In 2013 I summed up the energy to do exercise for 3 months. I weighed 207 pounds, around 94 kg and was able to lose 33 lbs, around 15 kg. I looked much better.
Now, I don’t have the energy to do anything. I had some med change to see if it gets better, but it will take time to know if it will.
Do you do exercise? Do you struggle with lack of energy and motivation? What do you do to get around it? What meds do you take, if they affect you?
It’s hard to get up and just exercise.
Exercise can get boring. If you don’t have the energy… it makes it even harder.
when I was getting back into a fitness routine… running on a tread mill or something like that… could never do… the thought would bore me numb.
But a nice walk in a park… to see the birds… and quiet my mind… that I could do. Shooting a few hoops… just for fun… swimming a bit… not a full set… but just getting a few slow laps in to enjoy the water… that I could do.
I hope you find a way to get moving with out having to focus on the exercise.
I forced myself to go on a 1-2 mile bike ride today. You just have to make yourself do it and you will feel better for it. Eating right will also help with energy.
You can always try coffee. Unless you anxiety disorders like me then it’s not an option.
I’m trying to get into a fitness routine myself, have been trying for the last 6 months. I’ll be gung ho for a week or 2 then peter out. My pdoc just added on a 2nd antidepressant and I feel like I have a lot more energy and motivation lately (mood is a little better). I’ve worked out the last 3 days in a row. I laid out a training schedule on paper for the next couple of weeks of what I’m going to do - intensity, how long, how far. If I can make it to the end of March and have completed 80% of the workouts I’m going to reward myself with something, I haven’t figured out with what.
I will wait for the change of medication to see if I have more energy. I doubt it really much, but I ought to wait for it. Now if I do some routine, even if it’s moderate or light, I spend the next days in bed with no mental and physical energy whatsoever. It’s awful. I do not drink coffee and am trying to quit smoking.
This is something I am good at.
Energy or not, there are routines you can develop daily. If your doctor gives you the go ahead to walk, swim and do squats, you have a solid routine to count on.
Squats are valuable as an exercising option, because you are lifting your own weight. See you don’t need weights.
Spread out your arms for balance.
Legs should be comfortably apart for a decent squat.
Make sure your back is straight all the way up and all the way down.
Go slowly. Slowness counts. Comfort counts. It does not matter how many you do. Make the squats work comfortably.
Breath properly for each squat.
Someone online moved me with their story about losing weight just by walking. One hour a day, three hours each weekend day helped this individual drop a lot of weight.
I know about lack of energy; I was young in my dark phase. I did not have energy. I did not take medications or do drugs. My brain was different. I Had No Energy–kind of like a big weight in my brain that stopped and slowed everything. I had learning disabilities too.
In my late thirties I got the energy I needed. I took martial arts: Hapkido. They pushed on my back while I was in the Spread Eagle Stretch position so that I could take my nose to the floor, or legs, with my legs spread out. I can not remark on how this changed my energy level, as leg and back pain went away with just this stretch. It took 6 months to get my nose to the floor. But this helped me tolerate strenuous exercise. This may be more information than you are asking for, but this stretch makes a difference.
The number one thing that keeps my energy levels stable: a proper diet with all amino acids, minerals and vitamins from 100 percent whole foods. This means eating a lot of wholesome foods.
Next would be stretching and exercising daily.
I am losing weight even though I still eat pizza and chinese food all the time. I think it’s because I usually only eat the prepared chinese vegetables mainly when I go to the buffet. I’ve kind of become less dependent on meat is what I’m saying. don’t get me wrong. I just had filet mignon at my sister’s and a cheeseburger the day before that. everybody couldn’t believe how much weight I seemed to have lost they said. I wasn’t sure until they saw me. I thought I had lost weight.
Was feeling like utter garbage last Monday. Made a decision to get out and walk every day for at least 15 minutes regardless of how tired I was. I’m already up to walking an hour per day and feeling a lot better. Energy level is up and I’m not tiring so easily. My goal is to walk 10 miles in one day by the end of April. I can do 5 miles now.
Good luck!
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Wow. Pixel. Wow.
My moods were pretty stable this morning, I had the motivation to walk for 30 min - it felt good.
Going to push myself to walk for at least 10 -15 minutes if not more.
@nykia I think I will try doing those squats you mentioned - good idea thanks!
The med’s took a lot of physical strength away from me. They also made it much harder for me to exercise. When I was young I exercised a lot, but I can’t any more. Then I got a bad physical from the doctor. My blood sugar was 5.8 and my cholesterol was 270. The doctor told me I needed to exercise and recommended walking. So now I pace back and forth briskly in my room two hours a day. One hour in the morning and one in the evening. I can handle that much exercise.
If your not sensitive to caffeine a workout pre-igniter may get you going. Realize your goal. The more exercise you do, over a long period of time the more you change your metabolism, and hormones and libido for the healthier. It’s a good enhancement which has aesthetic and cardio rewards. When your approaching 300lbs, that is the time life nudges you and say I do exercise now, or else I suffer diabetes things like that. It’s not that you want to exercise it is that you MUST exercise. Get that through your heads peace.
I aim to walk at least 20 min per day sometimes I have time to walk 40 minutes
Today I walked all together around an hour
I really feel it helps me mood wise
Sometimes you have to push yourself
I workout on my spin cycle about three times a week. It is hard initially to get going, but it feels good afterwards. I think walking is a good option. I like to do that when the weather is warm. I have also been controlling my food portion size and it have helped me with weight control and energy.
I was just thinking about this yesterday and today. I was reading in a book on psychiatric medications about the unfortunate side effect of weight gain. The psychiatrist who authored the book stated that it could be offset by exercise. Before the weather got so cold and bad and I was sick with the “bug” several times this winter; I walked everyday- usually to the gas station for a diet soda pop and a daily newspaper. It is beginning to become warmer now and I truly want to walk again. My problem and this may be others problems is that Seroquel is making me such a zombie that I don’t seem to be motivated to walk. My other problem is in the line of excuses. I need run an errand here. There’s something on tv that I want to watch. This week they are calling for rain especially Thursday and Friday. I have one more problem. I am working on an overhaul cleanup of my little apartment. So many things to occupy my mind and time; so little time.
I exercise every day vigorously for 30 minutes. The endorphins help manage my anxiety really well. It’s my biggest motivation to go, that and just plain staying in shape.
The first two weeks are the hardest to go every day. Get past that and you’ll get addicted and feel gross if you don’t go.
If I feel too tired to exercise I say to myself I will agree to walk for 10 minutes, and then after I do ten I usually feel like doing another 10 and then usually another.
My Fitbit says 13,500 steps today. I’m tired, but it’s the good “I got off my arse and moved today” kind of tired. I’ll take it.
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