The power of exercise

Hi all,

Hope you're doing well and having a good weekend! I just wanted to post a little bit about my successes with exercise and I hope it may help one of you just a little bit. For the last few months I have upped my exercise a lot... I am running leisurely in the morning before work and then boxing with a trainer after work 3x a week as well as supplementing the days that I am not boxing with running or lifting weights. The change in my anxiety and depression has been incredible. Not only has it allowed me to meet some pretty great people, it has given me a sense of accomplishment which I think helps a lot. I have also changed my diet a lot. I am eating less processed foods and more whole fruits and vegetables and less bread and almost no dairy. Lots more protein. Have any of you found success in exercise? It really is remarkable!
Wishing everyone a happy weekend!
Kate

K.,

I also completely agree. Exercise burns off adrenaline and helps regulate other stress hormones. ..

...while increasing feel good neurotransmitters in the brain...a win-win! :)

Sound body...sound mind for sure!

I feel very blessed to be a vocational athlete. I know for a fact it helps me with my management, daily.

Keep moving!

S.C.

I would really love to use exercise to help with my anxiety. What stops me is when my heart starts pounding I think it's going too fast and then have a panic attack. Now I'm avoiding raising my heart rate to avoid a panic attack.
I know my inactivity is probably making it worse not better but try convincing my broken thinking of that!
It was really hot here today and I thought just the heat was making my breathing feel smothered and imagined chest pains without any exertion, just heat.
Did you experience thus at first??

PG,

It is hard when exercise and panic share the same sensations...Increased heart rate, breathlessness, higher body temps, muscle fatigue...

The key thing for me, was to slow down if I started to feel panicky... but not stop!

Pushing through, but at a decreased intensity helped me to become desensitized to the worrisome feelings I had during exercise...and to distinguish them from anxiety. ..realizing they were normal! :)

Start slowly, go for a medium pace (initially) and keep going to the best of your ability. ..even if you feel uncomfortable. This will break the exercise/panic association with time.

Peace and progress!

S.C.