I’m a Gladiator, but obsessing over fitness on social media is ruining exercise for everyone
I've learned that the people who stay fit for life aren't the ones who push hardest every day, writes Gladiators star Alex Gray
Scroll through social media for long enough and you'll find someone up at 4am, climbing into an ice bath or grinding through a brutal workout.
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It can look like that's what fitness has to be.
After a lifetime in professional sport, I've found the opposite. The training that has made the biggest difference to me isn't the hardest; it's the kind I enjoy enough to keep coming back to.
I came up through the England Rugby programme, became the first British rugby player to go to the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons, then came home to play for Bath. From the age of 14, rugby was everything.
That drive took me a long way, but I've always said there are only two kinds of pressure: gravity, and the pressure you put on yourself. No matter what I achieved, a little voice would say it wasn't enough.
I suspect plenty of people know that voice. It's the one that says a walk doesn't count because it wasn't a run, or that there's no point going to the gym if you can only manage 20 minutes.
What I've learned is that the people who stay fit for life aren't the ones who push hardest every day. They're the ones who fit movement around jobs, families, commutes and everything else life throws at them.
The biggest shift for me came when I stopped asking, "How hard can I push?" and started asking, "What actually makes me feel good?" The best workout isn't the most gruelling one; it's the one you'll still be doing in five years. Now I'm in the best shape of my life, not because I trained harder, but because I started working with my body instead of against it.
Some of my favourite memories of sport have nothing to do with personal bests. They come from the fun of it: the competition, the laughs and the people around you. That's what I've always loved about sport, and Bath exemplifies it perfectly. On a matchday you'll find families, live music, and people who've never watched rugby having the time of their lives. Nobody's chasing a personal best, they're doing it because it's brilliant fun, and that's exactly the point.
So if you feel like you should be doing more, go easy on yourself. Go for a walk at lunch. Kick a ball about in the park. Ten minutes counts. A rest day counts.
And when I'm back at The Rec this season, cheering from the stands, I'll enjoy it with friends and not think twice about the gym the next morning. Balance is what keeps you going.
Your body is what carries you through your whole life. Treat it like a friend, and you might be surprised how far it takes you.
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Alex Gray is a former professional rugby player, NFL athlete, and stars on BBC Gladiators.
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