hi,
i do yoga for flexability and stress relief. i also walk with my 79 year old mother.
i do both slowly.
when i first started doing the yoga tape, i worked TOO hard. after the tape was over, i'd be lying on the floor with my heart beating me to death and sweating like a field hand. THEN I GOT IT! i didn't have to push so hard. i could ENJOY myself. and now i do.
the same thing with walking with mama. we wander along the river walk or around the lake - not at a crawl, but not so fast we get winded. and we like it - look forward to our walks.
what's the point of doing something to the degree you begin to dread it, fear it? life is fun. look for the fun and you'll find it. it's right in front of you. i promise.
karma
afraid to exercise???
Hi there...
I used to be hesitant about exercising. I always hated gym class and never felt athletic, so part of my hesitancy was feeling like I wasn't qualified or something. I also had severe anxiety and felt breathless/heart palpitations, so I was afraid to exert myself. But then I started walking one night. Just walking. I would even talk to myself, as if I was writing out loud in my journal. Short walks became longer walks. It was something I was good at, and I felt better--and able to breathe easier--the more I walked. Plus, there was a sense that I was getting somewhere, literally... and, again, literally: I was taking steps to gain control and become strong and healthy.
I think there are some huge expectations we have when we are told we "have" to exercise. In this day and age, that seems to mean that we have to run a marathon, or at least have six-pack abs. It's so intimidating, I think, that most people just don't bother--they leave exercise to the "professionals!"
Maybe taking a step back and re-thinking what "exercise" is will help. Exercise can be just moving around, just doing something--anything--active. You gotta start somewhere, so even if you just walk down your driveway and back--you've exercised! You may find that, once you do that, you may as well walk around the block. (My walking experience became doubly pleasurable when I got a dog, FYI--no longer was I talking just to myself. I talked to my dog, and I swear, she listened! Also, having a dog helped on those days that I didn't feel like "exercising"--'cause like it or not, the dog had to have at least a short walk in the morning and evening to go to the bathroom! necessity is the mother of invention...)
Eventually, you may want to take it a step further and become more active--walk faster, walk up and down the stairs at work, walk on a treadmill with an incline--to increase your heart rate and build endurance. You may also feel that doing some light weight-bearing activity wouldn't be so bad, to build some strength and tone your muscles. You may want to try a low-impact aerobic class, or a water-aerobics class. All in good time...
If you try and think about exercise in a different light, perhaps it won't be such a scary prospect any more. And, if you can do it... I highly recommend adoptng a dog from your local animal shelter. In addition to having a walking companion, the benefits of taking care of a pet are incredible!
Hope these thoughts are helpful!
I used to be hesitant about exercising. I always hated gym class and never felt athletic, so part of my hesitancy was feeling like I wasn't qualified or something. I also had severe anxiety and felt breathless/heart palpitations, so I was afraid to exert myself. But then I started walking one night. Just walking. I would even talk to myself, as if I was writing out loud in my journal. Short walks became longer walks. It was something I was good at, and I felt better--and able to breathe easier--the more I walked. Plus, there was a sense that I was getting somewhere, literally... and, again, literally: I was taking steps to gain control and become strong and healthy.
I think there are some huge expectations we have when we are told we "have" to exercise. In this day and age, that seems to mean that we have to run a marathon, or at least have six-pack abs. It's so intimidating, I think, that most people just don't bother--they leave exercise to the "professionals!"
Maybe taking a step back and re-thinking what "exercise" is will help. Exercise can be just moving around, just doing something--anything--active. You gotta start somewhere, so even if you just walk down your driveway and back--you've exercised! You may find that, once you do that, you may as well walk around the block. (My walking experience became doubly pleasurable when I got a dog, FYI--no longer was I talking just to myself. I talked to my dog, and I swear, she listened! Also, having a dog helped on those days that I didn't feel like "exercising"--'cause like it or not, the dog had to have at least a short walk in the morning and evening to go to the bathroom! necessity is the mother of invention...)
Eventually, you may want to take it a step further and become more active--walk faster, walk up and down the stairs at work, walk on a treadmill with an incline--to increase your heart rate and build endurance. You may also feel that doing some light weight-bearing activity wouldn't be so bad, to build some strength and tone your muscles. You may want to try a low-impact aerobic class, or a water-aerobics class. All in good time...
If you try and think about exercise in a different light, perhaps it won't be such a scary prospect any more. And, if you can do it... I highly recommend adoptng a dog from your local animal shelter. In addition to having a walking companion, the benefits of taking care of a pet are incredible!
Hope these thoughts are helpful!
Hello everyone!
I just wanted to comment on exercising. Right after I received the program I made a decision to start exercising again. I started out with a 20 minute walk, now I'm up to a hour a day, 5 times a week. I have to force myself to get out there, I hide behind my sunglasses and sun hat:) I've never been athletic, in school I was always the one at the back of the line. I choose to no longer put ridiculous expectations on myself though. I'm not athletic period, but that doesn't mean I can't exercise. I just smile at all the tan, muscular joggers and notice, too, lots of overweight, out of breath women plodding along like me. I find it helps to listen to Lucinda's tapes as I walk or something else to break the monotony. All I can say is take this time for yourself, I do feel better, the anxiety I felt initially was related to my heart beating faster and feeling out of breath, both perfectly normal when you exert yourself to a new level. It's not an anxiety attack, it's my body experiencing exercise and that's a good thing. I hope in the future I find the courage to join a gym (very scary for a social phobic like myself) but right now I'm just glad I'm getting out there and walking. It gives me hope that I can make up my mind to do something and follow through.
Take care,
Sandra
I just wanted to comment on exercising. Right after I received the program I made a decision to start exercising again. I started out with a 20 minute walk, now I'm up to a hour a day, 5 times a week. I have to force myself to get out there, I hide behind my sunglasses and sun hat:) I've never been athletic, in school I was always the one at the back of the line. I choose to no longer put ridiculous expectations on myself though. I'm not athletic period, but that doesn't mean I can't exercise. I just smile at all the tan, muscular joggers and notice, too, lots of overweight, out of breath women plodding along like me. I find it helps to listen to Lucinda's tapes as I walk or something else to break the monotony. All I can say is take this time for yourself, I do feel better, the anxiety I felt initially was related to my heart beating faster and feeling out of breath, both perfectly normal when you exert yourself to a new level. It's not an anxiety attack, it's my body experiencing exercise and that's a good thing. I hope in the future I find the courage to join a gym (very scary for a social phobic like myself) but right now I'm just glad I'm getting out there and walking. It gives me hope that I can make up my mind to do something and follow through.
Take care,
Sandra
Focus on what you want, not what you fear...
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