Soo just signed upto the gym...

[smurfychris]

with my best friend, who completely understands how I am and what I'm going through, anyway has anyone else done this, and if so what did you start out doing? also did you notice a decrease in anxiety levels afterwards? Obviously will be starting out slowly

[jessed03]

How bad is your anxiety Chris, is the first question that must be asked before answering! :)

[smurfychris]

How bad is your anxiety Chris, is the first question that must be asked before answering! :)

Erm, well it used to be at a point where I wouldn't even go out, now I do go out on occasion, with friends, though generally around the house, running up the stairs would equate to breathing faster which would remind me of anxiety and that would maybe escalate, but I know for a fact if I can get though and start doing exercise properly it'll help.

[krayziee]

At the beginning it will be hard trust me, the new people you encounter and the discipline you need for working out. I always was too bored while working out and my mind would drift and cause panic. Also the body sensations you get when working out can cause panic, like sweating and your raised heart or dizziness.

But i believe it's a great step to take, our bodies are in bad conditioning, I believe if you train yourself you can also cope better with the anxiety attacks.

Hope this helps.

[smurfychris]

At the beginning it will be hard trust me, the new people you encounter and the discipline you need for working out. I always was too bored while working out and my mind would drift and cause panic. Also the body sensations you get when working out can cause panic, like sweating and your raised heart or dizziness.

But i believe it's a great step to take, our bodies are in bad conditioning, I believe if you train yourself you can also cope better with the anxiety attacks.

Hope this helps.

Hey, yeah I understand what your saying, and that's the small bits I'm worried about, the sensations, like running etc but I think your right that if you can get past the bad start, because it won't be easy, maybe it'll be much easier to cope with things afterwards.

[smurfychris]

So went to the gym for the first time, most amount of exercise in probably a year and a half, I know what people mean when they say sensations and no wonder it's like an evil circle, after working out etc your muscle, body kinda shakes, need to teach myself that it's a positive sign rather than freak out ^_^

[Enduronman]

I started weight training in 06 when I was going through a divorce, living in an apt 2 blocks away from my 3 kids that I wasnt allowed to see. I was working then, paying for the apt, paying a mortgage, paying support on 3, paying in more ways then money. Anxiety was in control of me in every way. Beginning an excercise routine was the best decision that I had made in a very long time. When I started lifting I weighed 189 pounds. When I had to stop lifting I was 228. I got really strong but it took awile too. I was abit to old but I didn't pay any attention to that. The gym became an addiction and setting new goals to acheive in there gave my mind something else to think about besides how much of a wreck my life had became and gave me the ability to focus on many other things besides my high anxiety.

Yes, it is beneficial in many ways. It will increase your sense of being, confidence, strength, social skills, outlook, perseption, and pretty much every other possible positive effect there is.

Your decision to join a gym is a great decision Chris and yes the body will go through all kinds of different sensations, but they're all good ones.

Keep pushing friend!