The 3 Ghosts of Fitmas Past: Debunking Holiday Fitness Myths

Posted on December 19, 2024 by pilatesnative

The holiday season is full of joy, indulgence, and… questionable fitness advice. Every year, misinformation runs rampant, with every trainer, health coach, and diet trying to carve out space in our brains for those January deals.

I hate misleading marketing that uses shame and manipulation, so today, let’s take a journey with the “3 Ghosts of Fitmas Past.”

Disclaimer:
Our society tends to normalize disordered eating and extreme behavior, especially during the holidays. Many trending challenges and fitness tips mimic eating disorder behaviors. Needing to “earn” meals, over-exercising, binging + purging, and engaging in extreme diets are all eating disorder behaviors.

Participating in these doesn’t necessarily mean you have an eating disorder, but it’s important to recognize how harmful these habits can be. If you think you may be struggling, amazing resources like the National Eating Disorders Association (https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/) are available.

Ghost 1: The Fearmongering Ghost

This ghost thrives on myths designed to scare you into extreme behaviors.

Myth: You’ll gain 10 pounds over the holidays.
The Facts: Real weight gain requires sustained overeating—not a few indulgent meals. Most people gain just 1-2 pounds over the holidays, which is often due to water retention from carbs and salts found in festive foods, not fat.

Myth: You have to earn your holiday meals.
The Facts: Food isn’t a punishment or a reward. Approaching meals with an “earn it” mentality promotes disordered eating. It’s okay to enjoy your food without guilt. Please push back on those trends that promote doing a certain number of pushups, lunges, squats or burpies to “make up for” eating during the holidays.

Myth: You need to detox* after the holidays.
The Facts: Your body detoxes itself naturally. Extreme cleanses, fasts and juice diets are usually unnecessary and could harm your health. Instead, drink water, eat fiber-rich foods, and let your body do its job.

*This post is about food. If you feel like you need to detox from alcohol, do so carefully and if necessary consult with a medical professional.

Ghost 2: The Overdoing Ghost

This ghost loves to push extremes, convincing you to burn off indulgences at all costs.

Myth: Over-exercising will cancel out holiday indulgence.
The Facts: Overdoing it leads to burnout, injury, and fatigue. Rest and recovery are crucial, especially during a busy season.

Myth: Join the 1,000 Rep Challenge!
The Facts: These challenges—like 1,000 squats or 108 sun salutations—are more harmful than helpful. Excessive repetition isn’t a smart way to train; it’s a fast track to overuse injuries from poor form and exhaustion.

Myth: More sweat = more calories burned.
The Facts: Sweat is just your body’s cooling system, not a measure of effort. Focus on quality movement instead of the quantity of perspiration. You’ll want to avoid Hot exercise classes if you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, hypermobility or heat sensitivity.

Ghost 3: The Unrealistic Ghost

This ghost loves to sell oversimplifications and quick fixes.

Myth: Weight loss is just calories in, calories out.
The Facts: Weight loss isn’t always that simple. It’s influenced by stress, sleep, hormones, medication, age, allergies, food, and more. While calorie balance matters, overall health is about so much more.

Myth: January 1st is the magic reset day.
The Facts: There is no magic day to start healthy habits. Small changes—like walking, stretching, flossing, eating an apple for a snack—can happen anytime. Consistency beats grand resolutions every time.

Myth: Skip carbs to avoid weight gain.
The Facts: Carbs are your body’s fuel and a primary brain food. Instead of cutting them out, focus on whole-food options like sweet potatoes, fruits, and grains to support your activity level.

The Bottom Line

This holiday season, let go of the “Fitmas” myths and embrace balance. Movement should feel good—not punishing. Food should bring joy—not guilt.

No pain. No Gain.

Posted on June 14, 2023 by pilatesnative

No pain, no gain.

These words are on nearly every gym wall in the country. On t-shirts. Motivational posters. Popping out of every fitness instructor’s mouth when things get tough.

No pain, no gain.

But who equated pain with progress?

Since the dawn of time, humans have pushed our bodies to their very edges. Pheidippides, a Greek messenger ran 300 miles in 3 days to successfully deliver his message, before keeling over and dying. The Tarahumara Indians of the Copper Canyon in Mexico hunt by chasing their prey until the deer die of sheer exhaustion. Ballerinas en pointe are frequently pushed to the point of blood, foot bone disfunction and severe muscle instability to create the shapes required by their sport. Rhabdomyolysis, a once obscure condition of excessive and toxic muscle breakdown that can cause kidney injury or death, has become well known thanks to Ultrarunners and Cross Fitters who push their bodies to the literal point of failure.

For fitness hobbyists like myself, pulled muscles, strains, tears, and pain are accepted as just par for the course. Spending hundreds (if not thousands) on the latest recovery tools, PT programs, massages, and gear is seen as a badge of honor. It’s normal for fitness folks to circle for a pre or post workout pissing contest, sharing battle stories of how they got various injuries and how they pushed through despite their body’s resistance to continue.

But why?

Why are we so conditioned to push our bodies to the point of failure, for fun?

I’ve been an athlete for over 35 years and running for more than 25. I can tell you that dealing with a super intense level of training and the aftermath of injuries is anything BUT fun. Along with my physical health, my mental and emotional health suffered, and so did my relationships. There are certain injuries that I ignored, dismissed, or never properly healed that have haunted me for years, through muscle imbalances, compensations, and mental state.

When I finally backed off and really started to focus on healing and having fun, rather than pushing through to another PR, I learned a few things.

First, “no pain, no gain” is bullshit.

Pain is the body’s way of very very clearly communication that something is wrong. If you are actively in pain before, during or after a workout, something is very very wrong. If a trusted fitness pro is pushing you to work out through actual legitimate pain, they are doing something very very wrong and they are actively causing damage to your body. If YOU are pushing your body to work out through actual legitimate pain, YOU are doing something very very wrong and YOU are actively causing damage to your body.

Pushing through actual pain isn’t admirable, heroic, or badass. It’s dumb and it’s toxic for us to keep buying into a culture that keeps us chained to an injury treadmill.

Second, “no pain, no gain” doesn’t mean what we’ve been brainwashed to think it means.

When a really good fitness instructor talks about “pain”, they aren’t talking about physical hurt or body damage. They aren’t talking about running so far you puke or lifting so heavy you tear muscles or herniate disks. They aren’t telling us that we need to push so far past our limits that we break our bodies down with irreparable damage.

They are talking about the pain of dedication, the pain of consistency, the pain of starting at the bottom and working to the top of our ability. They are talking about the pain of prioritizing, the pain of making decisions and the pain of following through. They are talking about the pain of building emotional stamina and breaking through mental barriers. They are talking about the pain of starting something and not giving up.

They are not talking about physical, mental or emotional pain. They are talking about the discomfort that comes with growth.

Unfortunately, “dedication, consistency, priorities and discomfort from growth” isn’t catchy and it doesn’t rhyme with anything. It’s not exactly inspiring and it’s a terrible catch phrase for marketing.

If you’re tired of being in pain all of the time and bouncing around between injuries but you also aren’t ready to quit training, I get it. I full intend to run until I die.

At Pilates Native, I can teach you how to work with your body, instead of against it.

I can teach you how to get strong without sacrificing mobility, how to get mobility without sacrificing strength. I can teach you how to tap into your nervous system to help heal the physical, mental and emotional damage caused by your sport. I can teach you how to protect your body from further injury when you are going full throttle.

If you’re ready to step out on pain and try on “dedication, consistency, priorities, and discomfort from growth”, come on over. I got you.

-Rubecca