lACK OF EXERCISE

[LDMAN60119]

Hi,



   I have had a few posts on MEDHELP.  I have been suffering from Anxiety since Jan.  I am seeing a pyschologist for this and I am not on medication.  I have had a MRI/MRA and CT scan of brain, chest x-ray of heart and lungs, CT scan of sinuses, every test from blood sugar to thyroid.  I am not suffering from and physical sicknesses.  I am seeing a chiroprator and accupuncturist every week.  My proble is I am not exercsing.  I lost about 45 lbs from Jan-March starting at 324lbs.  Now I have gained back about 10 lbs.  I am not exercising.  I have chest and stomach soreness and get out of breath easy.  All arm and legs muscles are very sore.  I saw a foot doctor and he said my feet hurt from my hamstring and calves being tight.  Chiro said same thing.  Pulmanory doctor said x-ray of lungs fine and I don't have symptoms of asthma, he said it was all stress and he has seen it a million times. I went to Vegas 2 weeks ago and stayed up all night and ran around with friends and had NONE of these symptoms.  My ? is has anyone had these problems in here from not exercising?  Have you getting out of breath easy and sore muscles?  My wife owns a ladies gym and want me to get in there after hours, but I don't know if it will help.  If anyone has had any similar problems or suggestions i would be grateful for your $.02.

Thanks

[Roada]

My dear you are suffering from anxiety since Jan, I swear to you I am suffering from anxiety, being abused mentaly and sexually and strings of psychological disorders and trumas  all my life. I am 43 year old, the eighth child of a very poor Asian family of 12 children.  I have been seeking help and cure to all these mental pains and questions since arrival in the UK 15 years ago.  After applying to run London Marathon for 4 years I am given a place for 2005 which I defered to 2006 to get ready. I need to over come weight gain of many years of neglecting myself due to circumstances.  Since the beginning of the exercises a miracle has happened to me.  I sleep well, something I did not have even as a 5 year old child.  All the stess and fears that I had for my children's future, their university, the older one had made it to the uni, I am concerned for the younger one, all the worries and stresses that a single mum has are gone.  My world has changed for ever, I admitt I still have concerns, but they are manageable.  Exercise has brought the stress under control.  I am in pain and agony each time I jogg, but perhaps that is the price for not having fear, anxiety and stress any more and sleeping well, if that is the case, be it, let my legs ache and swell like ballons of pain.  I do not have thoes fearfull thoughts of what other think of my failures in marriage for instance, what my boss say,nothig , nothing matters to me anymore. I am relaxed.  I am bitting depression and anxiety and this is the magic of exercise.  You loosing an exetemely good offer if you dont listen to your wife.

[willtme]

I had a bout of anxiety/panic after graduating from college.  Nothing seemed to make me better (meds just made me worse) except for exercise.  I had all the same symptoms you are experiencing and went through the same tests.  After a severe day of anxiety, my whole body would be sore the next day.  I learned to never underestimate what stress can do to the body.  I experimented with dieting and exercise and I found that higher intensity exercises produced a stronger and longer lasting positive effect on my body.  Consistency is a must (at least every other day).  If you have been deconditioned due to lack of exercise over a long period of time (as I was), you may want to start out more slowly.  I started with light weight training and worked in cardio sessions after I strengthened my joints and muscles.  
If I would skip a few days exercising, I noticed that I felt worse and worse until I exercised again.  I started recovering from anxiety when I quit taking my medicine and opted instead for exercise (although you should never quit taking medicine unless first discussed with your doctor as some have negative side-effects)  
As for the shortness of breath, it can be due in part to deconditioning (out of shape), but also it could be one of the following:
1.) shallow breathing often associated with sufferers of anxiety, especiall during "attacks"
2.) stomach disorders that are pre-existing or accompanined by anxiety
3.) involuntary "clenching" of the stomach muscles  (I had a problem with this--my anxiety brought on IBS which I feel was caused by my continuous "clenching" of stomach muscles.  Next time you are out of breath, see if you are tightening your stomach muscles--worked for me)

Diet was as much a part of recovery for me as exercise.  Eat a well-balanced diet (avoid fast food,caffeine, alcohol, and other stimulating and gas-producing foods), exercise regularly, and begin eliminating stressors in your life.
Hope this is of some help.

[dquenzer]

I suggest that you start exercising in small amounts.  There is a connection between exercise and reduced anxiety.  When exercising at a high enough intensity for a long enough period of time endorphins are released into your blood.  Sometimes people experience this during a long run, and this is called the "runner's high".  I've experienced this myself, and it is really quite a euphoric feeling.

The fact that you feel sore may be a result of tension from your anxiety.  It sounds like you have what is called "General Anxiety Disorder".  But the fact you didn't feel anxious in Vegas is probably because you focused on something else and not your situation or your anxiety.

Also it is probably true that when you are anxious you do have a tendency to get out of breath quicker.  I know from track competition I wanted to relax as much as possible so that my breathing would be deep and relaxed.  If you are anxious and breathe from the chest and not from the diaphragm this could give the feeling of shortness of breath.

With your weight I would suggest that you try swimming.  There is a calming effect that comes from being in the water.  Also swimming puts less pressure on the joints etc.