How do i not feel ashamed?

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  • daniwilford
    daniwilford Posts: 1,030 Member
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    I have a MFP friend who can only exercise at home. She has lost over 64 pounds and does "Leslie Sansone Walk Away the Pounds" where she walks or jogs in place, dancing, a "chair gym" work out, and stationary bike. Many people don't leave their home to exercise. Walk tall down the hall, up the stairs or in place and you will do amazing things for your cardiovascular health while burning some extra calories.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,711 Member
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    Hell_Flower wrote: »
    No, you shouldn't feel ashamed.

    That guy who made fun of you? He should feel ashamed. What an c o c k womble. I hate him on your behalf.

    Rather than feeling ashamed, you should be feeling proud of yourself that you actually have the motivation to get up and move. You're doing better than a lot of people.

    You're only 19...giving less of a toss about what other people think will come when you get older. And shut that imaginary voice up by DOING what it's telling you you can't. Flip it off and do what you need to do.

    You can. You so can.

    Going to have to steal this phrase! Love the whole post. OP, YOU decide what you want to do and how to do it. Don't let other people influence you. Trust yourself and just get out there! The more active you are the more confident you will become.
  • MireyGal76
    MireyGal76 Posts: 7,334 Member
    edited January 2016
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    So... here's a funny anecdote.... I've been nursing a shoulder injury for a while, and I was given some exercises to do. I was told to do side lat raises (hands at side, slowly raise straight armed out to shoulder level, and return).

    I was doing those when my 8 year old daughter came into the room. She started laughing, flapping her arms and honking saying "look at me, I'm migrating" and ran around the house honking and flapping her wings.

    It was hilarious,OMG FREAKING HILARIOUS!!!

    ... but I found myself no longer wanting to exercise because I didn't want her to make fun of me. I know she was having fun, and didn't realize how sensitive I felt about it. She sure didn't mean to hurt me, but it caused me pause.

    Now I can choose to allow that to prevent me from rehabilitating my injury, or I can choose to keep going forward. The best choice would be to tell her how I feel, help her understand that yes, it was hilarious when she did it, but it would be really great if she didn't tease me more because I'm a little sensitive about it... and then keep doing them. Or I can do them when she's not around.

    The worst choice is to stop entirely.
  • daniwilford
    daniwilford Posts: 1,030 Member
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    As for the voices in your head, when the negative tape starts playing say to yourself stop, delete, escape or some other word and then say to yourself, out loud if need be, I am smart, I am healthy, I am strong.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    missblondi2u wrote: »
    I've been stared at like a crazy person for pacing around a tiny airport terminal during a 2 hour layover because I wanted to hit my 10K step count for the day. I just kept walking because to heck with other people and what they think.

    When I go to take the L in the evening and there's a long wait (or even not so long) I walk back and forth across the platform. Felt like an idiot at first, but now it makes the time go faster and I've stopped caring (and it keeps me warmer, bonus!).

    OP, definitely don't feel ashamed of moving more, wherever you do it! I also have heard positive things about those Leslie Sansone walking workouts, so if you think that might help you feel better about it, you might want to try them.
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
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    I walk in my home, too. I like to walk/jog/march in place while watching TV (no money or room for a machine). My husband would tease me at first. But that's because he never saw me trying to be healthy before. Now he joins in sometimes.

    I'm sure it's the same with your visitor. People sometimes say silly/dumb things when they see new (to them) things. Pay no mind and walk on. You're doing the best thing for you :)
  • LHWhite903
    LHWhite903 Posts: 208 Member
    edited January 2016
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    I got an old PS2 I play DDR on at home while holding weights. It's especially fun because I can change disks whenever I get bored with the lineup and I always set TURN to SHUFFLE or RANDOM so my body and I don't memorize anything. :)
    Why not try a fitness game?
    You can even get ones that are apps on your phone that you can carry around with you to track your steps.
    You'll be having so much fun there'll be no thoughts within your head by thoughts of joy!
  • SpecialKH
    SpecialKH Posts: 70 Member
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    If you only feel comfortable at home, it's better than not moving at all! Kudos! I don't know if you have it but on my TV (I have ATT U-Verse) there is an interactive workout station. I go there and choose my workout and it's really just marching in place - a few steps forward or backward or side to side but doesn't take up much room and I can set it for as long as I want to. So if I'm staying in for some reason I have no excuse. Because I'm pretty active I thought it would be no big deal but turns out that uses a slightly different muscle set - especially the side-steps - and I found my hip muscles fatigued so I ended up feeling like I really accomplished something.

