Guys, I made it!

With much anticipation I gave Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred another shot. I had to take frequent breaks but I did the best I could do. At one point I had to walk away to take the focus off my heart racing (I could feel the panic wanting to take over) but remained calm and went back to it. I did a very modified version but I was still getting my butt kicked. I hope someday I can keep up, that is my ultimate goal. :)

OMG, I did it again with even less breaks this time!! :carrot: I was so proud of myself I actually cried. Lets hope I can keep on keeping on. *fingers crossed

I know this may sound counter productive, but it worked for myself when I started. Drink a good amount of water and take an anti-anxiety med (maybe not a full dose but just 0.5). Also try not to drink caffeine before a workout.

Have you also thought of going longer at a lower level? Do you do things while you work out to distract yourself (music, TV, read etc.)? I find those help me kinda zone out and not focus on my heart-rate too much (going along the lines of working out with someone -- if people don't cause your anxiety lol!).

Good luck!

Bah! Doing cardio is no good during my monthly cycle I almost gave myself a panic attack. I'm more prone during hormone fluxuations, I should know better by now. From now on I will stick with Yoga during this time of the month.

You might just have a high max heart rate. Those formulas don't work for everyone. The highest I've seen mine is about 198 at the end of a race. That was years ago when I was very unfit (and I did work up to that high slowly). Now that I'm fitter, it doesn't get that high.

As someone else said, when you get fitter, you won't see your heart rate go up as high, and then maybe you will feel better about the numbers :). Hang in there. :hug:

Actually my heart rate was only around 150 tonight but I felt the onset of a panic attack so I quit. Normal days I can tolerate it up to 170ish. I have always had a hard time with panic disorder during my cycle, it's not uncommon for most people with anxiety/panic disorder to have the same complaint. I decided to give Jillian a go anyway and found out the hard way that it's a no go during this time of the month. Oh well..Yoga it is until my hormones even out. :)

All has been fine for a while since tonight, I pushed really hard and freaked myself out. Oh well, I didn't die. I have been on a roll and I'm not quitting. :)

I have a friend I met a year ago online that also has anxiety/panic disorder that is VERY similar to me and he swears full moons make him worse. I don't think his theory is too far fetched. It affects the tides why not people?

So far it seems like I am the only person with issue here. I know this is a depression forum but I didn't know where else to post this. I feel like this is something I need to talk about from time to time because this is definitely an obsticle for me when it comes to doing cardio, which I very much need.

I ordered a self-help book yesterday from Amazon (should've done this 4 years ago but I'm stubborn) and I hope it helps me further.

Hi novangel!

Good job on sticking with it and working through the anxiety. :hug: I think it is a good idea to push harder sometimes. You need to feel out your limits and the burn will be higher and you will get stronger. It will also help with your anxiety. I used to freak out just because I felt like my heart skipped a beat. The more weight I lost and the more I worked out the better I felt. Your body can take a lot and we just need to believe in it. Pushing it on a day I feel great really helped me increase my workouts and get a lot stronger.

Regarding the moon phases, I just wanted to tell you that I do believe that the moon has a great influence on us. I moved from Europe to North America a few years ago and was surprised that nobody really believes in it here. In Europe lots of people consider moon phases and even star constellations in their daily life. For example for hair cuts, gardening, farming for sure!, even mood swings, dreams and nightmares, etc. And I am not talking some nature freaks, it is something people discuss every day and is part of a normal daily life. Over here people just think I am crazy (so I just don't talk about it anymore!). But I do know that I get crazy dreams, can't sleep, headaches happen more often, mood swings etc. I don't look at the calendar and go "oh right full moon, now I can't sleep." but I can avoid a lot of that if I check the calendar and make sure that e.g. I am as relaxed as possible during full moon.
Everything seems a little more intense during that time and it can affect you negatively or positively. As you said the moon does influence the ocean, so why not us?

A little off topic I guess but I find that people in Europe are more in tune with stuff like that. (I don't want to offend anybody ok? I am just pointing out what I experienced.) I notice a huge difference with a lot of things. Food for example. There is fast food in Europe but I still think people are more connected to where the food comes from and do a lot more homecooking and gardening. I have never met anybody with allergies like lactose or gluten intolerance or even a nut allergy in 30 years living there. Not sure why (and I am sure there are people but just way less I guess).
Medication is a huge difference too. Where I come from a lot of home remedies are used and a lot less medication (and smaller doses!). Here everybody laughs at me because I only take one regular strength aspirin for headache and I am good and I had to tell my dentist to dial down the freezing because the dosage was way too high. I am on a quarter of a kid's dosage now.

I guess what I am saying is, try to work with your body and listen to it. Test your limits regularly and concentrate on relaxing and feeling in tune with your body. Make sure your workouts are fun and not a burden. If your heart starts racing, stop, relax, listen. Figure out what it is telling you. Does it come from your heart or your mind?
On the home remedy thing, did you try stuff like cammomile tea for relaxation? Some essential oils help to, maybe if you workout at home you could use those while you workout?
Yoga might be an idea too. It is a lot about breathing and flowing with the movements.

Keep us posted ok?

Originally Posted by josey:
Regarding the moon phases, I just wanted to tell you that I do believe that the moon has a great influence on us. I moved from Europe to North America a few years ago and was surprised that nobody really believes in it here.

I have never met anybody with allergies like lactose or gluten intolerance or even a nut allergy in 30 years living there. Not sure why.

Those of us that work in medical believe the full moon has an impact on people for sure! As far as daily life people don't think much about it, you're right. I never knew that about Europeans.

I agree the allergies and intolerances here are rampant and I don't know why either. Even when I was in grade school there was usually only 1 kid that was allergic to milk and now it seems like it's half the school. :?:

My son is allergic to dairy, egg, and walnuts (he outgrew the dairy) and not a single person on either side of the family has ever had allergies in any generation. :shrug:

As far as anxiety goes, I am doing better and I will keep you guys posted. Thanks.

music!
 

Hey, I've read the whole thread and I'm so happy you're making progress...I was gonna suggest throwing on some happy music and dancing around to get some basic fitness and then your heart rate will improve on its own - but it sounds like things are going well for you.

Yes, I am still doing good so far. :)

TOM is on it's way soon and that's when I usually have to slow down for a few days. Hormone fluxuations always elevate my heart rate/anxiety. I will feel it out and if I am hesitant I will go back to Yoga for a few days.

I'm starting to get thinner for sure! The scale has been down for 2 days but I won't change my ticker until TOM is over and then I will weigh in again for a more accurate read.

I'll report back sometime soon. :)

I allow my heart rate to get to 172ish and I'm good...I have come a long way, I remember when 120-130 would set me off. :)