Can’t get excercising-depressed

Happyirisheyes

yourfitnessenemy wrote: »

I suffer from depression and just ride my bike on the trainer in 5 minute increments. I’m going to challenge myself to increase them as I’m feeling more motivated.

That’s brilliant! The more you do the better you will feel. I’m so buoyed up by the support here. Some great ideas and support to get going and stay going. Good luck on your journey xx

Happyirisheyes

middlehaitch wrote: »

Happyirisheyes wrote: »

hobbitses333 wrote: »

No matI ter how slow you move, you are moving faster than when sitting on your couch and that's an improvement...start small. An improvement, no matter how small, is still great. I am consistently inconsitent but overall doing better than a year ago. Happy about that...Good luck to you!

thanks I did a slow 25 mins with stops today. My hip started getting sore but then it was ok and I’m home now and it’s still ok so I feel a bit more encouraged now but I def think easy does it.

Way to go.

You may find it prudent to do a shorter walk tomorrow, or break your walk in to two of 10-15 min.

Overdoing it and getting injured, or burnt out, can easily put you off continuing.
Maybe do alternate days of longer and shorter walks to begin with.

A good exercise you can do that will help you is practicing sitting and standing out of your chair, or kitchen chair, or even toilet, a few times a day without using your arms/hands to assist you.
(Ie: when you are getting up, do it 2-5 times, same as when going to sit.)

Cheers, h.

Thank you. That’s a great idea. I never thought of found those small movements. I always just thought of starting with the big things first and then getting depressed when I couldn’t do them. Obvious as it may seem, I never thought of it. Thanks again x

Happyirisheyes

mmm4861 wrote: »

I do something kind of weird that works for me. I find a workout plan online. This could be 30 days or 3 months. I tell myself, "If I complete ALL workouts in the time frame, I'll give myself a week off of exercising to relax." It's kind of like compensation to move forward and exercise. By that time, it becomes more of a habit if you do something for weeks in a row. Then it's easier to workout after that! I've done this for 6 months now and even if I do that week off, I always come back to my exercise again feeling more motivated that I've ever been.

That’s a great idea to set goals and targets and the idea of getting a reward if you achieve a goal. I think the brain responds very well to that approach and it helps to form habits. Thank you

Happyirisheyes

Phirrgus wrote: »

@Happyirisheyes

Just a somewhat personal note here. I love what you're doing, and that you're sharing it here. I have a number of physical issues that slow me down, and to be perfectly honest, can frustrate the heck out of me sometimes where I get depressed for a couple of days and have to work out of it.

Reading your posts and seeing your determination is heartening and inspiring.

Thanks for sharing your journey, you got this, and you are not alone in it either. Keep on working and smiling.

Thank you so much! It was really lovely to read your message and I am just overwhelmed with the kindness shown on this board. I guess I forget that we are all in this together and a lot of people are experiencing the same things and feeling the same frustrations so we are not alone in our struggles. I am starting to see that now 💕

middlehaitch

Happyirisheyes wrote: »

middlehaitch wrote: »

Happyirisheyes wrote: »

hobbitses333 wrote: »

No matI ter how slow you move, you are moving faster than when sitting on your couch and that's an improvement...start small. An improvement, no matter how small, is still great. I am consistently inconsitent but overall doing better than a year ago. Happy about that...Good luck to you!

thanks I did a slow 25 mins with stops today. My hip started getting sore but then it was ok and I’m home now and it’s still ok so I feel a bit more encouraged now but I def think easy does it.

Way to go.

You may find it prudent to do a shorter walk tomorrow, or break your walk in to two of 10-15 min.

Overdoing it and getting injured, or burnt out, can easily put you off continuing.
Maybe do alternate days of longer and shorter walks to begin with.

A good exercise you can do that will help you is practicing sitting and standing out of your chair, or kitchen chair, or even toilet, a few times a day without using your arms/hands to assist you.
(Ie: when you are getting up, do it 2-5 times, same as when going to sit.)

Cheers, h.

Thank you. That’s a great idea. I never thought of found those small movements. I always just thought of starting with the big things first and then getting depressed when I couldn’t do them. Obvious as it may seem, I never thought of it. Thanks again x

A lot of people, especially those of us who haven’t exercised throughout our lives, start small and build off that. It is the wise thing to do.

Here is a great link to help you with ideas for small moves.

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1

I love that you got to the park and enjoyed the sounds and scenery. It is something I should do more often rather than walking streets, though I do that to get garden ideas.

Cheers, h.

