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[nette10]

I have no energy to exercise ugh

[lindahurt]

I always appreciate working out especially when I'm finished and my body feels so much better.

[Kat55]

If I could only motivate myself to get outside once in awhile. It seems that I don't leave my house unless it's with my boyfriend who is at work all week.

[shyboots]

I have done this, I built up slowly, at first I used to use the wii fit, and then play a dancing game on the wii, and then about 9 months ago I joined the gym and with help from the staff built up over time so I have better cardio vascular fitness now and do weights for bone strengthing. I also signed up to run a half marathon in September, I am training for that, this weekend I ran a 5k for the first time, my first organised race in fact, and it was really good.
It isn't a miracle cure though. Going to the gym can help when I've had a bad day or feel in a lousy mood but now I'm depressed again, I'm exercising but I'm not getting better just from that.

[Chamomile]

I have always heard this, but never put it into practice... But little over a week ago I started taking long walks, 1-1,5 hrs, sometimes even twice a day. And I feel great! I think it really helps! The excercise in itself makes me feel calmer and I sleep better, and even if I don´t talk to anyone, I see people and it makes me feel part of a community, it helps for someone who tends to isolate like myself. So I strongly recommend walking!

Chamomile

[lindahurt]

After my workout with my personal trainer, I cycled for an hour and since I sweat heavily, no one could tell I was slightly teary eyed. Working out helped get me through some PTSD emotions.

[shyboots]

I've not made it to the gym for a couple of weeks but there's something else I have to put my energy into, I do try to do 15 minutes of something a day, either go for a walk or do the wii fit, and if I get on a role, stay and do half an hour. Once I get this D*** application finished and submitted I can get back to the gym!

[tmm0127]

Now to overcome the issue of lacking the motivation and want to get up and do it. @_@

I workout pretty regularly unless I'm stuck working 10-12 hour days at work. I know it helps me feel better.. but there are a LOT of days when I have plenty of time and I'm not too tired to get up and work out, but I still am in such a low mood/place that even thinking about getting out of bed or off the couch hurts more than the pain of tired and strained muscles.

[shyboots]

Other activities are good too - I helped a friend with her gardening yesterday and it was a great workout! Plus I had the satisfaction of seeing the garden look better at the end of the day.

[oliveira]

I swear gym is the one thing that keeps me afloat... stops me from hurting myself (because then I'd have to stop working out, which in some weird way is a reason good enough not to do it); makes weight gain somewhat more bearable (by which I mean making me look like a big bear, hehe); and it's just going SO well when nothing else is.

If I could, I would go twice a day every day.

[cyrano D]

I swear gym is the one thing that keeps me afloat... stops me from hurting myself (because then I'd have to stop working out, which in some weird way is a reason good enough not to do it); makes weight gain somewhat more bearable (by which I mean making me look like a big bear, hehe); and it's just going SO well when nothing else is.

If I could, I would go twice a day every day.

Free weights and the gym and running kept me going for many years...then osteoarthritis threatened both. No matter how carefully I warmed up, the aftermath of a workout or a run was pain for days, and while I could treat it somewhat with acetaminophen, it was only somewhat. I admit, doing just a "normal" amount of exercise never sounded attractive to me. I couldn't run fast, but I could run far-- and I couldn't bench 225 for two sets (I'm kind of a natural ectomorph), but I could give it my all for whatever weight I could push, and make sure I came out of the gym wrung out, leaving everything including sweat on the floor (I did wipe up after myself).

I've shifted over to two things, both driven by mp3 recordings. One is a fairly short, but intense (of course) rowing machine workout from [PM me and I'll tell you where, I don't know if giving another website violates any rules here], a ladder workout whose stroke per minute rate starts very slow, ladders up to short but intense at the middle, then goes back down. Rowing well requires discipline-- I can feel it in my body when I don't hit a stroke right, and rowing at the slow stroke rates makes me concentrate both on form and staying on the stroke rate beat. The stroke rate is accompanied by fairly cheesy music but it's a goal to keep up (or down) with. Right now, I'm still pleasantly wrung out from a workout 24 hours ago-- my triceps in particular have a nice afterburn to them.

The other is a generalized set of workouts from [again, PM me for the particulars] that I find work best on an elliptical machine. I used to think that there was no way you'd get me on one of those things, but the elliptical works best with the beat of the music, and the ones at the gym have heart rate monitors that read Polar chest straps, and working to heart rates is an essential part of the workout. It still wrings me out, which means I've done well.

And while I can only do two of each every week (if I push it, my body will tell me in no uncertain terms-- I'll exhaust myself and my pulse will skyrocket quickly), I have little to no muscle or joint pain afterward.

I understand many people's resistance to this sort of particularized monitoring of one's performance and respect anyone who gets out there and moves their body, however they do it-- these goal-oriented workouts just work for me, work very well. It doesn't take a lot to pull my mind back down into self-hate mode if I contemplate the fact that I haven't been nearly so good at creating, much less, achieving goals in other parts of my life, but success in this one part of my life is, well, success. And I like being height-weight proportionate without needing to watch my diet too much, pretty much enjoy whatever food I want to enjoy-- it's just a good thing I no longer enjoy a whole package of Oreos at one sitting! And I'm vain enough to be happy about fitting back into jeans I bought 20 years ago.

I'll take my victories wherever I can.

[MelonColleen]

Exercise does wonders for helping me with moderate depression. Unfortunately, when my depression is severe and I need a mood boost most, it's hard to muster the energy and will to get any exercise.

[ranter]

I KNOW exercise is very beneficial, I've known it for years, I recommend it to people I know also experiencing depression. But when staying in the house is much easier and less scarey, it's time like those when motivation is seriously lacking.

This evening it took a couple of my friends to pesuade me to go along with them to a Zumba class - I used to attend this class regularly until the depression took hold. They were persuading me to my face and because not only am I a rubbish liar, due to brain fog I couldn't think of a valid excuse quickly enough. So I went. The sweating and adrenalin through anxiety I could "boogie" away which eventually got rid of the shakes and reduced the panic. I don't know whether any of you have ever attended a Zumba workout? There is very little space in your mind for being self conscious, not if you're trying to co ordinate your arms, feet and backside to move in the same direction as everybody elses'

If you can find the courage to remain in that Zumba studio for the first ten minutes, despite the negative thoughts and physical reactions of your own body, then you've just completed the hardest part of the work out (not running out of the studio) Allow yourself a smug smile and congratulate yourself on what you've just achieved and carry on.

I got home, took a shower - because I sweat heavily, got into clean PJs and then sat back and enjoyed the endorphins, the feel good factor and the great achievement. For that moment in time, I didn't feel down or sad. I felt 'Up' and successful.

Try it sometime

[ZeeQueen]

Zumba is really helpful due to the upbeat music, smiling instructors and fast pace. It lifts my heavy heart.

Edited by Violet31, 01 April 2012 - 06:04 PM.
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