I am afraid to exercise. Years ago I was an avid exerciser and loved it. Now when I try and walk I feel anxious and anticipate an attack coming on. When I'm finished I don't feel better. I feel uneasy. I imagine health issues (heart palpitations, left arms feels strange, etc.)I am under a doctors care so I know chances are I'm ok but I still obsess. I was in the emergency room four weeks ago because I just knew something was wrong "this time" only it was just another full blown anxiety attack....and ended up being a $704.00 hospital bill.
I just ordered Lucinda's program. It arrived three days ago and I'm starting to go through it but I've got a ways to go.

Bunny
When I first started the program, I was afraid to exercise even though I had also been an avid exercise person. I would walk on my treadmill and a few times I would feel better but most of the time, I would feel worse after I exercised. It took me awhile to start feeling good about myself and I started slowly to exercise and fight through the fear. I have worked my way through the program and exercise everyday and it helps when I have those thoughts start circling in my head. I am able to distract myself and know that nothing will happen. You, too, can start to exercise and it will help you improve even faster because you are taking control over your anxiety.
BobbiJo

I too was afraid to exercise. I used to get up in the mornings, work out, and go to work. Then I started feeling anxious, clamy, sweaty, and/or dizzy after any workout that I would do. I think that your concerns are normal anxiety related ones. I started working out in the afternoons so I could be "safe" and not have to go anywhere like WORK after a workout if I felt "funny". Now I don't feel that way since I began the program. Positive self-talk helped through most of my anxiety troubles so far. If I started to trick myself into feeling weird, I would say to myself, "Each time I do this I grow stronger, not weaker. I am healthy, I am taking care of myself, I am just experiencing endorphins, I have an anxiety disorder so it's normal for me to have weird feelings but I know how to handle them now so they won't set me back unless I let them. I am not afraid of panicky feelings. They cannot hurt me. I am proud of myself for making this time for myself. etc..."
You'll get there.

As sherry and bobbiejo all ready stated, you are not alone. I have the excact same problem. I think that if absolutely every little thing isn't spelled out for us (I don't remember Lucinda mentioning some people feeling more anxious when they excercise and that that is normal for some) we think it must just be us or there must be something else wrong. I have the same issue, you are not alone and for some of us with anxiety, it's normal.

I finished the program in February and I had the same problem when my anxiety was bad. Here is how I over came it, you can try it, it might work for you. I would go to a gym and exercise and it was hard for me to get there. Once I started, I would tell myself over and over and over. "I am health, happy, calm, this helping me, not hurting me" I would repeat this over and over and not let scarey thoughts in. It is hard, but I exercise all the time now and feel great. It will happen, just take your time. Good Luck!

This fear exists because exercise produces the SAME type of sensations and symptoms as panic and anxiety produce !!

You are afraid to exercise because it brings back all those same feelings and sensations that you feel when you are anxious and panicky.

Good thing is this..... exercise breaks down excess adrenaline in your body !! Since your body can only produce so much adrenaline per day, exercise helps limit the sensations you feel in regard to your adrenaline output. If you use up your adrenaline during exercise, then it makes your stress/anxiety sensations alot easier to deal with.

It may be hard at first to exercise and resist the lies but I promise that it gets easier the more you do it. It's okay for your heart to beat fast, you won't die, you won't pass out, you won't have a heart attack. Our hearts were meant to work hard.

Keep pressing on regardless of what you tell yourself.... only listen to the truth and keep moving ahead anyways.... this will bring healing !

Once again Sunset, amazing repsonse. Thanks!

Hi Everyone:

I've been sitting back reading all you're posts, this is the first time posting for me. I just want to say that you people are helping me soooo much. I've had Laucinda's tapes for quite a few years, and have again just started them. I don't know why it didn't work the first time for me, may be I didn't have the right attitude and didn't try. But now I feel I really understand my anxiety and what I do to myself. I've been able to calm myself down when I'm anxious. I could hardly believe that by me talking positively to myself I could reduce my anxiety. I think I've always thought, that I've had it too long 20+ years that I can't change and that I've got it worst than most people. Well....the internet and these forums have really opened my eyes. It has helped so much to see that other people are and did go thru exactly what I'm going thru and they have gotten better. I enjoy reading posts of encouragement and success stories. It gives me hope.

You're post sunset is very encouraging, I too get anxious when I exercise. I think you hit the nail on the head. It does produce some of the same sensations as panic. I say over and over while I'm exercising that its normal to get sweaty,and feel my heart beating fast. I'm suppose to feel this way because I'm exercising. This seems to help and I do a lot of deep breathing.

Well...sorry if my post seems long. I just want to introduce myself and say thank you to all of you for sharing your experiences with anxiety. I think that helps in our recovery.

