How to deal with all or nothing thinking and anxiety over missing a workout?

sugarfreesquirrel
sugarfreesquirrel Posts: 268 Member
edited September 2022 in Fitness and Exercise
Please help me. If I can't exercise I feel like my day is ruined.

Replies

  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    edited September 2022
    This is something that you might want to consider therapy for. Many of us have seen it. It's on the order of an ED. I 'm handling it by telling myself that it doesn't matter how much or how long I exercise, but just do one thing a day. It helps me.

    Watching your diet will help you lose much more. Exercising is good for your body and health if not pushed to extremes. Change up your exercise. Try new things. I do: yoga, swimming, acquagym, powerwalking, gym, stretching, regular walking, and tai chi.
  • sugarfreesquirrel
    sugarfreesquirrel Posts: 268 Member
    I'm not really worried about type of exercise, it's whether I'm able to or not, due to spare time, health or weather
  • sugarfreesquirrel
    sugarfreesquirrel Posts: 268 Member
    I have trouble finding a healthy life balance. And I can't afford therapy, do you know of any self help books that address this?
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    You know, there is information everywhere. You need to find what suits you. That means research. I've picked up many ideas over 8 years following the boards on MFP. Certain posters on here are a treasure trove of information. Look at how many posts they have and that will usually tell you if they're valid. What helps one may not help another. It's experimental.

    Yoga was a life changer for me. The breathing exercises are calming, as are the movements, and there are easy levels to start.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    Are you exercising with the hopes of losing weight faster? Because, like snowflake said - it's more about the food quantities.

    As far as all-or-nothing thinking and anxiety, there are tons of free resources online. Read an article every day on something that is bothering you. Write in a journal. There are YouTube videos too but be careful on those, some people are pretty wacky. Anxiety is a horrible thing to let get out of control and I know you can get a handle on it.

    Keep searching!
  • sugarfreesquirrel
    sugarfreesquirrel Posts: 268 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    Are you exercising with the hopes of losing weight faster? Because, like snowflake said - it's more about the food quantities.

    As far as all-or-nothing thinking and anxiety, there are tons of free resources online. Read an article every day on something that is bothering you. Write in a journal. There are YouTube videos too but be careful on those, some people are pretty wacky. Anxiety is a horrible thing to let get out of control and I know you can get a handle on it.

    Keep searching!

    Thank you so much! I get anxiety over so many things and it makes me really hate life sometimes!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,225 Member
    sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »
    I have trouble finding a healthy life balance. And I can't afford therapy, do you know of any self help books that address this?

    You might want to take a look around in the "Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness" part of the MFP Community.

    There's even a thread there about self-help resources for anxiety.

    Maybe you can get some ideas there?
  • sugarfreesquirrel
    sugarfreesquirrel Posts: 268 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »
    I have trouble finding a healthy life balance. And I can't afford therapy, do you know of any self help books that address this?

    You might want to take a look around in the "Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness" part of the MFP Community.

    There's even a thread there about self-help resources for anxiety.

    Maybe you can get some ideas there?

    Thanks I'll check it out! Never actually been on that board.

    The anxiety is I'll run out of calories to eat or I'll gain weight. I think.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    edited September 2022
    The anxiety is I'll run out of calories to eat or I'll gain weight. I think.

    The hardest thing for me to wrap my brain around after weight loss is just how few calories I really need to Maintain that weight loss. That means I had to figure out how to be happy on fewer than 2000 calories after having eaten whatever-I-wanted for over a decade. It is a big adjustment.

    I really think the only way I could have continued to maintain for nearly 15 years is to have learned ways to eat that allow me to stay at a healthy weight, and that means that sometimes I am injured or sick and cannot exercise at all. For me exercise is more for health; my 90 minute walks only burn about 300 calories and that's just enough for a piece of toast with peanut butter and a tiny glass of milk. I don't use exercise as a weight-loss necessity because I know I could easily eat a lot more than I could ever exercise off.

    I have to eat mostly whole foods, a minimum of 25g of fiber, enough protein and fat, and lots of whole vegetables and/or fruit. I shoot for 800g a day of whole fruit or vegetables (I include potatoes and beans in that.) I'm definitely not always hitting that, usually I'm at 600-700 grams but that's the goal!

    I simply cannot eat the way I used to eat. It was an entire overhaul of my food, but it didn't happen overnight, it took quite a while - like one to two years.

    Be gentle with yourself. Grace is a very valuable concept when considering food and body image.
  • Hollis300
    Hollis300 Posts: 59 Member
    sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »
    Please help me. If I can't exercise I feel like my day is ruined.

    Try to stand aside from your emotional attitudes -- you are not them. They're a habit.

    You can say no, not today, I am not perfect but I'm getting better. Today I choose to be positive. Today I choose to do something -- a walk, a little exercise -- and tomorrow will do the workout.

    Also, look at how you plan your day. Pack workout clothes ahead. Say no to distractions.

    I also second the therapy suggestion - go and see if it helps.
  • sugarfreesquirrel
    sugarfreesquirrel Posts: 268 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »
    I have trouble finding a healthy life balance. And I can't afford therapy, do you know of any self help books that address this?

    You might want to take a look around in the "Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness" part of the MFP Community.

    There's even a thread there about self-help resources for anxiety.

    Maybe you can get some ideas there?

    OMGoodness!!! I have found my people!!! thank you thank you thank you! Only on the first page and have found about six threads that sound like me.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,988 Member
    Figure out what you fear. Then really look at it objectively and see if that fear is imagined or real. People get anxiety from fearing something happening or about to happen in their life. And many times is not even a real issue.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • Hiawassee88
    Hiawassee88 Posts: 35,754 Member
    I had a workout friend. Exercise was a self-competition for them. I didn't go as far as I did the other day. I didn't, I didn't, I didn't. I told them that exercise should be enjoyable and not something to dread. It didn't matter, so I couldn't let them ruin everything for me. I'd rather be alone than listen to that kind of blowback, every step of the way.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,225 Member
    sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »
    I have trouble finding a healthy life balance. And I can't afford therapy, do you know of any self help books that address this?

    You might want to take a look around in the "Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness" part of the MFP Community.

    There's even a thread there about self-help resources for anxiety.

    Maybe you can get some ideas there?

    OMGoodness!!! I have found my people!!! thank you thank you thank you! Only on the first page and have found about six threads that sound like me.

    I'm so glad: Reading that warms my heart, sincerely. Thank *you*.

    Each of us needs to find our personal best path, and each path is unique (IMO). My desire is to help, however imperfectly I may be able, because better fitness and a healthy weight have been life-changing for me . . . both huge quality of life improvements.

    Wishing you continuing success!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »
    Please help me. If I can't exercise I feel like my day is ruined.

    Exercise has such a profound beneficial affect on my mind, body, spirit, and sleep, that while I wouldn't call my day "ruined" I would say that not exercising does indeed negatively affect my day.

    Therefore, I make fitting exercise into my day a priority.

    One of my volunteer jobs has a 20 minute zoom at the beginning of each shift. I make sure my video is not on and do Tai Chi during this. I often have lots of pauses once I am able to start this job. I do seated yoga or Tai Chi warmups during this.

    Those are examples of how I work exercise in to other activities.

    I also dedicate time for exercise. I get Classical Stretch and Tai Chi videos from the library. If I do 23-30 minutes of this a few hours before bedtime, I sleep better and wake up pain free.

    During the day, health depending (I've had some challenges lately) I do yard work, gardening, trail maintenance, etc.

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