Exercise Support Thread Part 1

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Hello All!
Back in September (2023) when I had my Cptsd meltdown, I pretty quickly realized I was in trouble and started biking an hour every day to keep my suicidal ideation at a manageable level.
Exercise helped. It helped a lot. For some reason though I slacked off. I think I started so many other things, kinda rushing it with therapy and reading, and Forum addiction that I shelved the bike-ride after awhile. Today I was reading Lakelynn's journal and she mentioned "exercise". Something clicked in my brain. This evening I did my regular, one hour/20 kilometer bike run. Man, it helps... We can discuss Dopamine and depression for days, but honest to god, an hour's worth of exercise goes SOOO much farther than sooo many of the techniques I've been experimenting with. Instant gratification, dopamine hit, depression depressor... Good for health, life and self-love... Exercise.

So this thread is a support place for people who want to exercise and then let others know what they've done. We share and encourage like we always do. And we let others know about our own exercise successes and stories. Doesn't have to be complex or extreme, just what you did that day, whatever your exercise is, and are proud or looking for help and/or encouragement to keep it up.

Hope that makes sense. As always, together we are stronger and go farther.

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So this late afternoon I did a one-hour bike ride. I keep a good pace. I have a set route already with just the right amount of hills. 20 kilometers is 12 miles I think. Man it helped. It's like it stuffs my depression on a top shelf for a good two-three hours. I can still feel the positive effects.

Anyone who exercised today and wants to brag I'd LOVE to hear about it!

Anyone who wants to start exercising or do more, or more regularly, you can write here and we'll try to help and encourage in any way possible.

And for sure there are stories to go along with your workout. Personally I love the old French farmhouses I pass on my route. There's chicken pens and wild hawks, forests and fields. Lots of water inundation as the rains have been intense this Spring in France.

I'm picking up my son tomorrow. Maybe if I keep up this exercise I'm going to get through these vacation days in better form. Depressed Dads make for horrid holidays. My kids deserve better. I promise to do my ride tomorrow too!

[Little2Nothing]

Today was cardio day, 20 minutes on the rowing machine. 

[Chart]

Awesome! Do you have a regular weekly workout program?

[NarcKiddo]

I've been struggling with illness so my regime has dwindled. Today is always a rest day. Tomorrow will be, too, and then I am starting a proper training timetable as of Friday. Muscle soreness is in my future.  (Yes, I am a bit odd...)

[Little2Nothing]

Chart, yes I do. I do resistance training Tuesday and Thursday. Cardio on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. 

[Chart]

NarcKiddo, L2N, I don't know about you but this helps and inspires me. Thank you!

More questions, free to respond or not, as you feel: How long have you been exercising? Does it get easier over time? Or is it still hard for you? How do you feel after exercise? How does exercise impact your Cptsd symptoms?
 

[Blueberry]

This is a good idea Chart!

I have a lot of triggering around taking exercise...

Apart from ambling into town centre, haven't done any for a few days, but I guess it was last week I started lying on the floor to do various stretching exercises. I only had one or two exercises in mind, but then I remembered others and added more and more. That felt fairly good.

I'm also going to singing lessons atm and singing in choir. Singing involves focus on breathing and focus on feeling / being in body. It's a form of exercise. It would be better if I practised daily. Sometimes I do for a couple of days...

I know this sounds very low-key compared what others would call exercise, but it's better than nothing. Maybe the existence of this thread will help me do a little more and/or a little more often.

[Chart]

This is a good idea Chart!

I have a lot of triggering around taking taking exercise...

Maybe the existence of this thread will help me do a little more and/or a little more often.

Thanks Blueberry! Yeah the idea is really to explore, encourage and support.

Congratulations on the stretching and singing. I've often thought about doing a choir too but have just never felt I had the time.

Maybe it's difficult to talk about but what is triggering about exercise for you? No pressure to discuss but I'd wager you're not alone.

Me I just feel guilt and shame when I DONT do it. But it's far from my worst trigger.