    So march in place to music if you want. Pretend you are the Drum Major or in a parade! Keep it silly and fun. :) Make up your own routine, i.e. 6 steps in place then forward and back twice, 6 steps in place then sideways both ways twice... whatever keeps it fun. Keep it up!
  • Angelaabickford
    Angelaabickford Posts: 5 Member
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    There's absolutely no reason to be ashamed. I feel self conscious out in public sometimes but I never feel self conscious in the gym. I'm there to get healthy and that's that. I have felt bad about a lot of things but I never feel bad after exercising or making choices that have a positive affect on my life. There's always going to be someone out there with something to say, and the most harmful thing is to let it get in your head. Do whatever it takes! :)
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
    edited January 2016
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    I walk around my house, dance, or do workout videos for exercise often too. It isn't shameful or embarrasing to move around in your own home/yard however you want. You are healthier moving than someone sitting on the sofa all day.
    Do you think people walking around their home or yard are silly? What about if they were walking on a treadmill at the gym? Do people laugh at that? No, it is just someone exercising and no one cares.
    The person laughing is the one with the problem. It was rude, immature and stupid of that person.
    My teenage dd has laughed at workout videos I was doing. I told her to stop/get out or she had to do it with me. She stopped laughing after doing that exercise together. I didn't let it get to me or stop me.
    There are a lot of free workouts on you tube if you'd like to do something other than walking around. There are some walking based workouts from Leslie Sansone and Jessica Smith.
  • incisron
    incisron Posts: 550 Member
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    Hugs every1 thamks so much.
  • WinterSkies
    WinterSkies Posts: 940 Member
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    You can do it! There's lots of great advice here. One thing I do to get my step count up when I'm at home is to be as inefficient as possible when I'm moving around the house. So, for example, if I'm putting laundry away, I will only carry a few items at a time, so that I have to make multiple trips up and down the stairs to put everything away. Or I'll walk back and forth from the table to the sink when cleaning up after dinner, carrying one dish at a time. Your exercise doesn't have to be in a dedicated time - by adding a few more steps into every activity, you can see some benefit there too!

    As for the voices in your head, if I had that problem, I'd try to drown them out with music I love and find invigorating.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    incisron wrote: »
    Hi, I'm 19, I want to move more and for reasons I don't quite feel up to explaining, my parents and i feel I should exercise at home right now and I want to do it by walking. How do I not feel ashamed of walking around my yard or in a room? Or is this something I should feel ashamed by?
    When I first started trying to get healthy, my sort of mentor friend had me walk around the house briskly for a certain number of minutes every day, which increased gradually. I got made fun of by a guy who came to our house to do something. So every time I did the exercise after that, I heard voices in my head making fun of me and it was kind of crippling. They wouldn't go away no matter how many times I kept pressing on with that exercise. Eventually the mentor and i fell out of contact due to busy schedules and I stopped those exercises.
    I want to move a little more now, just a little, and I'm planning to do it in a few minutes. The only thing I'm worried about is the voices telling me I am stupid. The voice I'm afraid of is one with the face of an (imaginary) man I admire and look up to. I don't want that to cripple me again.
    So should I feel ashamed? If so, I won't do it, but if not, how to ignore the voice or get rid of it?
    Thanks. Sorry for the rambling.

