DONATE
Support our Nonprofit Magazine!
Before you start reading... There has never been a time when our community and content was needed more. Unlike other sites, we don't publish sponsored content or share affiliate links. We also don’t run ads on our site and don’t have any paywalls in front of our content–-anyone can access all of it for free.
This means we rely on donations from our community (people like YOU!) to keep our site running. We want to be here to support you all through this pandemic and beyond, which is why we are asking you to consider donating whatever you are able.
A single (or monthly) donation of just $5 will make a HUGE difference and will help keep our nonprofit running so we can continue offering peer support for mental health through our content.
Ah, January, the month of new beginnings, resolutions, and *ugh* exercise and diet plans. Those of you who have followed my writing know that although I (along with the other writers here at Libero Network) am in no way against exercise (read this), I take a different view on its purposes than the capitalize-on-people’s-insecurities New Year’s Resolution-Pushers do.
Exercise plays an important role in recovery, but it can also play a harmful role. I struggled with compulsive exercise for several years, and it took me a long time to find the balance between obsession and commitment (watch this).
Since January is so focused on losing weight “getting healthy,” I felt it necessary for us to talk about Fitness this month. In our upcoming posts in January, you will read about how our writers have struggled with compulsive exercise, how they’ve overcome it, and how they’ve found a way to use exercise in a positive way to help in their recovery.
In addition, we here at Libero have started a movement we call #StopFitspiration and it’s received a lot of feedback (both positive, and negative!). So I encourage you to check out some of our posts on that, as well (for a good overview on what Fitspiration is, read my post: What is ‘Fitspiration’, Anyways? ).
I hope if you are planning on making resolutions (or goals, or whatever you wish to call them), you will take some time to reflect on the whys behind your goals, and not just the ‘whats’. A good goal for a bad reason is still a bad goal. And I hope that through our posts this month, you will see that it is possible to develop a healthy relationship with exercise and that exercise can play a positive (and even important) role in recovery.
There is a difference between obsession and commitment, and I hope our posts this month will help you as you figure out what that difference is for you and how you can use exercise to help your recovery and not harm it.
Happy New Year!
Lauren is the Founder and Editor of Libero. She started Libero in April 2010, when she shared her story about her struggles with an eating disorder and depression. Now Lauren uses her writing and videos to advocate mental health and body positivity. In her spare time, she enjoys makeup artistry, playing Nintendo, and taking selfies with her furbaby, Zoey.
SITE DISCLAIMER: The opinions and information shared in this article or any other Content on our site may not represent that of Libero Network Society. We hold no liability for any harm that may incur from reading content on our site. Please always consult your own medical professionals before making any changes to your medication, activities, or recovery process. Libero does not provide emergency support. If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-784-2433 or another helpline or 911.