[AphoticAtramentous]

Wonderful idea, Chart!
Exercise is definitely something I would like to get into, need to get into. Every now and then I get out and do something but... a few days a month probably isn't all that effective.  Today I used the stairs at work instead of the elevator, does that count? Hah... I wish I could do more vigorous things but certain bodily conditions are keeping my wings clipped a little, so I'm still trying to figure out what activities I can do without getting myself hurt in the process. I also don't know how some folks even have the time to exercise so much! Even 30 minutes a day feels like a lot.

Nice to hear of everyone's recent successes though! I hope this thread might help motivate me in turn.

Regards,
Aphotic.

[Little2Nothing]

I started an exercise routine about a year ago. It was really difficult at first, especially to keep motivated. 

There are days I miss, of course. But, I have been fairly consistent for the past few months. 

I find I feel much better. It definitely helps with depression and anxiety. Coupled with cutting out sugar and all processed foods I am doing better physically and emotionally. It's not a cure, it just helps. 

[Blueberry]

Today I used the stairs at work instead of the elevator, does that count?

imho yes, it does!

Back in the days when stairs were a doddle for me, of course I used the stairs and I couldn't imagine needing to use an elevator unless I was carrying something unusually heavy. And tbh I scoffed at the idea that using the stairs was especially useful except for saving energy (eco-freak) but now I know better. It's certainly good to keep going at what you can do, before you can't anymore.

[Blueberry]

I have a lot of triggering around taking taking exercise...

Maybe the existence of this thread will help me do a little more and/or a little more often.

Maybe it's difficult to talk about but what is triggering about exercise for you? No pressure to discuss but I'd wager you're not alone.

I've found over the years here that I'm seldom absolutely alone...
However other than "must" and "should" are both triggering, I think more specific exercising triggers could derail the thread and might be better on a separate thread.

[NarcKiddo]

More questions, free to respond or not, as you feel: How long have you been exercising? Does it get easier over time? Or is it still hard for you? How do you feel after exercise? How does exercise impact your Cptsd symptoms?

Since 2016. I wrote a blog article about it for OOTS in April 2023. It's here (if interested you should find it below the index list.Just scroll down) :

https://www.outofthestorm.website/guest-bloggers/2023/4/3/mens-sana-in-corpore-sano-meaning-a-healthy-mind-in-a-healthy-body-by-narckiddo-oots-member-3-april-2023

Apart from therapy, developing an exercise habit is the single biggest favour I have done myself. I started it way before therapy (before I had even realised I have CPTSD) and noticed huge benefits, mainly psychological at first. Which is really what hooked me and made me develop the habit. It does need to be a habit, too, because motivation waxes and wanes.

Luckily I have been doing it long enough that my recent enforced absences due to illness have not made the wheels fall off. I am itching to get back. And I have done it long enough that I can psychologically cope with the fact I have been busted way back from the progress I had made. It will take me time to get back to deadlifting more than my bodyweight. But that's OK.

Does it get easier over time? Hmm. The old trope is "it doesn't get easier; you get stronger". Depends what you mean by "easier". If it gets too physically easy you probably need to push a bit more.

How do I feel after? Energised. I might feel physically tired immediately afterwards but within half an hour I am raring to go. If I feel lethargic afterwards I am either overdoing it or getting ill. My coach makes a program of slowly progressive load so I can pretty much always feel I have done better on some metric or other than the last time. That is very encouraging. I also love data and monitor all kinds of metrics so it does make it possible to find an improvement. This becomes more important as I start working closer to my maximal ability. Newbie gains come fast but progress inevitably slows.

A big plus point for me, psychologically, is that FOO disapproves of sport and was never even vaguely interested in exercise. I was not pushed to do it as a child and there are no associations with FOO. I have many bad memories of childhood sports since I have no skills good for typical school team games, plus it would not do to get interested in sport from the FOO point of view so I was probably conflicted. This may be a factor in why it took me so long to get the bug.

[Chart]

So happy for all the feedback! And no time to comment... 
But nonetheless did 12 kilometers on my bike tonight. Happy and proud with myself.
 
Happy and proud of everyone here too!