Obese Exercise: Myth Busted!!

The Myth: Exercise will make you feel better! You'll have more energy!
The Reality: But first you're going to feel like complete and total horse poo-poo.

We've all heard it a million times. Exercise gives you energy. Exercise makes you feel good.

Truth is... it won't. Not at first.

I'm on week 4 of P90X. At 286lbs and so out of shape I couldn't walk a few blocks at SUPER SLOW speed without gasping for air, 5 months post-partum, I decided: Hey. I'm doing P90X (and yes, I know, they all say don't do it if you're out of shape but I just wanted to do it).

And I am. I'm doing P90X. 4 weeks in!

But the first 2 weeks I felt HORRIBLE. After every workout, I had this extreme exhaustion/dizziness that lasted the entire day. It wasn't just a few hours of discomfort... working out literally ruined my entire day, every day.

I consulted Dr. Internet, my actual doctor, my husband... but they all said the same thing: You're healthy. You're fine. Just keep going.

So I adjusted. I slowed down. I did the workouts half as slow as the people on the screen, I lifted tiny weights or no weights at all. It didn't help. I still felt like absolute hell. But I kept going. I kept pushing. Sometimes I felt like I wasn't working hard enough but after every workout I was absolutely wasted and soaked in sweat so I knew that I was doing SOMETHING.

I'm not sure when I broke through. Sometime around the beginning of week 3 but something changed. Suddenly, I only felt bad immediately after a workout. A few hours after the workout I felt normal, like me, not like zombie me. I could walk around the house without getting severely dizzy. I could do housework without feeling like I would pass out from exhaustion.

I don't think I'm alone. I spoke to a few out of shape friends (Some skinny, some not) and they all said the same thing: Working out makes me feel horrible.

But I found the secret.

It only makes you feel horrible for the first bit as your body adjusts. Keep pushing (with doctor approval of course) and it gets better.

I haven't reached the point where it GIVES me energy, but it's no longer draining my energy so I think I'll get there.

Keep pressing play!

As Tony says: Do your best, and forget the rest.

Best to you all! Come on! Let's get this done!

PS: I have not lost weight, for those wondering. Haha. I have focused solely on working out for this month. Next month I'll try to control portions and focus on food but for now just getting through workouts was hard enough so I felt it was better to take these life changes one at a time instead of all at once.

NSV: I can keep up with my husband when he goes for walks now. 4 weeks ago, I couldn't do that!