CaffeinatedConfectionist

One thing that really stands out to me after reading this thread is how your tone has changed just over the last few days. You seem so much more positive, cheerful, and energetic than you did initially.

Congratulations on your accomplishments! You conquered those obstacles!

You will likely have to reconquer them again some day - every time I take a day or two off, I have to win an internal battle to get back into my routine. It's always easier to take the path of least resistance, but that path doesn't lead anywhere I want to go. Someone else mentioned a fitness friend - is there anyone in your life that could be a walking buddy on those days that you really aren't feeling it? Positive peer pressure, as it were.

sjww2

Get a Fitbit and start by walking in your house for 250 steps or less if you have to. I have to be close to my elderly father and have been unable to walk outside but I still get my steps in by dancing and walking around the house. Crank up your favorite music and enjoy yourself and you will soon not even realize you’re exercising

Happyirisheyes

CaffeinatedConfectionist wrote: »

One thing that really stands out to me after reading this thread is how your tone has changed just over the last few days. You seem so much more positive, cheerful, and energetic than you did initially.

Congratulations on your accomplishments! You conquered those obstacles!

You will likely have to reconquer them again some day - every time I take a day or two off, I have to win an internal battle to get back into my routine. It's always easier to take the path of least resistance, but that path doesn't lead anywhere I want to go. Someone else mentioned a fitness friend - is there anyone in your life that could be a walking buddy on those days that you really aren't feeling it? Positive peer pressure, as it were.

Thanks for that. I guess it’s easier to type posts when i have moments of positivity but there are also many moments when I haven’t been so enthusiastic. I’ve been trying to get and stay positive. I didn’t sleep well last night and have been absolutely exhausted today so I got no exercise in but rather than beat myself up about it, I’ll just try again tomorrow ☺️

Happyirisheyes

sjww2 wrote: »

Get a Fitbit and start by walking in your house for 250 steps or less if you have to. I have to be close to my elderly father and have been unable to walk outside but I still get my steps in by dancing and walking around the house. Crank up your favorite music and enjoy yourself and you will soon not even realize you’re exercising

Thanks. Yes you’re right, starting small is still starting 💕

liznotyet

Hello - I am intermittently motivated and depressed, but the one thing I keep going back to is the connection between toes/feet and the rest of the body. Any exercises that you can do to wake up your toes, feet, ankles, shins will help get your fluids moving and increase your balance. Miranda Esmund-White has helped me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLef2W5PhQc.

Happyirisheyes

That’s great! Thanks for the tip

liznotyet wrote: »

Hello - I am intermittently motivated and depressed, but the one thing I keep going back to is the connection between toes/feet and the rest of the body. Any exercises that you can do to wake up your toes, feet, ankles, shins will help get your fluids moving and increase your balance. Miranda Esmund-White has helped me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLef2W5PhQc.

HeliumIsNoble

One word. Music.

An upbeat, cheerful song really helps when you're strugggling to get going.

Happyirisheyes

Thank you 💕

Happyirisheyes

I hit the gym today. Hated going, hated being there. But I did it 12 min treadmill, some weights, 12 min treadmill. Hated every last minute but I did it.

Phirrgus

Happyirisheyes wrote: »

I hit the gym today. Hated going, hated being there. But I did it 12 min treadmill, some weights, 12 min treadmill. Hated every last minute but I did it.

How are you feeling? Either way, huge props to you for trying!

Remember too, the gym may not be your thing. There are numerous other activities you might enjoy more. That said, a bit of light gym work just might be what you need to strengthen yourself for other activities.

HeliumIsNoble

Phirrgus wrote: »

Happyirisheyes wrote: »

I hit the gym today. Hated going, hated being there. But I did it 12 min treadmill, some weights, 12 min treadmill. Hated every last minute but I did it.

How are you feeling? Either way, huge props to you for trying!

Remember too, the gym may not be your thing. There are numerous other activities you might enjoy more. That said, a bit of light gym work just might be what you need to strengthen yourself for other activities.

This.

Treadmills have become synonymous with exercise, and there are practical reasons for that, but anyone who hates them should consider whether there is a form of exercise that might serve them better. It is possible the practical advantages of a treadmill compared to any other form may outweigh the boredom, though.

If you decide it's better to grit your teeth and push through for the time on it, that's fair enough. But if you decide doing something else is better, that's also very much fair enough.

amy19355

I can’t go more than a week without some stairmastering and threadmilling. My goal is 3 x a week, 20 min climbing and 30-45 min briskly walking. I don’t always hit my goal. Sometimes I might get a total of 20 min between both devices. I don’t care. I feel worse if I don’t make myself move on a more or less regular basis.

