#354 Tom Sheppard - Fitness Addiction, Mental Health, and Building Self Efficacy

Tom Sheppard is a strength coach and fitness writer who, beneath the rugged exterior is a thoughtful and generous soul who joins to open up about his complex mental health journey and how fitness has saved him. 

Tom shares:

-How strength training can be a major positive for your mental health

-Where fitness can creep over into addiction and serious problems

-How to create guardrails against becoming too addicted

-How the gym helps great self efficacy and defeat victim mindset

-And much more. 

03:38 The Role of the Gym in Mental Health

12:49 The Importance of Self-Efficacy and Accountability

20:05 Balancing Fitness and Life: Avoiding Fitness Addiction

27:38 Exploring Fitness and Dieting as Socially Acceptable Eating Disorders

28:00 Personal Struggles with Eating Disorders and Fitness Tracking

28:16 The Anxiety of Missing a Day of Logging

28:39 Realizing Unhealthy Habits and Finding Ways Out

29:25 Balancing Fitness and Life: The Importance of Controlled Variance

30:47 The Role of Fulfillment Outside the Gym

33:08 Identifying Red Flags in Fitness Addiction

35:15 The Obsession with Recovery Modalities

38:14 Aligning Motivations with Actions in Fitness

39:27 The Importance of Introspection in Fitness Goals

42:19 Balancing Gym Goals with Life's Other Pillars

47:15 Personal Journey and Career Reflections

49:52 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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