Can’t get excercising-depressed
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Music helps. Cute exercise clothes helps too. So does a fitness friend.0
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Thank you for taking the time to write such an inspiring quote and good on you for going too! I think if I had an app or something (can’t afford a Fitbit right now) that sent me messages saying ‘you need to walk for ten minutes now’ for example, I think that would really help, but I may just need to suck it up and get a Fitbit. I’m staggered and really touched by the amount of support I’ve been receiving and I hope I can return it too xKatiebear_81 wrote: »I deal with depression as well. Some days are good, and some are very not good.
Yesterday, I was feeling VERY drained, really grouchy and just unmotivated and sad. A "normal" feeling depressed day. But my training program said that I needed to go to the gym. A month ago, I would have stayed home, because "self-care", and had a bath, ate my dinner and then tucked myself into bed. It would have been fine.
But yesterday I didn't want to miss a training day, so I went to the gym anyway. My squats felt terrible, the accessories were heavy and took a long time. BUT! By the time I was done, I was feeling pretty good. My mood had improved, I was still tired, but now I was tired in my body, not just my mind/energy level. I'm glad I went.
So all that to say... sometimes if we push through what we think we want and do what we know we need to do... we feel better for it. I would guess that you felt better after your walk yesterday. Good on you for getting outside and doing something!
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That is awesome Happyirisheyes! Give yourself a gold star, pat yourself on the back & enjoy the success. I also have arthritis in my knees, back and hands and used the excuse to not move very much but recently I started moving more and actually started working out. I can only do a small amount but determined to stick to it and build it up gradually. Keep positive thoughts & do not let any setbacks bring you down.This is a process, a journey towards better health. We can do it one step at a time. HugsThat is awesome Happyirisheyes! Give yourself a gold star, pat yourself on the back & enjoy the success. I also have arthritis in my knees, back and hands and used the excuse to not move very much but recently I started moving more and actually started working out. I can only do a small amount but determined to stick to it and build it up gradually. Keep positive thoughts & do not let any setbacks bring you down.This is a process, a journey towards better health. We can do it one step at a time. Hugs
Thank you so much for your positive post. You’re right, it is a journey and I guess my ten minute walk means I have started. I just need to do it again tomorrow. One step (walk) at a time. Thank you, I hope I can help you too sometime if you need it. I’ll keep you posted on my progress x0 -
cheryldumais wrote: »I started really slow walking in a mall. I would do one circut without stopping to shop. Then I added more over time. I live in Canada so it can be really cold in winter but to be honest my favorite walk is outside in nature. We have a park close to home where I walk on my days off whenever possible. I stay in when it's too cold and eventually bought a treadmill but I still prefer to walk in the park when I can. When I first started my walk was maybe 15 minutes. I very slowly added to that over time and now I look forward to walking.
Having said all that I use walking because when I set out to lose the weight I wanted some kind of exercise but so many times I had started but quit because I hated it. Finally I decided to find some form of exercise that I actually enjoyed. I remember a sunny day that I had to walk home from the bus stop and how much I had enjoyed the walk. If walking isn't your thing find something you do enjoy. Maybe dancing, swimming, badmitton or golf. Whatever it might be. If you enjoy it you will continue.
Thank you. It’s so good and extremely helpful to hear other people’s stories. It makes me realize that other people struggle too and start and stop and give up and start again. I guess that’s all we can do, start again the next day and just keep trying. Thank you1 -
MostlyWater wrote: »Music helps. Cute exercise clothes helps too. So does a fitness friend.
That’s a great idea, I never thought of nice exercise clothes! Thanks 💕0 -
That is awesome Happyirisheyes! Give yourself a gold star, pat yourself on the back & enjoy the success. I also have arthritis in my knees, back and hands and used the excuse to not move very much but recently I started moving more and actually started working out. I can only do a small amount but determined to stick to it and build it up gradually. Keep positive thoughts & do not let any setbacks bring you down.This is a process, a journey towards better health. We can do it one step at a time. Hugs
Thank you. I think you’re right. One step at a time. Your post is very encouraging x0 -
Just a thought - reading your first post reminded me a lot of me when I don't get enough, or a decent quality sleep. I'm 59 and the older I get the more it seems to affect me. My sleep cycle and quality can be pretty poor some days, 3-5 hours at most and after a couple of weeks of that it gets really difficult to recover and my mood and attitude take a nose dive.