Finding clever workarounds for regular pain-triggering activity occupies a lot of my time.

My latest trick for low back relief while doing dishes is to adopt a lunge posture and lean up against the front of the counter. Switch legs with each dish cleaned. A lot of washing can be done by feel without needing to look down and add stress to my neck.

It’s weird - no question about it, and , it takes longer to do the dishes. However, in the big scheme of things in my life, dirty dishes are pretty far down on the red-hot-priority list.

The other thing I do is lie on the floor a lot which encourages me to stretch and do even 1 or 2 pitifully slow reps of something to feel a little better about my efforts.

Good luck to you.

kshama2001

Phirrgus wrote: »

Happyirisheyes wrote: »

I hit the gym today. Hated going, hated being there. But I did it 12 min treadmill, some weights, 12 min treadmill. Hated every last minute but I did it.

How are you feeling? Either way, huge props to you for trying!

Remember too, the gym may not be your thing. There are numerous other activities you might enjoy more. That said, a bit of light gym work just might be what you need to strengthen yourself for other activities.

Yes, strength training my upper body helps me with activities I enjoy more, like swimming and yoga. But I do like lifting weights too.

@Happyirisheyes if the issue is that you:

1. Are not comfortable in the gym and don't feel like you know what you're doing - a few sessions with a personal trainer will help you overcome this.
2. Feel self-conscious - keep going and you will get over this.
3. Hate the treadmill - you're not alone; I and many others do too. I get all my cardio outside the gym, but you may find you like the elliptical or rower or bike or something better. Or you could flit around from machine to machine
4. Are bored - do you have an mp3 player? Playlists or podcasts can make the time fly by.

jasonpoihegatama

see if there is water aerobics or yoga for your age group .Just start moving you don't have to do back flips

KerrieA87

Find something you like doing and that you want to do. The more you try push yourself into things you dislike the harder it will be to find the energy/desire to do it.

I have a few medical problems, some serious and some just irritating but I take each day as a different one. I might really want to do a 5km run but my medical issues can mean anything from that run sending me into anaphylaxis, me losing consciousness, having severe nausea so I can’t move to having mild knee discomfort for a couple of days. But I don’t let it get me down I just try again the next day (much to the hubby’s annoyance).

Happyirisheyes

jasonpoihegatama wrote: »

see if there is water aerobics or yoga for your age group .Just start moving you don't have to do back flips

Thank you. Great suggestion about the water aerobics, that might be fun and also fun to be doing it in a group setting.

Happyirisheyes

KerrieA87 wrote: »

Find something you like doing and that you want to do. The more you try push yourself into things you dislike the harder it will be to find the energy/desire to do it.

I have a few medical problems, some serious and some just irritating but I take each day as a different one. I might really want to do a 5km run but my medical issues can mean anything from that run sending me into anaphylaxis, me losing consciousness, having severe nausea so I can’t move to having mild knee discomfort for a couple of days. But I don’t let it get me down I just try again the next day (much to the hubby’s annoyance).

That’s brilliant and really encouraging and inspiring. I like the idea of just taking each new day as it comes.

I went for a walk today in the winter sunshine. I walked around a local park 3 times. It took 30 minutes. It was very leisurely and I didn’t really feel like I was ‘taking exercise’. It was lovely but I don’t know if it was as beneficial as my gym session yesterday, though far nicer.

Happyirisheyes

Phirrgus wrote: »

@Happyirisheyes

Just a somewhat personal note here. I love what you're doing, and that you're sharing it here. I have a number of physical issues that slow me down, and to be perfectly honest, can frustrate the heck out of me sometimes where I get depressed for a couple of days and have to work out of it.

Reading your posts and seeing your determination is heartening and inspiring.

Thanks for sharing your journey, you got this, and you are not alone in it either. Keep on working and smiling.

Thank you!

Happyirisheyes

sjww2 wrote: »

Get a Fitbit and start by walking in your house for 250 steps or less if you have to. I have to be close to my elderly father and have been unable to walk outside but I still get my steps in by dancing and walking around the house. Crank up your favorite music and enjoy yourself and you will soon not even realize you’re exercising

I love this idea and the idea of not realizing that I’m exercising. I think if I say ‘I’m going to do some exercise now’ I automatically get depressed and feel like it is a chore but if I say ‘it’s a lovely day, I’ll go out for a quick walk’ it feels like more of a treat rather than a burden!