Ditto to every post I just read on exercise and feeling funny. I am really terrified to exercise as it gives me palpitations and fatigue(like I want to fall asleep). I appreciate all the input.
I went from bicycle riding 25 miles/day to obsessively avoiding exercise because of my symptoms. Cest pain, dizzyness, really spaced out feeling,SOB, feeling like I can't get enough air. Something always feels funny in my chest.

I am a physician. That's the paradox. I know the benefits of execise but cn't get past the multiple symptomatology. I appreciate the input on the cognitive steps that you are taking to help
get through. I am going to startpushing through my symptoms to see what happens. This is very very scary. While exercising and a mantra of "this is good for me - I'm suppose to feel this way- it will not hurt me " will be a start I will keep posted on progress thanks. If there are any men out there with this problem I would appreciate comments/suggestions/ e:mail gappabscm@aol.com

why does this happen i have the same thing i cant exersize any more i fear when my heart rate goes up i start focusing on it then i feel like i cant catch my breath then i get a full blown panic attack i used 2 exersize alot and i used 2 love it this condition is slowly taking every thing i enjoy and making it miserable

{{{{{trucknut}}}}}

I know just how you feel. I've been in the same place. It really feels awful.

I don't know if you've done the lesson on negative self-talk, but those ideas could really help you, I think.

How about printing out this thread and reading it another day? This thread is so full of the hope of recovery and is packed with people who are overcoming the anxiety about exercise. I think you can't see that because you aren't ready to yet, but it's there.

Hang in there. If you keep working, it will get better.

I know how it feels. They tell you "don't consume caffiene" I haven't had caffiene in 5 years. I have not had suger, deserts or chocolate in 5 years. I try to exercise not consistantly tho. Yet none of these things work. I have just order Lucinda's program. I am hoping this will work. This seems to be my last hope. I am to the point where I am home bound. I will tell you that in my experience. When I am having an anxiety attack or panic attack I do my own special version of Tia Bo and run in place and do push-ups. It does help to burn off the anxiety at the time. Deep breathing is the most important thing when dealing with anxiety. Yoga is a wonderful thing and a way to exercise. I have dealt with anxiety attacks for the last 8 Years. I have moments when I was able to travel and work. Now I can not do anything with out an attack. I have read tons of books on the subject. Sometimes I think that I know more about my attacks then most of the Psychiatrists that I have seen. I also understand the feelings that you get with the chest pains and the left arm numbness. My Doctor and My Mom explain it best. They told me that you need to go with it. Let the feelings happen and see where it takes you. That is easier said then done but sometimes it works and helps you realize that this is only anxiety and I am not dying. The first 6 months of my anxiety attacks I was in the hospital everyday getting shots of Ativan and Valium to maintain some semblence of normalicy. Luckily I was in the military at the time and the care was free. Now sometimes I think that I do not go to the hospital when I might actually need to. It is hard to strike a balance between what is actually a problem and what is anxiety. Just keep trying to do a little at a time. Small steps lead to bigger steps. Remeber you can't jump in the middle of the pool if you can't swim. You need to start in the shallow end and work to the deeper end.

Something that has really helped me with the exercise and anxiety is to distract myself while I am exercising. For example, when I am on the treadmill, I get on my phone and catch up on my phone calls. Or I will watch T.V. while doing the treadmill or weights.

Or if I am walking outside, I will listen to a favorite cd. Or if my daughter is with me, we try and count how many cats we can see or dogs.

And like so many others have already said, this is good for you. Your body will thank you for it. Take good care of not only your emotional being but your physical being as well. You are the only you you've got.

Michelle

I received the program about 2 months ago. As of now im taking my time making sure i have grasped the concept of each lesson. So far i have improved a reasonable amount, but i just cant seem to get the drive to work out. So, for about two weeks i have remained stagnent on topic 5. i'm worried because I think this might be a sign of me giving up. I worked out for a couple of days but just kind of forgot about it. I havent read over my work book or listened to the relaxation tape in weeks. Has this happened to anyone else on other sessions, if not this one? I need some advice on how i could go about doing this session. Let me know.

I've gone through cycles of being fat/thin, and I used to have TERRIBLE panic attacks when I started exercising. Picture me, this 300lb guy on a treadmill, buring more calories worrying about having a heart attack in front of everyone than I did actually running on the treadmill!

In any case, that was then, this is now. I've lost over 100lbs -- and I've come to the conclusion, I'm healthy, and I'm not going to have a heart attack, and if I did, I'd rather have it on the treadmill TRYING to lose weight than on the couch, too afraid to try.

BUT, to be honest, I still get a little anxious when my stomach flitters a bit when I'm running -- I just remind myself that it's my stomach, not my heart, that it's happened before, and that I'm OK. Also, I listen to music while I'm exercising -- I get so wrapped up in the music, I forget about all the monkey chatter going on in my head!

Good luck, you can do it. Believe me, if I can, you can too!