What has helped me is staying off TV and the internet before bed, and finding exercises I enjoy, even very non standard exercise like trying to keep up with our dog once I get him playing
Hoping for the best for you - that's a rough state of mind to break free from at times.
Yes I sometimes don’t sleep well as I have arthritis in my neck. I did a short walk today and I’ll try again tomorrow. Maybe each day I should say ‘ I’ll do a little walk today’ and then it won’t feel like a big burden psychologically and then I can add a minute or two each week as I get stronger.1 -
I suppose the other thing is that if I didn't exercise when I was depressed, I just wouldn't exercise. I'm not at all being flippant. A fair amount of the important choices I make require a lot of mental brute force - school is the biggest one of those, but exercise is as well. I have to tell myself that I'm going to do XYZ even though it feels like I don't want to. There is a bit of a balance that I have to strike at times because emotionally sometimes the best answer is to stay home (physically that balance is very easy for me to figure out), but I can't just say "well I'm depressed so I'm not going to do X" because I'm almost always depressed.
You’ve really hit the nail on the head there. I guess when I’m down I just need to say ‘put your coat on and walk to the end of the road (or whatever the goal is) and then when you get back you can have a nice cup of tea and a warm bath’ or something like that.0 -
Happyirisheyes wrote: »Thanks for the advice everyone. I went for a ten minute walk today in the freezing cold. Nearly killed me to go out and do it! My knees are a bit sore but I did it! It’s not much but it’s a start! ☺️
Congratulations on walking today!
I've had back surgeries and often don't feel up to exercising. I don't want to break my streak and not work out now that I've done so for over three weeks. Listening to music that makes you happy can help with walking as well. I put on my headphones and listen to a fast song or two and I usually get up and walk over to my exercise bike. Whatever works best for you!
That’s brilliant! Well done! Have you gone out every day for three weeks? How long do you go out for? Nice one!0 -
OneRatGirl wrote: »I struggle with moving enough. I'm finding using some free weights for exercise at home can be easier than going out for a walk. Ideal is both and all, but any movement is better than none. There's youtube videos to help, don't go too heavy or too many reps at first. Building muscle can help with burning calories too.
Great idea, I must see what’s online. Thank you1 -
As a runner this quote has always stuck with me. “The hardest part is putting on your shoes” because once your shoes are on you have made the decision to do it. It has helped me get out the door for a run many times.9
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Happyirisheyes wrote: »
Thank you for taking the time to write such an inspiring quote and good on you for going too! I think if I had an app or something (can’t afford a Fitbit right now) that sent me messages saying ‘you need to walk for ten minutes now’ for example, I think that would really help, but I may just need to suck it up and get a Fitbit. I’m staggered and really touched by the amount of support I’ve been receiving and I hope I can return it too xKatiebear_81 wrote: »I deal with depression as well. Some days are good, and some are very not good.
Yesterday, I was feeling VERY drained, really grouchy and just unmotivated and sad. A "normal" feeling depressed day. But my training program said that I needed to go to the gym. A month ago, I would have stayed home, because "self-care", and had a bath, ate my dinner and then tucked myself into bed. It would have been fine.
But yesterday I didn't want to miss a training day, so I went to the gym anyway. My squats felt terrible, the accessories were heavy and took a long time. BUT! By the time I was done, I was feeling pretty good. My mood had improved, I was still tired, but now I was tired in my body, not just my mind/energy level. I'm glad I went.
So all that to say... sometimes if we push through what we think we want and do what we know we need to do... we feel better for it. I would guess that you felt better after your walk yesterday. Good on you for getting outside and doing something!
