What should I do to get my health back?

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Nakeshia88
Nakeshia88 Posts: 119 Member
in Motivation and Support
[Apologies in advance for the long post]

For the last few months I've been dealing with several health issues that have resulted in me gaining a few extra kilos and losing most of my strength and fitness.

Now I want to get my health back. As a bit of back story I have: IBS, depression/anxiety/panic attacks, migraines and just this week I've been diagnosed with TMD (Temporomandibular joint dysfunction). A few months ago I thought, as I'd been feeling great for some time, it was time to try weaning myself off my antidepressant medication (Zoloft 50mg). This did NOT go well. Despite tapering off slowly over 6 weeks, my body didn't react well and I was left with chronic fatigue like symptoms, a weakened immune system, and my IBS started flaring up again after 1 year with no symptoms. All this resulted in a 5kg weight gain and loss of strength/fitness. I was devastated as I felt like 2 years of work of my health had just gone down the drain.

After switching doctors (I had no support from my previous doctor) I was put on a new medication (Valdoxan 25mg) and diagnosed with TMD. I've been having therapy for my depression and anxiety, and my therapist says that I've greatly reduced my stress levels. I've come a long way in 2 months and can now manage my depression/anxiety. I'm in the process of getting treatment for my TMD which will hopefully treat my near daily headaches that would be CONSTANT for 2-4 days, with only a couple of hour’s relief in between attacks.

So, here I am, still recovering but I think I'm ready to start tackling my health. I want my strength and fitness back; I want it to be better than ever… I've been trying to work at this myself but it’s hard. I've realised that I struggle to achieve/keep goals if they are only for me. As an example, in October I cycled 325km over the month raising money for a charity. Since October I've cycled twice… It’s hard for me to do things like workout only for myself. it’s just not in my nature to do something purely for me!

Does anyone have any suggestions on things I could do to start building getting fit again? Should I maybe hire a personal trainer or life coach for a while? At the moment I'm watching what I eat but I'm not strict about weighing food. My calories are set at 1420 but I could easily be eating more/less than this. I think it’s best that my main focus over the next few months is what I eat, not so much how much (nutritious food but with controlled portions). As for exercise – I do 2 x 60-90 minute yoga sessions a week and I walk at least half an hour a day. I’d also like to aim to cycle to/from work 2-3 times a week (15km each way). I think I'm on the right track but I'm a bit lost as to what I need to be doing to get healthy, strong, fit and hopefully thinner again! I still have issues with fatigue and my body seems VERY slow to respond to anything good I'm doing for it, if it’s responding at all!

Any thoughts/suggestions would be much appreciated!

Replies

  • desiresdestiny
    desiresdestiny Posts: 175 Member
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    I can relate to the chronic illness piece. Was diagnosed with TMJD in 2014 and other chronic illnesses this year. I have a very restricted diet due to TMJD as it has affects my jaw badly and chewing hurts. So many failed treatments. I'm on a really soft/liquid foods. The pain sucks as it affects my jaw, face, eyes...On the flip side I've found foods that work for me that are healthy and I have found exercises that I am able to do given my limitations and situation. It was a hard transition and I lost who I was because of the illness but in the process learnt how strong I am. It took time.

    The biggest thing is finding what works for you. It will take time. I love Pilates and have to be mindful of my jaw/neck while doing it. Modification is key. I've also found cardio exercises I can do that don't hurt my joints further. The key is to learn what you can handle.

    Feel free to add me or msg me if you want.
  • Nakeshia88
    Nakeshia88 Posts: 119 Member
    edited November 2015
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    desiresdestiny wrote: »
    I can relate to the chronic illness piece. Was diagnosed with TMJD in 2014 and other chronic illnesses this year. I have a very restricted diet due to TMJD as it has affects my jaw badly and chewing hurts. So many failed treatments. I'm on a really soft/liquid foods. The pain sucks as it affects my jaw, face, eyes...On the flip side I've found foods that work for me that are healthy and I have found exercises that I am able to do given my limitations and situation. It was a hard transition and I lost who I was because of the illness but in the process learnt how strong I am. It took time.

    The biggest thing is finding what works for you. It will take time. I love Pilates and have to be mindful of my jaw/neck while doing it. Modification is key. I've also found cardio exercises I can do that don't hurt my joints further. The key is to learn what you can handle.

    Feel free to add me or msg me if you want.

    Thanks for your reply. It's good to know people understand!

    I love yoga but I feel like it would take years to build up a decent amount of strength doing just yoga... I think I need some kind of weight lifting/resistance type exercises as well a couple of times a week, I'm just not sure where to start! That's not to say I won't stop doing yoga, I'm going to keep doing that a couple of times a week. Cycling is great too, it's definitely my cardio of choice. Anything like running is out simply because I hate it (it's hard on my joints, it hurts, I get breathless and bored very quickly).

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