How Fitness Fuels Wellness: My Journey
By Kaci Baez
Learn more about my personal fitness journey, my top three fitness takeaways, and why being fit doesn’t always mean being well
It seems like everywhere you turn, there’s a promise of a quick fitness miracle or fix. And many people believe that once they are fit and transform themselves in some way, they will find eternal happiness. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. Fitness is only one component of wellness, yet many people are looking for a miracle cure for their life through fitness and don’t address the other toxic stressors that could be making them unwell.
I began my personal fitness journey in my twenties looking for answers in a yoga studio and on the pavement. And while I became flexible beyond my wildest dreams after doing 60 Bikram yoga classes in 60 days once upon a time, I still struggled with feeling like the best version of myself. I was not “fixed;” I was exhausted. I remained anxious and stressed and I did not understand why. I now know this is because fitness is only one dimension of wellness, and a hugely beneficial one, of course, but fitness is a lot more effective when part of an ongoing healthy lifestyle across the spectrum.
Here are my top three takeaways on how fitness can affect wellness:
It’s all about balance. Quality is indeed more important than quantity. I have run numerous half marathons and marathons and truly believe in the power of fitness goals. I am a very goal oriented person, and become obsessed with going all out when challenged, which has actually caused me to become stressed and unwell, ironically, due to the effects of excess stress on hormones.
An article in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition reported that fatigue, mood disturbances, under performance, and gastrointestinal distress are common among athletes during training and competition due to the psychosocial and physical demands during intense exercise. Many athletes suffer adverse, even life-threatening consequences from excess exercise and negative metabolism and muscle growth effects from overtraining syndrome due to imbalances in hormones such as cortisol, testosterone, and growth hormone.
I used to run more than 20 miles a week, and workout several hours a week at the gym, and still struggled with feeling sluggish and generally unwell. I could not understand why I felt so awful despite the countless hours I spent running and working out.
Now, more than a decade (and two kids) later, I have learned to balance low impact with shorter cardio workouts and listen to my body more often than not. I largely feel 1,000 times better than I did when I was running extreme amounts, under normal circumstances. I do often want to pick up and run for hours, because I love running, but I have learned that excess running is a very bad idea for me personally due to the foot ailments, muscle pains, and fatigue that occurs when I do that.Low impact does not mean no impact. Some examples of low impact exercise include barre, yoga, walking, spinning, and new workouts like Pvolve.
Although I have spent hundreds of hours doing yoga, my current love is barre, specifically Pure Barre. I am not a Pure Barre ambassador, I just love the workout, which I started doing in 2015 after the birth of my daughter. The workouts are 45 minutes, and some studios offer cardio and yoga barre fusion workouts.
I have tried other barre workouts and studios, but always come back to Pure Barre because the instruction is more personal and on point and the music they play is usually better than other Barre studios. It took me a long time to learn the intricacies of this workout, but it was worth it. I find that Pure Barre is an excellent complement to running, but if I take a hard Barre class right before spin class, I usually regret it later. I also love taking class in the studio because it forces me to pay attention. When I work out at home, I get really distracted by trying to get the music right, so I appreciate a positive and engaging fitness studio experience. Low impact fitness is not to be discounted and can be very effective. What’s more: low impact is better than no impact.If you eat like sh*t, you will feel like sh*t, even if you workout 20 hours a week. It’s science.
Research has proven the link between processed foods and countless diseases and early death; meat has been linked to a wide range of common diseases. For some light reading, check out the handy book How Not To Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease.It’s not for everyone, but I did not see real results from my years of countless fitness efforts until I quit eating meat and started detoxing my life from excess stress and toxins. I am not a vegan (because: cheese), I am a vegetarian who eats small amounts of mostly organic cheese and eggs and minimal gluten. I eat largely plant based and supplement with vegan protein powder meant for athletes, along with other vitamins. It has also taken me a long time to figure out what foods were causing me inflammation through trial and error, and reducing inflammation is key to feeling well, mentally and physically.
Antioxidants in plants reduce free radicals and improve gut health, reducing your risk for numerous diseases. The Mediterranean diet is a popular research-backed example of an anti-inflammatory diet. Foods that can reduce inflammation include beans, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and olive oil.
Eating to reduce inflammation can take some getting used to, but I find that I eat more whole grain and gluten free carbs now than I did before, and I have no problem with this at all.
The Bottom Line
Exercise is a very important component of wellness, but it can backfire when taken to extremes or used as a magic or temporary fix. Finding fitness activities that you enjoy and building them into your weekly schedule can be extremely beneficial to wellness pursuits and serves as a balanced part of a holistic wellness strategy in tandem with health and fitness professionals.