Before I got a Fitbit I just used the app Pacer on my phone. Just having something that counts your steps can help motivate you to slowly increase your step count over time. It won't tell you to move your butt every hour as the Fitbit does though.
I suffer from PTSD and walking has been my therapy. I started off slowly and built up over time. What began as 10 minutes can now be a day spent hiking and my day just isn't as good if it doesn't start with at least an hour of walking. The walking and weight loss has also made a considerable amount of difference with reducing my knee pain too.4 -
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thanks I did a slow 25 mins with stops today. My hip started getting sore but then it was ok and I’m home now and it’s still ok so I feel a bit more encouraged now but I def think easy does it.hobbitses333 wrote: »No matI ter how slow you move, you are moving faster than when sitting on your couch and that's an improvement...start small. An improvement, no matter how small, is still great. I am consistently inconsitent but overall doing better than a year ago. Happy about that...Good luck to you!
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Happyirisheyes wrote: »
thanks I did a slow 25 mins with stops today. My hip started getting sore but then it was ok and I’m home now and it’s still ok so I feel a bit more encouraged now but I def think easy does it.hobbitses333 wrote: »No matI ter how slow you move, you are moving faster than when sitting on your couch and that's an improvement...start small. An improvement, no matter how small, is still great. I am consistently inconsitent but overall doing better than a year ago. Happy about that...Good luck to you!
Way to go One step at a time. It's good to see you beating this and getting active 1 -
Happyirisheyes wrote: »
thanks I did a slow 25 mins with stops today. My hip started getting sore but then it was ok and I’m home now and it’s still ok so I feel a bit more encouraged now but I def think easy does it.hobbitses333 wrote: »No matI ter how slow you move, you are moving faster than when sitting on your couch and that's an improvement...start small. An improvement, no matter how small, is still great. I am consistently inconsitent but overall doing better than a year ago. Happy about that...Good luck to you!
Way to go One step at a time. It's good to see you beating this and getting active
Thank you so much, the support from here is helping a lot 💕3 -
I do something kind of weird that works for me. I find a workout plan online. This could be 30 days or 3 months. I tell myself, "If I complete ALL workouts in the time frame, I'll give myself a week off of exercising to relax." It's kind of like compensation to move forward and exercise. By that time, it becomes more of a habit if you do something for weeks in a row. Then it's easier to workout after that! I've done this for 6 months now and even if I do that week off, I always come back to my exercise again feeling more motivated that I've ever been.3
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Happyirisheyes wrote: »
thanks I did a slow 25 mins with stops today. My hip started getting sore but then it was ok and I’m home now and it’s still ok so I feel a bit more encouraged now but I def think easy does it.hobbitses333 wrote: »No matI ter how slow you move, you are moving faster than when sitting on your couch and that's an improvement...start small. An improvement, no matter how small, is still great. I am consistently inconsitent but overall doing better than a year ago. Happy about that...Good luck to you!
Way to go. You got this!2 -
@Happyirisheyes
Just a somewhat personal note here. I love what you're doing, and that you're sharing it here. I have a number of physical issues that slow me down, and to be perfectly honest, can frustrate the heck out of me sometimes where I get depressed for a couple of days and have to work out of it.
Reading your posts and seeing your determination is heartening and inspiring.
Thanks for sharing your journey, you got this, and you are not alone in it either. Keep on working and smiling. 5 -
Happyirisheyes wrote: »
thanks I did a slow 25 mins with stops today. My hip started getting sore but then it was ok and I’m home now and it’s still ok so I feel a bit more encouraged now but I def think easy does it.hobbitses333 wrote: »No matI ter how slow you move, you are moving faster than when sitting on your couch and that's an improvement...start small. An improvement, no matter how small, is still great. I am consistently inconsitent but overall doing better than a year ago. Happy about that...Good luck to you!
Way to go.
You may find it prudent to do a shorter walk tomorrow, or break your walk in to two of 10-15 min.
