cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/19000344
There has to be another way
see also: "i started eating fibre and now my gut Just Works"
Me when I noticed how bad my anxiety was getting so I cut out caffeine and alcohol for a week and it all went away: ".... fuck"
Never had that particular issue, but I think that's only because of the ADHD.
Now that i think of it, every ADHD person I've ever met have been the chillest people ever. Maybe we are resistant to anxiety? I'd love to see some research about that
Unfortunately it’s the opposite, people with ADHD seem to be more likely to have anxiety: https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-and-anxiety-symptoms-coping/
There also seems to be a link between ADHD and epilepsy: https://www.additudemag.com/new-research-shows-adhdepilepsy-link/amp/
Probably selection bias for me, since all my ADHD friends have fantastic supportive family
I still need to figure out a way to do it that doesn't sometimes leave me feeling horrible.
I have a couple of chronic conditions (Ehler Danlos syndrome and mast cell activation syndrome, woooo) and see pushback against meditation and exercise from other EDS/MCAS people so, SO much, but they work. Really well.
Some do have major issues starting exercise. No one expects someone with severe hip instability to do leg presses or a patient with CFS to pick up jogging, but there's almost always something you can do. My arms and shoulders are a mess, so I started upper body exercises (tricep extensions, curls, etc) with a 6 oz can of tomato paste. Four years later, I'm up to five pounds! You just have to use some problem solving skills and do what you can, when you can.
Undiagnosed (aside from TTT at home) EDS/POTS here (mild), I biked enough to notice a difference but I didn't hit the point where it aligned with this post (maybe because I don't really sweat, stress on my body changes the effect?). Even with inactivity, muscle loss is not an issue for me.
Though the biggest issue with cycling for me is that I don't really have (m)any destinations, distance makes most trips not viable for what they are (particularly factoring in return trip) or add complication when it comes to hours or weather. Daylight savings ending combined with shorter days ruined it for me, too.
If I may offer some 100% not a doctor or medical advice, resistance training is great for EDS in my experience and that of others. The only thing to be aware of is it WILL hurt for awhile. I go to a gym that has a full complement of exercise machines (free weights + hypermobility = easier to injure) and started lower body exercises on the lowest weight, a whopping 10 pounds. I'm gradually working my way up but am taking it really slow. I'll eventually move to light to medium weight free weight exercises, but not for some time. The hypermobility in my knees and hips has significantly decreased and I've regained a fair amount of flexibility (hypermobile folks tend to get tight muscles as we age since we use them to stabilize our joints).
Or just go running twice a week for 30 mins.
Just wait till you hear about the 'eating healthy' bullshit.
What's next? 8 hours sleep?
6 or 10, inbetween is impossible.
4 or 14
Hey don't start with that now, at my age it's been decades since I could sleep that long.
I know! I love pasta too much to give it up
at least here in sweden they make all kinds of healthier pasta, especially the stuff simply called "fiber pasta" is basically identical but with a bunch of fibre in it, easiest improvement you could make to your diet.
Pasta is fine. It isn't junk food. You can do a lot with it, and you can add vegetables to make it healthier.
Walking a mile doesn’t even really register as exercise to me.
Your fitness level really affects how much activity you find tiring. I remember back when I was a teenager working at a grocery store I freaked out because I saw a woman dripping with sweat and panting (I was worried it was a heart attack or other medical emergency) and she explained that she's fine, she just decided to walk her shopping instead of getting a motorized cart today.
Or for a more personal anecdote, I got on my bike for the first time in a decade early last spring and barely made it one block on the bike before being at the nearly-vomitimg-from-over-excersion point then by biking every day I got up to biking 8 miles a ride by the end of fall
I understand that your fitness level affects how much activity it takes to make you tired. I think everybody understands this. That’s not really what I was getting at friend.
