I started going to the YMCA with my 2 teenagers recently. I have been having success with walking the track at my own pace and worked up to 2 miles, and it felt great. My son and I want to be trained on the machines. We made appointments for next week. I am afraid of treadmills etc. because when I start to breathe hard or my heart rate goes up I'm afraid I will panic. I feel like if I have a trainer there next to me I won't have the courage to say "enough" if I need to, because I would be too embarrased. I know how much cardio work helps anxiety ( the walking has helped). I know if I just did the treadmill without feeling like someone else was "controlling" me I'd be okay. I need to feel like I can go at my own pace. But I'd be too chicken to tell the trainer I have panic issues.
Need reassurance.....
Thanks Diane B.

Good for you Diane! Breaking things into smaller pieces and taking one step at a time is a priceless coping skill!

Hey
Some good news to report and hopefully some encouragement to those out there who are scared of physical feelings during exercise. I reluctantly went to my appointment at the YMCA. I was having heart palps and breathing funny before I even got in the door.Aaaaiiiii Yyyyiiiii! Anyways, I decided to be "blunt" as ThePublisher suggested. I told the trainer I was'nt interested in learning the treadmills right now just the weight machines. But after we went through our training session I felt so good I asked her to show me the treadmill and how to use the settings. Then I just went slow on it and told her I was "agoraphobic" (thanks again Publisher) and needed to do it at my own pace. She was pretty cool about it. I continued on the treadmill until I was a little breathless and got my heart rate up just a bit.I kinda did'nt want to get off, but I figured "one step at a time". Just my getting that far was a BIGGY for me. For all you out there who share this fear. I walked out of the Y that day feeling better than when I walked in, AND my anxiety for many hours after that was GONE. Just a little encouragement re: the benefits of exercise for anxiety. Bye Di B.

Hi Diane,
I think it's great you are trying new things! I HAVE to work out due to my job and I hate it because we have to run every other day and I really hate running. I want to work out but doing stuff that I enjoy doing and know is good for me. Soon I will be retired from my full time job that really stresses me out and I can workout at my own pace. I had a scary experience just yesterday; while at the dentist getting teeth impression for a bleach tray, i started getting panicky when the top tray was put in my mouth and i could feel the clay oozing to the back of my throat. I told them to get it out but they told me it was too soon then i started to gag like i was going to vomit and the dentist started calmly talking to me and told me to concentrate on breathing through my nose while she stroked my nose. It worked! I didn't throw up and the anxiety went away altough once the tray WAS removed i was a bit shaky for a little bit but it went away after about 5 mins. It bothers me that everything seems to make me very nervous when things didn't bother me when i was younger. I'm hoping the program helps me to break out of this vicious cycle and be free again. Good luck to you as well! We can't give up, that's the bottom line!

Im working on trying to laugh.. and u all made me do that tonight ty

Thanks for the humor. You made me giggle. You reminded me that humor and sometimes a good cry releases all that tension. I have used both of those in the past and they have gotten me through that trapped feeling that I get from agoraphobia.
Diane B.

Diane, be a little naughty. Tell the trainer, "Okay, show me the controls and then get out of my way. I've been known to projectile 10 yards!"

In short, I always try humor. I just am blunt and let folks know that I'm agoraphobic. The word alone generally scares them away.