Overdoing it and getting injured, or burnt out, can easily put you off continuing.
Maybe do alternate days of longer and shorter walks to begin with.
A good exercise you can do that will help you is practicing sitting and standing out of your chair, or kitchen chair, or even toilet, a few times a day without using your arms/hands to assist you.
(Ie: when you are getting up, do it 2-5 times, same as when going to sit.)
Cheers, h.6 -
I suffer from depression and just ride my bike on the trainer in 5 minute increments. I’m going to challenge myself to increase them as I’m feeling more motivated.7
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Happyirisheyes wrote: »
thanks I did a slow 25 mins with stops today. My hip started getting sore but then it was ok and I’m home now and it’s still ok so I feel a bit more encouraged now but I def think easy does it.hobbitses333 wrote: »No matI ter how slow you move, you are moving faster than when sitting on your couch and that's an improvement...start small. An improvement, no matter how small, is still great. I am consistently inconsitent but overall doing better than a year ago. Happy about that...Good luck to you!
This is great. I found kind of accidentally that my arthritic joints complained during walking but then they felt better .... motion is lotion I think that easy does it is a very sensible approach.
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That’s brilliant! Well done! Have you gone out every day for three weeks? How long do you go out for? Nice one![/quote]
Not sure if I quoted right, but first, way to go on walking TWO days in a row, that is an awesome start!
I've been using a stationary bike each day for 15-30 minutes. I need to get new tubes for my bike tires before I can ride outside, which I'll likely do in Spring.
Keep up the great work!
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For me, I had to tell myself some hard realities. Starting was very painful...but I was in pain anyway. You get to a point where every day is a chance to get stronger or stay weak. 3mo are going to go by regardless of what you do during them. I decided that I didn’t want to waste those 3mo in pain without any improvement. Maybe this will help you.3
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Happyirisheyes wrote: »Hi, I’m 52 and tired all the time. I’m healthy 5ft 8, 11 stone. I have arthritis in my neck and pains in joints. I don’t do any exercise and I can’t get the dialogue going in my head to get me going and start swimming/walking for example. I know if I started, I’d feel better but I’m too tired and sore to start and that’s making me depressed. If I start I’ll be sore initially and then won’t want to do it again. It’s a vicious circle. I know it sounds pathetic but I just can’t get started. I need some ideas to get the dialogue going in my head ‘you’ll feel better after you do this’ etc etc.
I’d really appreciate any encouragement, help, support. I feel lazy and down about it. I’m too wrecked to exercise. It’s bringing me down. I’m very lazy and I know that but my joints hurt and it doesn’t encourage me to start exercising.
Does anyone else feel the same way or could help me get going or help me with a dialogue that I could say in my head to get me and keep me going?
Thank so much
Xxx
This post was an absolute inspiration to me......I'm a very lazy, presently obese 70 year old who has been making excuses why I can't exercise [hairline crack in spine, pain etc etc] After seeing your post I actually got off my fat bottom and started walking around the house, non-stop for 15 minutes. I note you did something similar....hats off to both of us and lets both do a teeny bit more tomorrow. 4 -
suziecue25 wrote: »Happyirisheyes wrote: »Hi, I’m 52 and tired all the time. I’m healthy 5ft 8, 11 stone. I have arthritis in my neck and pains in joints. I don’t do any exercise and I can’t get the dialogue going in my head to get me going and start swimming/walking for example. I know if I started, I’d feel better but I’m too tired and sore to start and that’s making me depressed. If I start I’ll be sore initially and then won’t want to do it again. It’s a vicious circle. I know it sounds pathetic but I just can’t get started. I need some ideas to get the dialogue going in my head ‘you’ll feel better after you do this’ etc etc.
I’d really appreciate any encouragement, help, support. I feel lazy and down about it. I’m too wrecked to exercise. It’s bringing me down. I’m very lazy and I know that but my joints hurt and it doesn’t encourage me to start exercising.
Does anyone else feel the same way or could help me get going or help me with a dialogue that I could say in my head to get me and keep me going?
