HELP need to overcome my fear

silvermist80
silvermist80 Posts: 20 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
hi i'm new to this site and after yrs of ignoring myself in many ways i am on a path or reintrodfucing me to myself and helping myself become 1: who i once was (body wise) and 2: becoming SOOOO much better than i ever was (mentally and emotionally)...

my issue is i'm severe asthmatic with poly-arthritis and have a high pulse (90-110 resting) but good bp (120/70)... i live on a steep hill so walking to places is fine but i cant get home without a lift or the bus lol
i am the healthiest i have been in 10 yrs in respect of mental health, the pain and asthma but i now struggle to do any cardio for more than 5 mins and wud like to do a slow steady build up of my muscles. i become breathless and it takes 15-30mins for heart to calm down n me to feel ready to do anything if my heart rate rises past 130... i have become very lazy over last 6 yrs due to health and what not and now feel i can and want to start back but dont know where to start as my main strong muscles are a lot weaker than they shud be... i'm hyper mobile and used to be supple and flexible...

after years of being frightened of causing an asthma attack due to it being poorly treated i use shiatsu to help... but i am still anxious and fearful... i am hoping to start doing my wiifit yoga to help but as i am shy and VERY body conscious i wont go near a gym and swimming is limited due to money... i love zumba and dance type aerobics but i cant do more than 5-10mins b4 i'm too tired or hurt too much to do any more... ideally i'd like to build myself up to be able to cope doing vigorous routines... i thought about arm chair exercises to build my leg and arm strength up but am worried its not enough to rebuild my lax muscle tone up...

no Money and low self esteem/confidence mean i can go to a gym or swimming regularly so any inhouse ideas will be gratefully accepted... i do walk my lil one to school n back which is a 10 min walk (40mins a day) and cud manage a good pace till the holidays.
any ideas???

Replies

  • lookatme09
    lookatme09 Posts: 57 Member
    Small steps. You are here and willing to make changes. That is the biggest and hardest step and you did it!!!
  • ixap
    ixap Posts: 675 Member
    Doesn't sound to me like you are lazy, just had some bad luck! Good for you for giving it another shot.

    If you can't do more than 5 minutes of your cardio exercise, that's a sign that it's too intense for now. You can choose something less demanding (like walking or gentle water aerobics), or modify the exercises you are doing, if you really like them. You can do things like doing the dance moves at a slower pace, skipping moves that might cause you pain like lunges or squats, doing toe taps or high steps instead of jumps, watching the clock and taking a 30-second break every 3 minutes, etc.

    If you have some chair exercises you can do, go for it. They will be effective if they are challenging for you. Eventually they will no longer be challenging and then you can move up to something else, but anything you can tolerate is great for you for now.
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
    i become breathless and it takes 15-30mins for heart to calm down n me to feel ready to do anything if my heart rate rises past 130...
    Just do what you can and try building up stamina. I don't think that 130 is a severely high heart rate for exercise. When I jog my heart rate is about 160 - 167 for about 25 minutes. I'm in fantastic health and yes it still takes a bit of time for me to cool off and have a normal heart rate after exercise. I have to take a really cool shower and I can't put my work shirt on for at least 30 minutes afterwards because I'm still sweating even after the cool shower. I don't measure my heart rate after (interesting, I might try that tomorrow) but I know it's not back to resting rate of around 60 right away.

    I can't totally relate because I don't have asthma issues but I wouldn't think that having your heart rate elevated to 130 for 30 minutes is a big deal. It's most likely good for your health.
  • silvermist80
    silvermist80 Posts: 20 Member
    lol i know its small steps but i lose motivation extremely rapidly and i need to get a routine in place so ideally needed some exercise i can incorporate into my day. i only have me and my 4yr old so i am trying to improve my self esteem/confidence and change my personal body image. my hardest issue i am attempting to tackle is the eating when bored n lonely lol so i'm thinking of introducing an excercise to help break it up n curb it as it has gained me a lot of weight especially in last 6yrs :( my baby step approach to it was doing the wiifit when i remembered which sometimes was every other day or sometime 3months appart for half an hour which is not benificial...
    i know what i am capable of doing but my body doesnt allow for it hahaha mentally i'm ready physically i am not and i'd like to mesh the 2 n syncthem up hahaha
  • silvermist80
    silvermist80 Posts: 20 Member
    I don't think that 130 is a severely high heart rate for exercise

    its not high heart rate for exercise at all but i cant breath which is y i cant continue, i'm not very gud at explaing myself.

    i get frustrated with myself because i become very out of breath (not asthma) when heart rate raises above120 and i struggle to control breathing bordering hyperventilation when it gets near 130 plus suffering pain in muscles due to lack of oxygen circulating properly so i need an exercise that isnt hi cardio and that i can do for upto half hour so i can build up stamina and muscle tone.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    Take one day at a time, live in the moment and tell yourself today is going to be a healthy day and then do the best you can to make it so!! Talk to your Doctor about what exercises are best for you. I have asthma and use a symbicort inhaler. Fortunately for me my asthma has never held me back!! It's so important it is to get proper treatment. One step at a time!! Best wishes!

Categories