I think this suggests that the best way to stay motivated might be to join a class that has a professional teacher (e.g. a workout class) where the person can get the support of a leader and perhaps the emotional support of other people in the class.
Exercise can improve clinical outcomes in people with severe mental illness (SMI). However, this population typically engages in low levels of physical activity with poor adherence to exercise interventions. Understanding the motivating factors and barriers towards exercise for people with SMI would help to maximize exercise participation
Many of the desirable outcomes of exercise for people with SMI, such as mood improvement, stress reduction and increased energy, are inversely related to the barriers of depression, stress and fatigue which frequently restrict their participation in exercise.
Recommendation:
Providing patients with professional support to identify and achieve their exercise goals may enable them to overcome psychological barriers, and maintain motivation towards regular physical activity.
I used to be an exercise freak, going on long bike tours (75 miles a day) . But exercise causes my psychosis, strenuous or in a he heat. I have myasthenia gravis.
When I was very psychotic I worked out 5 hours a day. The lady in the psych ward was impressed with my body when I had to take my shirt off. Now I don’t work out I’m too lazy.
The meds make it hard to motivate…I barely do much but pace…as far as exercise…I USTA sand blast industrial air conditioner housings…the sand bags weighed 100 pounds…I would have to refil the hopper with 8 to ten bags of sand…once an hour and a half by hand…I would get too hot now and prolly pass out…due to my meds…
I’ve been exercising regularly for almost ten years now. I think my motivation is anger at what happened to me because of my schizophrenia. I find I feel a lot better if I work out.
For me (a) Motivation and boredom. I have an exercise bike but after 5-10 minutes I am getting fed up (b) gym/professional class: social phobia, exercises done too quickly for me to get the hang of them(poor coordination/slow) - ditto exercise videos.
The thing that suited me best was swimming but alas they closed the pool in the centre of town and moved it to the suburbs. It would require a bus ride and it’s an unfamilrar route(fear of getting lost and trapped).
There’s walking but due to difficulty with unfamiliar territory it means I’m confined to the centre of town,which is boring.
I used to enjoy the country walks I did with the resource centre,what seems like ages ago now.
I was known for insane exercise before I accepted that I was not gonna make a career out of it, then I had to pick it back up in moderation (relatively) for a health crisis…that got cleared up, now three good workouts a week keep me athletic and keep my stamina solid.
I exercised 4-6 hours a day as a teen…not okay. 1-2 hours when I had to for hypertension…now that ■■■■got fixed (it was med-induced) and now I do 3 30-60min workouts a week and they’re advanced but easy for me.
Does help a lot with self-esteem and mood, as well as sleep. I take a lot of pride in my body, it’s basically a work of art and science to me…that I really have taken charge of.