Thank so much
Xxx
This post was an absolute inspiration to me......I'm a very lazy, presently obese 70 year old who has been making excuses why I can't exercise [hairline crack in spine, pain etc etc] After seeing your post I actually got off my fat bottom and started walking around the house, non-stop for 15 minutes. I note you did something similar....hats off to both of us and lets both do a teeny bit more tomorrow.
I’ve been overwhelmed by the messages of support here and by all the ideas and suggestions. I was worried about being judged, that someone might say ‘oh for goodness sake, just get out there and move’ but it’s been amazing how many people felt the same way I do and know how hard it can be to just do it.
I went for a walk in the park today, a slow 20 minutes. I stopped to listen to the birds and look up at the trees and breathe in the fresh winter air and it felt good.
It’s down to all the lovely people here. Thank you!!
I’m glad this post helped you. The people on this board are wonderful!
I’ll try to get a walk done again tomorrow. No promises. One day at a time!
Xxx13 -
BrindleRun wrote: »As a runner this quote has always stuck with me. “The hardest part is putting on your shoes” because once your shoes are on you have made the decision to do it. It has helped me get out the door for a run many times.
I love this!0 -
For me, I had to tell myself some hard realities. Starting was very painful...but I was in pain anyway. You get to a point where every day is a chance to get stronger or stay weak. 3mo are going to go by regardless of what you do during them. I decided that I didn’t want to waste those 3mo in pain without any improvement. Maybe this will help you.
Thank you. Yes that’s kinda where I’m at. I can’t face another year of no movement followed by pain followed by no movement and on and on it goes. Hopefully the walks I’ve started with the help of the lovely people here will make me stronger and that I keep going with them.0 -
That’s brilliant! Well done! Have you gone out every day for three weeks? How long do you go out for? Nice one![/quote]
Not sure if I quoted right, but first, way to go on walking TWO days in a row, that is an awesome start!
I've been using a stationary bike each day for 15-30 minutes. I need to get new tubes for my bike tires before I can ride outside, which I'll likely do in Spring.
Keep up the great work!
[/quote]
Thank you ☺️☺️
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Lillymoo01 wrote: »Happyirisheyes wrote: »
Thank you for taking the time to write such an inspiring quote and good on you for going too! I think if I had an app or something (can’t afford a Fitbit right now) that sent me messages saying ‘you need to walk for ten minutes now’ for example, I think that would really help, but I may just need to suck it up and get a Fitbit. I’m staggered and really touched by the amount of support I’ve been receiving and I hope I can return it too xKatiebear_81 wrote: »I deal with depression as well. Some days are good, and some are very not good.
Yesterday, I was feeling VERY drained, really grouchy and just unmotivated and sad. A "normal" feeling depressed day. But my training program said that I needed to go to the gym. A month ago, I would have stayed home, because "self-care", and had a bath, ate my dinner and then tucked myself into bed. It would have been fine.
But yesterday I didn't want to miss a training day, so I went to the gym anyway. My squats felt terrible, the accessories were heavy and took a long time. BUT! By the time I was done, I was feeling pretty good. My mood had improved, I was still tired, but now I was tired in my body, not just my mind/energy level. I'm glad I went.
So all that to say... sometimes if we push through what we think we want and do what we know we need to do... we feel better for it. I would guess that you felt better after your walk yesterday. Good on you for getting outside and doing something!
Before I got a Fitbit I just used the app Pacer on my phone. Just having something that counts your steps can help motivate you to slowly increase your step count over time. It won't tell you to move your butt every hour as the Fitbit does though.
I suffer from PTSD and walking has been my therapy. I started off slowly and built up over time. What began as 10 minutes can now be a day spent hiking and my day just isn't as good if it doesn't start with at least an hour of walking. The walking and weight loss has also made a considerable amount of difference with reducing my knee pain too.
Great advice. I just downloaded Pacer and it’s really helpful. Thank you so much and also for your very encouraging post xx0
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