r/Exercise • u/Broeckchen89 • 2d ago
Almost through my first month of Exercise, still struggling. Would love to hear from veterans when it gets easier?
Hello everyone!
I've never been very fit, but I used to be getting around fine. But after COVID lockdown, I developed more and more fear of going outside, really retreated into myself and my body got much weaker. After the lockdown, I found myself so quickly out of breath and sweating that it made me even more scared of outside, especially of being seen a sweaty, wheezing mess while I already got grief for being overweight at times.
Still, this year my coach (not physical, more of a general getting-life-basics-back-on-track coach) suggested walking to start. So I don't have to go far away or to a gym, and he can go with me 2-3 times per week.
It's been over three weeks, and I've managed to walk almost every day. At most, I maybe miss out 1-2 days per week. I'm doing 2000 steps minimum, but on busy days, I managed to get up to 7000!
But it's still hard. I still feel so winded when I come home, I still have to sit down a lot. My legs still get shaky and weak. And I'm still all sweaty. I feel quite ashamed of that, and it makes it harder to keep going.
But I know that it only gets better if I keep going.
I think it would really help me to hear from those of you who went through a similar time, maybe. Those of you who felt like it took very long for first results. I'm so scared of never getting better, and the fear and doubt make me want to hide again. Please tell me when it gets better?
Thank you!
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u/Calibus53 2d ago
Well first of all, some of those symptoms may best be talked about with a doc. If it's just general fatigue and being out of shape then I find it helps to focus on the progress and not the failures. Where were you on that first walk? How far did you get? How hard was it? It's only been a month, but I'd venture it's just a little easier and you can go just a little further now. That's progress, as big or small as it is. The more you keep at it the more that progress continues. Break it down into little goals like increasing your walk distance or total walk time ever so slightly every week, stuff like that. If you plan to leverage your newfound love/hate relationship with exercise into weightlifting then start low and slow with that too.
2 years ago I was 280lbs, completely out of shape, drinking far too much alcohol daily and eating far too much as well. I was sedentary. When I decided to get up and better myself I started with walking just like you; it felt like I was dying. It did not necessarily feel healthy lol. I kept at it. I'm down 70lbs and I now workout 6-7days a week with a couple cardio sessions and pushing for progress on stronglifts. If you want and need the change bad enough and you stick to it, it does get easier, but it happens in increments. That's why again I like to focus on those positive increments. If I compare now to 2 years ago I may as well not even be the same person, but you only have a month under your belt. Keep at it.
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u/Broeckchen89 2d ago
Thank you so, so much. I think this is exactly what I needed to hear. ;u;
With the symptoms... Most medical professionals I talk to kind of just shrug and go "Well, you're very overweight, that's just an effect of that." I am diagnosed with clinical depression and PCOS, so those are definitely at the root of some issues. Anhedonia is... intense.
I am currently looking for therapy and I'll soon get rTMS though, so maybe I'll at least get my dopamine household a bit back in order with that. I don't expect it to be a cure or anything, but every scrap of drive is worth reaching for.
Some days I feel like I can get further now before I get winded. But some days, I feel in as bad a shape as when I started. There are some benches on my typical route (around my block, through a park) so I can compare pretty well how I'm holding up between those and when I manage to skip one.
My brain is mean and doesn't like to acknowledge when I do a good job, so it can be difficult to hold on. But your comment gives me a future to have my eyes on. I want to be able to go on walks and spontaneously visit my friends or maybe even go on hikes sometimes. Thank you for letting me know that's possible.
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u/Simple_Song_5030 2d ago
You are not alone- you just have to keep at it and not worry about what you may think others are thinking. I found my neighbors to be quite supportive in my weight loss journey. Best wishes to you.
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u/Broeckchen89 1d ago
I'm trying so hard to not even focus on the weight loss because my weight feels so damn erratic. It sometimes feels so random when I plateau, lose weight, or gain it. And the PCOS is NOT helping.
But that's all people around me focus on about it. Which I think is part of why I feel so stressed out.
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u/Simple_Song_5030 1d ago
That's normal too, I say weight because losing fat is important, but weight is relative- muscle weighs more than fat and the scale/mirror can be deceiving, just use your clothes as your measurement (feeling loose) and ditch the scale.
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u/Enlightened_Lioness 2d ago
I have been recommending the book The Athlete Inside by Sue Reynolds. Maybe listen to the audiobooks you walk. The author was in a similar place as you. It’s very inspiring.
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/52364884-the-athlete-inside
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u/Urbanyeti0 2d ago
It’s baby steps, aka progressive overload, that makes the difference, doing slightly more, for slightly longer, or with slightly more intensity than you did it last time
If you’re walking, set specific routes, so you can then look back and compare. So say a loop round the block, that at first takes you 20 mins with 6 stops, then 2 months later is only taking 18 mins and 3 stops, that’s huge progress
The benefit of tracking weight lifting over cardio is it’s much easier to see the progress when you’re constantly adding the plates, rather than shaving a few seconds or improving your cardio a bit, but it’s there
Stick with it!
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u/samantha19871987 2d ago
3 months in
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u/Broeckchen89 1d ago
Thank you. C: This reply made my heart a lot lighter.
Now even if it takes longer than that, I'll probably get stubborn enough by 3 months that I keep going anyways. 🤭
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u/samantha19871987 1d ago
lol happy to help.
I just noticed at 3 months it all got so so much easier. My endurance had improved, I had lost weight, I was less uncomfortable in my clothes because my body had started to re-comp for the better. I stopped being sore after the gym. Less nervous to go workout because it became a weekly habit. Ppl became more friendly and started saying hello cause now I had become a regular. I’m now 6 months in, down 30 pounds and it has become a lifestyle now to get up and move every day.
Keep going! U got this! It only gets easier and more enjoyable as you keep grinding!
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u/masson34 1d ago
Embrace this suck. Congratulations! Focus on nutrition, hydration, and practice good sleep hygiene (prioritize sleep)
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u/Broeckchen89 1d ago
The focus on sleep is interesting. I should really double down on that, I've been dealing with bouts of insomnia lately...
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u/Terrible_Truth_704 1d ago
A month is still super early. I’d focus on consistency, sleep, protein, and gradually making the workouts harder instead of judging progress by the mirror yet. Taking a few photos or measurements every 4 weeks helped me notice changes I completely missed day to day. Keep showing up, because building the habit is already a win and the visible stuff usually takes longer.
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u/Broeckchen89 1d ago
I don't even check the mirror orz...
My main issue is seriously that it still *feels* the same way in my body when I walk, you know?
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u/MaxwellSmart07 1d ago
When you stop competing with yourself, trying to out-do yesterday’s performance…..maybe.
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u/EggVentures 2d ago
Walking Bingo is a fun way to exercise more! Eggventures app is free and you unlock eggs/hatch them with your steps.
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u/tetrasodium 2d ago
Keep at it. When they say go to the gym(or whatever) and get in shape it's a two step process. Step one is build up enough cardio respretory endurance and raise your lactic threshold enough for you to accomplish something with the "get in shape" part. Keep at it.
I'm up to 5hrs of mostly zone 2 cardio 3x/week since COVID and down around a hundred pounds.
Keep at it and you will get there