Exercise Identity

Does exercise have an impact on our identity? Do we change as a person depending on what physical activity we do? Does exercise allow us to express our truest self?

The topic this week is about how exercise impacts our sense of self.

What fascinates me is how over the years that I've been practicing the various forms of martial arts, it has led me to adopt certain perceptions of myself. It has impacted my general sense of who I am. But what's more interesting is not only how it has impacted my sense of identity over that time, but how it affects it in the immediate.

Have you ever noticed, directly after a workout or training session, your entire sense of self has morphed somehow?



I guess this topic follows on from last week's  perfectly because it would be no surprise that if exercise has the power to dramatically change how we feel emotionally, then it could also hold the power to alter how we feel about who we are in the moment.

If after a session, you feel more powerful, more confident and more in control, then its not hard to how one might start identifying themselves to those qualities. Especially if engaged regularly.

But, if you feel a certain way after exercise, does it mean you are those qualities, or is it a false sense of self?
On the other hand, could it be the expression of your true self and a way to connect to it?
Another possibility is the potentiality to develop or become the traits that are encountered and experienced through that specific exercise.

There are 3 major ways that our sense of identity interacts with our sport or physical activity:

1.As a way to express who we are.
2.As a way to experience who we want to feel like.
3.As a way to transform to who we want to become.

Each scenario have an important purpose, as each one can serve us by meeting different needs.

1.As a way to express who we are:
Well, this is good for bringing us back in the moment, keeping us sane and dealing with stressful times by making us feel like ourselves again. Movement is a powerful way to stay connected to ourselves. As I talked about last week, exercise is an excellent outlet for all kind of negative charges. Movement allows us to express how we feel, thus allowing us to stay in touch to our true self.
However, if you are venting out anger or aggression through exercise, it doesn't mean that your are an angry or aggressive person but it serves you by getting you in touch with yourself and in turn it enables you to deal with those emotions better.

Exercise can also help bring out our positive sides. It can help us access our more positive states and in turn, our greater qualities. Once we become in touch of those greater qualities, we can show up in our lives at our bests.

2.As a way to experience who we want to feel like:
As a side effect of using exercise as an outlet for negative emotions, it can get us in touch with the sense of the qualities that present as a way to overcome what bothers us. In the example of training with frustration, aggression and rage; these emotional charges lead us to not only express them in the power and intensity of our workout, but it makes us dig deeper and in so doing, we access characteristics that feel good to embody.
By having that extra power, more explosiveness and greater fire, we access the sense of determination, the sense of strength, the confidence we need and anything that holds the promise of overcoming that which stands in our way.

When that sense of overcoming is imprinted it begins to become who we are.
This shows up in other scenarios, but it doesn't have to come up as a result of negatively charged emotions. This can still be an effective way to imbue us with the desired sense of identity even during neutral or good times.

These is one thing to note, and that is how this is a short term payoff and generally only serves to change how we feel in the moment, therefore is not necessarily an accurate reflection of our true self nor does it mean we actually become that which we feel like we are in that moment. Its just feeling.

3.  As a way to transform to who we want to become:
The long term application is personal growth and development. This means that exercise has the power to transform who we truly are over time by instilling within us the qualities and virtues that we wish to embody.
There are the typically known ways of developing these virtues and qualities through training, such as through the cultural influences of a club, center or organization, learning under the virtues of a coach, trainer or instructor. Like discipline, dedication, respect, integrity, etc. These are all honorable traits to adopt and we have a lot of positive cultural influences set in place, but the training itself is also a way to learn these qualities and much more.

Through consistency in training, you adopt dedication and discipline.
Through mastery of technique, you learn to be meticulous and thorough. you also develop patience.
Through  training with intensity and pushing yourself, you attain fiery commitment and passion.
These are but a few simple and general examples of how one can acquire qualities, virtues and even character traits in some cases.




 Final distinction:

We start to identify with our form of exercise when we have established a sense of ownership. This would be how our sense of self is impacted in the long term.

Once you have gotten familiar with a certain training routine and you how you like to do it, in what sequence, the frequency or duration that you like and the timing of your session or workout, then the intimate nature of those specificity gives you a sense of ownership.

Ever noticed that when we own something, it alters how we see ourselves?

In exercise terms, that sense of ownership usually comes a sense of confidence and pride. That confidence and pride impacts our assessment of ourselves and transmutes our sense of self.














 Inspired by fitness,


Clinton Boucheix                                                                                            
Certified Personal Trainer