*"Exercise Support Thread and Diary"*

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I have to get some exercise. I must if I am not to dissolve into a jelly, or crumble into dust, and I noticed that a few people are asking on here about how to motivate themselves, what to do, how to it, etc. And I think that a support thread might help.



I used to get at least an hour's walking, at least three times a week, at our last-but-one address, but here, ( very small village), there seems little or no reason to leave the house most of the time, and nowhere is quite far enough away to trigger the accelerated heartrate for 20/25 minutes which is necessary for aerobic activity. So the last 18 months has been very bad news for sunshine and exercise.

I keep meaning to, planning to, fully intending to, firmly telling myself that I will..... and not doing any!! !

I have identified a pleasantish walk, of about 40 minutes, which if I did it 4-5 times a week would probably be enough to maintain an acceptable level of fitness, but I need a sense of accountability/visibility/commitment/engagement to get me doing it, ( as with the GF/CF diet and the Support Thread I set up in the Member's Forum six months ago, and which has worked! Thank you wp! ).

So this is a thread for anybody interested in doing regular exercise, but having difficulty actually doing it, to help us keep/get on track. I think that it might be very useful/encouraging to exchange groans, goals, grumps and achievements etc.

Please post about how it goes. I'm starting tomorrow.

Last edited by ouinon on 03 Apr 2008, 3:58 pm, edited 2 times in total.

The reason why I suddenly think I have to do something is that while hunter-gathering on the internet today, ( for articles/studies on what effect inactivity/immobility has on our ever-changing brain structure/neuronal connections, if any, in the context of increased screen time etc ) , I found increasing numbers of papers/articles about recent massive scientific studies which show irrefutably, incontestably, how inactivity directly causes many/most chronic diseases, because most people have genes which are adapted to activity. ( they were an advantage back in the stone age!).

Diabetes, osteoporosis, arthero, circulatory, nervous system, and masses of other problems are apparently increasingly clearly the result of widespread and increasing inactivity acting on genes which code for benefit and survival under much more active conditions.

So it begins to seem to me as important as getting enough vit C, or iron. It just has to be done.

But I need help. I have so often started, and stopped again within a few days or weeks, if I manage to start at all. Who else has the same problem?

Good luck, me, and everyone else wanting to do this too.

You're so right - our bodies haven't evolved as fast as our life style!
And yes, I could do with more excercise, too.
I want to... more walks with my son. And longer ones! Also sit ups.... or yoga.
Now the spring is here it feels wrong to be cooped up inside.
If you walk tomorrow, I will too!

Oh good oh good. I am planning to, and committed to it on here, so...

I'll ask if you did it tomorrow..... Promise!
BTW also feeling the need for more fruit and veg now the sun's out.

Do you work from home? If not, walk to work! That's what I do - 45mins each way. It's the only way I ever get any excercise, and it's free!

I work at home, as home-unschooling mother and "part time" cook and "housekeeper".

I used to walk to work, years ago, and it was brilliant, 45 mins like you. But since left the towns for a village I just haven't seen much reason for going out. Now realise that I just have to. As if it were essential nutrition. Thanks for tip though. It certainly worked for me when I was in that situation.

Great idea, ouinon! I recently signed up for a pool exercise class. Because of my health issues, I fatigue very easily, so although the classes are held twice weekly, I may start out just doing one per week, and seeing how long it takes me to recover. I used to be very active, before these health issues commenced. Jogging, ballet classes, and dancing at clubs (this was in my twenties, mind you). Now, I crave activity, but my mitochondria are not so mighty. I wish they'd discover a cure for all this crap. But anyway, good on you for starting this thread. I will report back when I have had my first class.

That sounds great. The last-but-one time that I did very much exercise , for more than a couple of weeks anyway, I went swimming, 5 times a week, and I loved it, but the pool here is only open for two months in the summer. Have a lovely time. I used to enjoy it heaps.

What's with the mitochondria? Cell respiration I think, but what's wrong with yours? Sounds grim. I hope you can manage the swimming.

Now I need to get focussed. It is 8.40 am, and I have to get showered, etc, get son sorted, and get out of the house...to walk for 45 minutes. Aaarrghgghh!

I have an autoimmune disorder, that makes me tire easily. I won't be swimming, though. This is an exercise class set up for people with arthritis, so they will go easy on me. I've done a class like this before. The only problem, is that the pool will likely be heated, and this makes me very sleepy. But a nice experience, otherwise.

I had a friend once who suffered from increasing rheumatoid arthritis aswell as Crohns disease, and depression. It was a nightmare. It all started with M.E. And just got worse.

Is that anything like what you have? She also discovered that avoiding several foods, esp. oranges, choc, dairy, sugar, coffee, etc, really helped, but unfortunately she used to get fed up and give into another pizza etc.

Sometimes it would get better, apparently without reason. Confusing and distressing.

Well, I did it. The first session.

Hideous and wonderful at the same time. Turned out to be only a half an hour, from start to finish, but it begins with a hill; going up, so my heart was pounding almost immediately, and my lungs felt like knives were in there, and my throat was dry, and a mist hovered in front of my eyes, but after 10 minutes it turns downhill and striding along was actually quite fun, after the pain, , and arrived home with pleasantly damp forehead and warm body.

My son was fairly happy about it after I said we'd do it as fast as poss and stop near home on way back, after the 30 minutes, to buy potato pancakes for lunch for him, so.. and we got some sunshine too.

Now the thing is to do it a second time, and so on....... mmmmm...

How did your walk go, katrine?

I did part A of my workout with weights, part B is day after tomorrow. Then, I walked an hour at 2.5 mph, then another half-mile later.

Congratulations!

How long have you been doing that? I liked swimming because it got my arms fit aswell. I bought a couple of little weights last summer and used them for a bit, but then got fed up of it, it feels too artificial for me. I think I'll concentrate on aerobic capacity for the mo. Maybe a martial art for arms/upper body use...?

When I'm healthy I manage nearly 4 miles per hour on the flat, but I'm probably at around 2.5 mph at the mo aswell. I've just remembered the first time I started exercising as an adult, went for a country walk between railway stations, ( i don't drive), and how immensely long it took me to do 6 miles, and how completely and utterly exhausted I was. It was most shocking.

I did the practical solution: walk instead of metro after uni to my son's school, then back home with my son. With 15 kgs of books! The sun was shining, but it wasn't the funniest walk. Tomorrow we will do a pretty walk. Won't find many hills in Denmark, though

I loathe walking with things to carry. Nightmare. Hope you have nicer walk tomorrow.

Next GOAL for me: walk same walk on Sunday morning. ...... Ok, I can do it.