Panic Disorder and exercise
 

Hi,

Well...here's my frustrating issue. I need to lose weight, I am really trying. So far all I can do is moderate exercise; yoga, walking, weight lifting. I NEED to do cardio because I am not getting the results I want but I can't handle the feeling of my heart racing. Any time my heart rate gets too high (it skyrockets because I am so out of shape) that I throw myself into a panic attack everytime I attempt to do cardio. I am on meds but that doesn't stop the panic from coming on if I push myself too hard...It's to the point now that I sometimes feel anxiety before I even start to exercise fearing that I may have a panic attack. I want to lose weight so bad but I have an irrational fear of heart attack that isn't warranted by any medical condition other than anxiety disorder so I just stick with Yoga...

Anyone else have this issue?? I can't handle my heart going any faster than 150bpm and cardio makes it go up to the 170-180 range. I can't handle that. Now what?? :mad:

I have to get over this...

Ok, first of all, you don't NEED cardio. It's good for your heart health but it's not neccessary to weight loss.

Have you had your heart checked out? I used to get that panicky racing heart thing and I found out I have a pretty bad Arrhythmia. The racing heart thing was a physical reaction. I got an RX for Beta Blockers and they really help when I start to feel like I can't calm down.

I had an EKG in the ER in 2009 when all of this started and they said my heart functions normal. I'm assuming an EKG is pretty sufficient for finding a problem if there was one.

I guess I feel I NEED cardio because I am not seeing the results fast enough and I am starting to get frustrated...I don't want to get discouraged and fall off the wagon. I know cardio would do it, but mentally I can't right now. I am working on it and I have made some progress (learning to not be scared of my heart pounding) but I am impatient.

I know this probably sounds ridiculous to some people. After having severe anxiety for years my mind automatically associates heart racing with panic. I have to train myself to chill out.

What if you exercise with someone? Thankfully my higher dose of meds has kicked in now but just weeks ago I would get panic attacks walking up a hill. Would do ok with someone else cause I would tell myself "if I have a heart attack at least someone else is with me".

No, I don't have anyone to workout with but you're right that would help. I think the same way that at least if someone is around I'm not alone if something did happen. I used to not be able to even walk up a flight of stairs without setting myself off but I am getting better. Slowly.

I guess I am just looking for reassurance that if my heart rate does go to 170-180 I'm not in serious danger or anything. I mean I feel ridiculous being 150+ pounds when there's people on here that are way heavier and push themselves way harder and they're fine. I feel so pathetic.

Nothing bad will happen if you elevate your heartrate, I promise!

When I first started exercising I was pushing 190 at a slow pace on the elliptical and making myself dizzy! Now, even after I sprint my heart stays in the 160 range. Your body will learn to be more efficient and your heart won't beat so hard once it's used to regular cardio activity :).

Hugs to you, Novangel! Maybe you are trying to do too much too quickly; just sayin'.

If I might be so bold to suggest, why not try just walking. On the flat. For a few minutes at a time. When you can do that, walk some more. A few more minutes added each time, a little faster. Still on the flat. Etc. And then...try a hill...uphill...SLOWLY. If your heart pounds just a little, keep telling yourself that it is SUPPOSED to do that...your body is working hard and even someone who is a tiny little person (from my perspective you are already a tiny little person ;-)) in great shape will have an elevated heart rate with exercise!

Please don't beat yourself up...either for not losing quickly enough...whatever that means...or for not exercising enough...whatever THAT means. Start small and work your way up! You can do it!

I started out a couple of years ago and couldn't make it around a single block without stopping 3-4 times for a rest. Panting and huffing and puffing and my heart felt like it was gonna fly right out of my chest! But I kept at it over and over and after a few weeks, I didn't have to stop anymore. So I went around two whole blocks. Big deal, right? Well, it was HUGE to me then! It took me about 4 months to be able to do much better than that, but I found that persistence and patience were the keys to success.

I was off the eating properly part of the plan until a week ago, so I have a LOT more pounds still to shed, but still walk a lot just to keep in shape mentally. Believe it or not, exercise, even just a little, makes a HUGE difference in your mental health. Makes those natural brain feel-good chemicals turn on. I have faith that if you take it slowly and stay on track, you will see a really big improvement over the way you feel now, both physically and mentally. And the more fit you get, the less your heart will pound with the same level of exercise.

I hope you get it all worked out so it works for YOU, doing it YOUR way, not the way that worked for anyone else!

Barb

Originally Posted by :
Anyone else have this issue?? I can't handle my heart going any faster than 150bpm and cardio makes it go up to the 170-180 range. I can't handle that. Now what??

So don't do cardio that high a level.

A gentle walk, easy swim, or cruising bike ride is still cardio. It doesn't have to be high impact stuff like running or aerobics. Stay in your target heart rate range. For my age I get 101-156 ish.

Find yours.
http://www.active.com/fitness/calcul...heartrate.htm#

And go with the low end for now.

I can do more for short bursts but then my asthma gets all huffy. So I rather stick to inside my range. Everyone has to work within their ability, right?

GL!
A.

How about a Heart Rate Monitor? Or is that going to freak you out? I just got one and I was convinced it is going to freak me out but I set it so it only beeps when it gets too high. As long as I don't watch it all the time I am fine. When it get's too high I slow down or pause.

Cardio is not the one that helps with weight loss and toning - the more important if weights or resistance training. Cardio will not sculpt your body.

I had the same exact issue when I started working out. My heart would pound before I even started exercising because I would manage to freak myself out so badly - then I would start to exercise and put myself into a full blown panic attack b/c I was so sure I was going to have a heart attack right then and there.

What worked for me was pushing through it in small increments. Doing a few minutes of something that got my heart rate going and realizing that I was really *fine*. Then, next time, I'd push for a few more and so on until I can now do a whole, intense workout without putting myself into a panic over it.

The truth is that you've been checked and your heart is fine...it really can handle the exercise and, over time, your heart rate will actually become lower as it becomes more efficient from the exercise.

That's exactly what I am doing, Sunshine is pushing a little more in small increments and it's so far so good. :)

Thanks everyone!

Thanks, that's what I try to do is just let it be and accept that it's just my heart "working" not getting ready to explode. lol

BTW, congrats on your weightloss! Very inspiring. :)

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. :)