Does anyone else worry about exercising?

[Crazychick]

my anxiety is pretty much based on my fear of there being something wrong with my heart.. had some scary symtoms in past but had ecg and they said all fine just try to relax...funny!!

now when i am having a few off days or just generally actually i am almost scared to go back the gym. i used to go every morning before i had first scary bout of heart palps and now i cant seem to get past it and if i try i get so stressed that i do have palpatations...vicious circle or what!

just wondered if anyone else had similar fears or have got passed them??

[jessed03]

Hey CC!

I think this is normal :) Almost everyone I know has felt like this, it's a really common problem. Anxiety can make the heart do some very strange (albeit it safe) things. Obviously the fear has to be worked on using cognitive strategies, but that's obvious, right?

When something scares us, it takes a while for us to feel normal around it again. Many people feel the same way after injuries or strains. Exercise makes the heart go faster, releases adrenaline, and for many people can mimic what a panic attack looks like.

It was quite a while before I started exercising normally. I took it really slow, otherwise my body and mind would go back into anxiety mode. I started off by walking and light stretching for 10 minutes, then after a few weeks, gently jogging for two minutes, a few weeks after I tried 5 then a few weeks after 7, 10 then 15+ minutes. If ever it felt too uncomfortable on my body, I would go back a stage. Then after around 4/5 months I could gently push things, and slightly exert without problems. It was all a very gradual build up, I was never too uncomfortable, nor did I do anything to increase me heart rate by more than about 10 beats (but don't pay attention to this when working out). Correcting breathing is important too. Exercise with your mouth shut to prevent hyper-ventilation. Build up slowly and get the body comfortable around it again. You'll soon see your own limits, it's always better to under do it, than over do it when it comes to recovery strategy.

Be nice to yourself, and listen to your body :)

[PanicCured]

Yeah I was very scared to workout in my deep panic phase. I felt so sensitive and was so scared of my heart beating fast. I did yoga instead and I never had a panic attack during yoga, even while I was deep in major anxiety. It;s funny now. I used to spend all day worrying about my heart beating too fast, now I go to the gm and purposefully make my heart beat fast. Today I had my heart up to 162 beats a minute on the cardio bike during sprint intervals!

[Crazychick]

Thanks for the replies..I guess I am just going to have to bull by the horns..so to speak...And try to start it off slowly....

It's so annoying I think about walking in to town sometimes which is only ten mins but down a steep hill and obviously back up on the way back and sometimes I have a panic just thinking about doing it.. I try to make myself do it anyway though and hey look I'm still here....god I wish there was a miracle cure for anxiety
Problems

[ged2md]

I originally was very afraid of exercise and the gym seemed daunting as my heavy breathing and palpitations would occasionally bring on a panic attack. When I finally was able to control some of this fear and get on the treadmill, the fear went away. Exercise is such a great way to deal with stress and anxiety and I think it's worth it to start slow. Maybe try exercising in your neighborhood first and eventually ramp up to the gym?

[jcsllc]

my anxiety is pretty much based on my fear of there being something wrong with my heart.. had some scary symtoms in past but had ecg and they said all fine just try to relax...funny!!

now when i am having a few off days or just generally actually i am almost scared to go back the gym. i used to go every morning before i had first scary bout of heart palps and now i cant seem to get past it and if i try i get so stressed that i do have palpatations...vicious circle or what!

just wondered if anyone else had similar fears or have got passed them??

Had similar issues. Went to a cardiologist and had several test. Everything was fine physically. The way that I had to approach it was baby steps. I normally have only two speeds. 0 or 100mph, I had to change that. Instead of walking at 3.6mph for 45 minutes, the first 3 times I went 3.0-3.2 depending on how I felt for 20-25 minutes.

I was able to increase a little at a time and the anxiety over it started to slowly ease up. I got a URI and had to stop for a week and half. I started the whole process again and it worked. I'm now back to my old levels.

Hope this helps!!!