that started where I’m at and see what they’re doing and it gives me hope that I can!
I can see how it can become a bad thing and source of stress, though.
Yes.
Okay, no I’m not going to leave it at that.
I started running around the same time I started reading food/fitness blogs. Like you said, I saw people whipping out 8, 9, 10 mile runs like it was nobody’s business. And I am competitive by nature, so it was on!
2 HUGE problems: 1) I wasn’t fueling my body as much as I should for my activity level, even though my blogger idols were; and 2) I wasn’t taking adequate rest days, even though my blogger idols were.
Result, I have a horrible injury. My blogger idols don’t.
I don’t know why I chose to feel inferior, especially because I haven’t ran more than 10 ft. to my kitchen for a snack in the past week and a half. I still feel like I am a good, interesting and fun person and people still read my blog, which makes me thing that this whole inferiority thing was pretty stupid.
“Doh!!!,” I say, while smacking my forehead with the palm of my hand.
I think we also judge ourselves and believe others judge us based on what foods we are eating. The funny thing is, I LOVE it when I see other bloggers slip in a piece of cake or a Indian food feast here or there, because it reminds me to ease up on myself and my food rules too.
So if anyone needs to feel better about their activity level or miles per week, they should come hit up my blog for a major confidence boost!
Thanks Angela. Sorry for writing a book, but I’m not going to feel inferior about my “comment leaving ability” either. ;)
I’m really new to running so I know that comparing myself to those that run long distances isn’t realistic at all. But when it comes to other new runners, I find myself comparing how quickly and easily they seem to build up to running 5K. It sometimes takes a lot to be proud of my accomplishments because they don’t seem “as good” as others but I’m trying not to fall into that trap. I have to look at setting my own personal bests and compete against those, rather than those of others.
Yeah, it’s hard sometimes to read about these fabulous ladies who run so far and so fast. Whenever I write about running on my blog, I’m verrrry honest about how hard it is for me (sometimes a little too honest – I mean nobody really wants to hear about me almost pooing myself, right?). Sometimes I think that this blogging trend of logging every single bite we eat and every single calorie we burn is just a step away from having a disordered mentality. That’s why I really appreciate that your blog keeps the focus on your WHOLE LIFE and on living with your health as a top priority. I’m glad that you don’t feel you have to “confess” every time you eat an m&m, and that you’re being so open about your struggles with injury. I do think that there are some blogs out there where the authors feel like they can’t let their upbeat attitudes lag, and I have sympathy for those ladies. Blogging is, for me, about sharing my experiences with a community – but I never let myself feel pressured to alter my behavior because of that community.
Amen.
I am trying so hard to love running and be a natural runner. The blog community has been great in helping me get started and giving me motivation. This 10k I am training for is a BIG challange for me, and I’ve been afraid to admit that while others are running half marathons or marathons. It made me think that my stupid little 10K is no big deal, so I increased my mileage more than the recommended amount and now I have a slight knee/hip injury. I think I’ll still be able to do my 10K in two weeks, but I’m going to give myself a break. If running 5 and 10K’s is what I like, then I’m not going to push myself to start running half marathons, etc.
When I run, 3 miles is a nice distance for me. Thinking about it, I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. Maybe I’ll just run 3 miles a few times a week for the rest of my life! That needs to feel OK with me instead of feeling inferior!
YES. I started reading food/fitness blogs when I was unable to exercise….and you can’t imagine the guilt I felt when reading about how active these women were! I had to stop reading them, too. Now that I am able to run and be active, though, I still feel pressure to “keep it up.” I think we just get into trouble when we compare ourselves to others – whether it’s what they’re doing or what they’re eating.
It is very easy to fall into the mileage trap with others. Personally I don’t feel this pressure as much with fellow bloggers, but I do let The Daily Mile stats get in my head sometimes. The stats are compared among you and your friends, and I can always get a good idea of how many more miles everyone else has ran than me for the week! =)
I am not as pressured by the distance as I am by the speed of other runners. When I checked my stats on The Daily Mile everyday and saw how fast everyone else was as compared to me, I felt inferior. This was around the time that I decided to take 2 weeks off. The break really helped me put things into perspective. Since being back on my training schedule for the past month, I really don’t care how fast I am. My mantra during my last 2 long runs was “you don’t have to go fast…you just have to get there.” Repeated over, and over, and over…and over! =)
Most of the time, we’re our own biggest competition.
I have a running blog, and while other running blogs inspire me to make sure I run most days of the week, I actually feel guilty reading food blogs. Oh Lord, if I posted what I ate…no one would read it and they would be so disgusted. I don’t eat Greek yogurt or tofu or smoothies with kale in them, even though I wish I could (just can’t stomach it I guess!) I’m not a vegan or know what the heck eating “raw” means. So sometimes I do feel bad about my eating when I read about someone who eats very well.
BUT, I’ve LEARNED a lot from these food bloggers, like Clif bars are delicious and it’s cool to eat lots of fruit, drink some wine and maybe not always stuff your face with sweets.
It’s finding a balance, I guess. I can’t run 19 miles, but reading about another blogger that can might inspire me to go on a nice 7-miler run. There’s no shame, because everyone is different and training for something different. :)