Can't do anything for more than two minutes!

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  • lucylousmummy
    lucylousmummy Posts: 348 Member
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    i've smoked for about 23 years (yeah i know i should stop but one thing at a time) i manage just fine, is it at all possible that your having a sort of panic attack? obviously not a full blown one, and thats why you can't last more than a couple of minutes. like others have said just try and add a minute on at a time, or even 30 seconds
    hope you get it sorted and good luck x
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,299 Member
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    Another round of hugs from here. The place you have been in and the courage it took to leave will have taken it out of you. If you don't have another job at the moment, this too will be having an impact. Please give yourself space to come back to the calmer, usual you before demanding too much of yourself.

    Well done you, for doing what needed to be done. Take stock and move on with pride.
  • MrTolerable
    MrTolerable Posts: 1,593 Member
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    Thank you everyone for your kind replies. I think I will like this community very much if you are anything to go by :)

    I smoked less than two years. Granted I smoked a LOT when I had an office job where I sat on my butt all day, but in hindsight that really isn't that long, right?

    jwhited71, good idea doing my tiny slog several times a day. Impressive progress! Gives me hope, honestly.

    otter090812, you are right I think I am going too fast. I am just so used to being fit, maybe my expectations are too high. I need to be kinder to myself and just take a deep breath.

    andylowry and koldnomore, amazing that you have been smoke free after such a long time with them! I am determined not to touch them again. They are so satisfying but I just try to do something to take my mind off it when I do fancy one. Maybe I could hop on the bike next time :P

    Thank you so much for the encouragement. I kind of got wrapped up in thinking I was the only person to ever be unfit, haha! There are so many inspirational people here. Being fit before, I had no idea how difficult it was getting there as I started from childhood. Major props to people who are unfit like me and struggle with their weight... Whole new respect for them now. I think it's just a shock when you realise you don't really know your body anymore.

    ETA: IcanIwill1, I guess I'm spoiled because I did that from childhood so in my memory it was always that way, and so easy pushing all the time! You must be very proud if your achievements, I can't wait until I have a similar story.

    hey! you sound super motivated, and you sound like this is all about you.. so +1 & +1!!
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    My husband quit smoking nearly 3 years ago, after being a habitual smoker for 25 years. He can now run faster & longer than me - which doesn't mean a lot since I'm SLOW. But his endurance as a former smoker is awesome. Maybe even compared so some 5'9" 205 pound guys. (He is working to lose weight also.)

    My point being that keep at it, and you'll get there. Perhaps you just don't like the bike. Try different cardio and find what you do like. I hated the elliptical. I can tolerate the bike. I enjoy walking/running. And if a few minutes is what you can do, then push yourself to go an extra minute. Then take a break and repeat.
  • MscGray
    MscGray Posts: 304 Member
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    I agree its a stamina thing, and you will have to work to build it back up.....but also for me I have noticed that I fatigue really quickly when starting into something, and then as I have been in the motions for a while the fatigue goes away and then I have the energy to carry on (ie: 60 minute zumba class, I drag for about the first 5 minutes and have to MAKE myself not stop, but once that 5 minutes passes I am good to go!) So I have learned to keep the starting intensity light, and kind of build up until I get over that peak....if its just fatigue and not full on pain, I would recommend fighting through it a little longer each day and soon you will be on your way to your goals!
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,074 Member
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    Hello everyone.

    21/F here and a bit of a challenge. I am already a healthy weight and I look it. Since moving in with my boyfriend I have put on a little weight and am feeling a bit blobby but it isn't a health concern. I'm about 5'5" and on the tighter side of a UK10.

    I would like to lose a bit of the jigglyness, but my bigger concerns are my fitness and health. I used to be a competitive swimmer and horseback rider. Later, I enjoyed running and yoga. Last year, I left education and started the job from hell. My boss constantly put me down (actually called me fat at one point), my self esteem plummeted and I started smoking. Last month I walked out and am slowly feeling more like a human being with actual worth. I no longer wake up in the middle of the night and cry, so yay haha!

    I tossed the *kitten* the day after I left and haven't touched them since. I want my old, healthy self back! But how?

    My dietary goals are to drink more water and eat smaller portions, as my diet is already quite healthy and I cook fresh every night. But exercising makes me want to cry. I can do about two minutes on an exercise bike before I feel like I am going to collapse. I'm scared that smoking has ruined my lungs forever, which is probably extremely irrational and dramatic.

    Please forgive the rant. I just want to know, how can I possibly improve my fitness when I can't seem to cope for more than a few minutes? I feel like I've hit a wall before I've even started. I guess I mostly want some encouragement that it will get better. Anyone else got any victories they can share to encourage me?

    Two minutes is better than no minutes! Just keep at it. :)
    It took me a long time to be able to run just a half mile non stop. Then I stopped, but I was able to push myself through a one hour Zumba class no problem. Set small goals for yourself. Do two minutes one time. Then three minutes. Then four minutes. Keep gradually building up, and you'll be there in no time!
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
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    The Couch to 5 K app is really great for rebuilding your running endurance. The first week you only jog for 60 sec intervals and walk the rest. You can also repeat weeks if you are still struggling too much to move on.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    Start out slow...you can't go from 0 - 100 and expect anything good to happen. As a former athlete myself, I had to put my ego to the side when I got back into fitness. I couldn't do much with any intensity and it was very frustrating...so I just started out walking for 30 minutes per day...then I bumped that up to 45...then 60....after several weeks I started throwing in a couple days of run/walk stints. Next thing you know I was running 3 miles 3x weekly and walking on the other days...a bit more time passed and I through weight training into the mix.

    A year and a half later and I cycle about 100 miles per week and lift 2-3 times per week and do some swimming here and there for cross training. I ultimately determined that running wasn't my thing, but fell in love with cycling and swimming is a great way to cross train. If you would have told me I'd be doing this a year and a half ago I would have spit out my water laughing at you...but her I am kicking *kitten*.

    Just take it slow...it takes awhile to regain your fitness.

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