OOP did mention chronic pain, so to them it probably is.
when you spend most of your time in a relatively sedentary lifestyle, walking a mile can be a lot of exercise. for someone who wants a minimum of 12,000 steps a day, it seems like nothing, but for someone who averages maybe 1000 steps, it can take a lot of physical and/or mental effort. especially if that person is dealing with chronic pain or depression
You don't have to be tired for it to be exercise
Ideally you'll feel some amount of something for the excercise, but some activity is always better than nothing
Yeah, same. Its remarkable tbh
I really want to get back to daily exercise. I felt so much better and stronger, and the habit is so fragile
My hack is orthorexia
There are evidence based tips from behavioural psychology you can use to help. Some examples....
Will-power is a finite resource in the day, so if exercise is left to the end of the day then it is easier to leave out.
If you keep your exercise clothes laid out then it removes that barrier and makes it easier to get up and go to exercise. When I get home from work I change straight into gym clothes even if I'm not going to work out for another couple of hours.
Keep a TV show/audio book that you are excited about, that you only ever watch in the gym. Then you can never progress the story without going to the gym.
Will-power is a finite resource in the day
The scientific name for this is "ego depletion", but recent evidence is suggesting that it may not actually be a thing, with multiple attempts to replicate the original result failing to do so.
In fact, the best evidence for ego depletion seems to be possibly that it's a sort of nocebo. That if you believe your willpower is spent for the day, you give yourself an additional excuse not to make harder choices.
Think I'll go in the opposite direction then and try to train myself to believe that willpower is infinite. Kamina style.
TIL.
This is going to be my new phrase.....sorry, I can't do that right now as my ego is depleted.
It really is difficult. There are a lot of good tricks you can play to make yourself do it, you just gotta find which one works for you.
Someone else mentioned having a show that you only watch while exercising. If non-static exercise like running or walking is more your thing, swap that for a podcast or audiobook. (I recommend checking your library's audiobook programme if they have one, or check out one of the smaller audiobook sellers, before giving money to Amazon's Audible, if possible.)
Another option is to set yourself a goal. Tell yourself you're doing a half marathon in six months and actually sign up for it to commit yourself. Or a 60 km bike ride. Or an Olympic distance triathlon. If you want, especially if you've already done this trick once or twice and need something a little spicier, add a time goal to that. Do the HM in under 2 hours, the triathlon in under 3, whatever.
The hardest part is often getting out the door. Tell yourself it's a success if you just put your shoes on and step outside. Once you're there, its much easier to start running than it is from inside. If it's still hard, tell yourself you'll just run to the end of the street and turn back. Once you're at the end of the street, set a new goal, etc. I find it best not to plan a run that involves multiple laps, because I'm much more likely to end up only doing 5k if I plan on doing 2 laps of a 5k course than if I set out on a 10k single loop.
Have people you train with. Training directly with people is best, and as an added bonus is really healthy mentally in terms of socialising. But failing that you could always find an online group of people, or just a chat group of IRL friends, who check in on each other and hold you accountable.
If whatever exercise you have been doing doesn't work for you, try something else. If you're not a runner, hop on a bike. If you don't enjoy riding, get in the pool. A social team sport like netball, touch footy, or ultimate frisbee could be good, if you can find a friendly non-judgmental group.
If you're a data nerd and/or the kind of gamer who likes getting all the Steam achievements, buy a Garmin. Try and build up a streak, or watch your time or distance climb the more often you train. Earlier this year I earnt myself the trophy for meeting my step goal 90 days in a row—I had step goal set to automatic, where it increases every time you meet your goal, and decreases if you miss it. Increases more if you overshoot by a lot.
You could plan out some GPS artwork and ride or run a route that draws something cool. You may need to train up to be able to achieve the distance, if your artwork is more ambitious.
That's just a few of the tricks I have used at varying times to varying degrees of success to help keep up my exercise habit.
This doesn't work for many conditions which can be worsened by graduated exercise. ME/CFS being one of them.
CFS is a bitch for exercise, I used to "have it" until we found and treated my underlying cause.
Get 10,000 steps a day and you will feel even better
Get 100,000steps a day and you will feel some real shit
1,000,000 steps a day and you'll become a minor deity in a Greek play
On average, that would be more than eleven steps per second.
That's why you gotta be a deity to do it duh
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