    No, you should not feel ashamed. Lots of people exercise at home, ot in their yard. Nothing weird about it.
    But, I get the feeling, that if you have not already seen one, a therapist would help you.
  • krithsai
    krithsai Posts: 668 Member
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    I know you weren't asking but I've tried Jessica Smith and Leslie Sansone videos. They're both excellent for in home walking.
  • abatonfan
    abatonfan Posts: 1,123 Member
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    I walk around the kitchen island all the time (and I'm a similar age as you). Of course, my family gives me comments about it, but at least I am up and moving (and my mother is jealous of how many steps I can get in a day from it).

    I like to watch Netflix while wandering around the kitchen island (or read the news/Facebook). One episode of the current show I'm watching gives me about 3500-4000 steps, and I don't feel too bad about wasting my time on that stuff if I'm also getting some activity in.
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
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    Attitude Check: Only YOU can make your thoughts make you feel bad about YOU. Even though that guy wad an *kitten*, YOU gave home much more power by letting his comments make you feel bad about YOU.

    Make a funny face in the mirror; sing out loud in your car, do hip hop in your own house!!! And if someone sees you, look them dead in the eye, smile your most devious smile, and shout at the top of your lungs "YEAH, BABY!!! THAT ' S WHAT I'M TALKIN' ABOUT" and then just keep shakin' your groove thang for the world to see!!
  • Whitezombiegirl
    Whitezombiegirl Posts: 1,042 Member
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    Incisron, ashamed? Absolutely not! You should see some of the things i get up to at home. Whenever im alone i sing and dance around the house like a loonatic -and im not ashamed in the slightest. Go you! P.s try dancing, its so much fun.
  • missblondi2u
    missblondi2u Posts: 851 Member
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    Whitezombiegirl wrote: »
    Incisron, ashamed? Absolutely not! You should see some of the things i get up to at home. Whenever im alone i sing and dance around the house like a loonatic -and im not ashamed in the slightest. Go you! P.s try dancing, its so much fun.

    I do this too, even when people are around. My husband looks at me like I'm crazy, and my 2-year-old laughs his butt off. It is way fun!!
  • Ruatine
    Ruatine Posts: 3,424 Member
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    incisron wrote: »
    Hi, I'm 19, I want to move more and for reasons I don't quite feel up to explaining, my parents and i feel I should exercise at home right now and I want to do it by walking. How do I not feel ashamed of walking around my yard or in a room? Or is this something I should feel ashamed by?
    When I first started trying to get healthy, my sort of mentor friend had me walk around the house briskly for a certain number of minutes every day, which increased gradually. I got made fun of by a guy who came to our house to do something. So every time I did the exercise after that, I heard voices in my head making fun of me and it was kind of crippling. They wouldn't go away no matter how many times I kept pressing on with that exercise. Eventually the mentor and i fell out of contact due to busy schedules and I stopped those exercises.
    I want to move a little more now, just a little, and I'm planning to do it in a few minutes. The only thing I'm worried about is the voices telling me I am stupid. The voice I'm afraid of is one with the face of an (imaginary) man I admire and look up to. I don't want that to cripple me again.
    So should I feel ashamed? If so, I won't do it, but if not, how to ignore the voice or get rid of it?
    Thanks. Sorry for the rambling.

    I walk around my house all the time. I love gaming, TV, movies... pretty much most things that keep me sitting on my butt when I'm not at work (where I also sit on my butt). This time of year, especially, when it's already getting dark by the time I get home from work I walk around my house while I play games, watch TV or read. It's a great way to move more while still doing something I enjoy. Anyone who would try to shame you for something like that is a very small, very sad little person - so don't pay them any attention!
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    A friend once said to me, "We need to sing louder than the voices in our head!" Isn't that the truth?! Give yourself some positive thoughts to think instead, because you can't think "I shouldn't be ashamed" or "What someone said doesn't matter" because that makes us think about the negative things more. Here are some ideas:
    This is a great start today.
    I walked longer today than yesterday.
    I walked faster today than yesterday.
    I enjoy walking.
    I am burning calories.
    I am getting fit.
    etc.
    You get the idea. You can do this! Walking is so much fun and has so many benefits. Do you have a fitbit or other step counter? This would be a great way to help motivate yourself and give you something else to think about.

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