Secretly scared to start exercising

[purplekat]

It sounds silly, but I am!

Before being diagnosed as diabetic I'd let my weight get really out of hand due to illness and injury. I'd started to lose the weight slowly when diagnosed. I've been further hampered by more injuries, currently awaiting podiatry appointment for foot and all the doctor's said is 'non-weight bearing exercise'. Fair enough.

However, my mum's given me a couple of nasty frights where exercise and pushing yourself is concerned, and even though I know she's older and her diabetes is more advanced it's still freaking me out. She'd ended up in hospital in a diabetic coma with pneumonia a few years ago, which really knocked her health and fitness. She's slowly built herself back up to a minimum level of fitness that copes with all every day stuff. However, on a couple of occasions (when riding our horse) she's pushed herself to do more than she was up to, and all but fallen off having a hypo - the most recent one I actually thought she was going to pass out as she was that affected She's been diabetic for years, but I'd never seen a hypo before these incidents, and as medical stuff tends to scare me a bit anyway I was quite stressed by it.

I think it's due to the similarities (disregarding age/stage of diabetes) it freaks me out more - both unfit, both trying to regain fitness, she was doing something I want to get back to when she had the hypo...it's leaving me feeling really worried about how much I should push myself when I do exercise. I'm meant to be trying aqua-zumba for the first time next week, but I'm now worried in case I come over all shaky in the pool and can't get out (which IS really silly, I know I will be taking it easy the first time, with the aim being just to keep moving for the length of class, and I plan to have a bottle of lucozade within easy reach at the side of the pool).

Someone please give me a virtual kick up the rear, and tell me to get on with it!

 

[Truffle]

sorry to hear about your mum... but I am sure you will be fine. Sometimes it is just the fear itself which makes you feel shakey and nothing to do with your levels. Just take things easy in the pool (which is the best place to start) and gradually build up. Any excerise is better than none so well done for trying.

 

[didie]

Well done for booking yourself into a aqua Zumba class Purplekat :thumbup: It sounds fun! Just start off slowly to get your confidence and I'm sure you'll be fine.

 

[Defren]

Hi Purplekat. Like Didie I say well done for booking the aqua zumba class. I have just joined a gym this week and am waiting for my wellness appointment so they can asses what equipment I can use, and which I can't. I can use all of it, but guess it's for insurance purposes. Anyway, they do aqua aerobics, and it was those that caught my eye, as another poster here (Hana) goes to classes and enjoys it. I have said I want to use the fitness room, pool sauna :lol: weights as a possibility later on :lol: They do have other aqua classes, and I may well do those as well. The idea is I do one class of some sort every day. My daughters and himself will join me at weekends when they can. So getting to a local pool or gym with a pool is ideal for what I want to do. I will never play squash or five a side, but the sauna does sound inviting. :lol: I'm not joining mainly for the sauna - honest :silent:

 

[SouthernGeneral6512]

Just remember your body is made to work ... especially when you're young you are doing it more harm by not being active than being active

 

[Defren]

Just remember your body is made to work ... especially when you're young you are doing it more harm by not being active than being active

Not sure it's a one size fits all regarding exercise. If the OP has any other medical issues, then exercise may not be a good thing, or perhaps the exercise we would suggest may not be a good thing. Aqua exercising is a great way to keep fit, but even so, there may be some who it would not be suitable, and I think we need to bare that in mind.

Not all posters here will lay their soul bare and disclose all medical conditions, and I don't believe we should expect them too, or assume they have (not suggesting you have, just an observation).

 

[SouthernGeneral6512]

Take your point I just assumed with his mum still being young enough to be so active he must be in his early 20s

 

[purplekat]

Thanks for the confidence boosting replies

My mum's actually 63, but because she's remained relatively active despite back pain, sciatica etc, she's still able to try things (having a horse does kind of guarantee a min level of fitness required just from the care side). Thanks for thinking I'm in my early 20s SouthernGeneral - when you're in your 30s it's the kind of mistake you appreciate people making

All my other injuries have cleared up now, just this foot issue remaining (which is why a lot of my preferred exercise, eg walking, the gym machines I like, are currently out of the picture). I've never been very happy in water either, looking back, probably why I've not been attempting swimming in years. However, I do need to start doing something and it'll probably be the kindest on my foot. My friend is going to come with me so that should help a bit too.

 

[Defren]

Take your point I just assumed with his mum still being young enough to be so active he must be in his early 20s

I wasn't having a dig, honest officer. :lol:

 

[Defren]

Thanks for the confidence boosting replies

My mum's actually 63, but because she's remained relatively active despite back pain, sciatica etc, she's still able to try things (having a horse does kind of guarantee a min level of fitness required just from the care side). Thanks for thinking I'm in my early 20s SouthernGeneral - when you're in your 30s it's the kind of mistake you appreciate people making

All my other injuries have cleared up now, just this foot issue remaining (which is why a lot of my preferred exercise, eg walking, the gym machines I like, are currently out of the picture). I've never been very happy in water either, looking back, probably why I've not been attempting swimming in years. However, I do need to start doing something and it'll probably be the kindest on my foot. My friend is going to come with me so that should help a bit too.

Let us know how you get on. I just know you will feel amazing and so proud when you get out the pool for the first time. It's a really great idea to exercise with a friend, it gets tedious if you're out there alone, also a friend can chivvy you along if you start flagging.

Wishing you loads of luck.

 

[SouthernGeneral6512]

Take your point I just assumed with his mum still being young enough to be so active he must be in his early 20s

I wasn't having a dig, honest officer. :lol:

No, I appreciate the point you're making

 

[Sever]

aqua fit is a great start and so easy in the pool and great fun

 

[GraceK]

I'm also scared about exercise, even walking. The reason being that over the past 15 years I'd had quite a few falls which just happened as I was walking along the road usually. I didn't feel dizzy or trip, I would sort of fold up and go down and hit the pavement in slow motion. Only once did I injure myself when I cracked my ribs on the kerb. My confidence was knocked more than anything and I just sort of stopped striding out like I had before and I tended to avoid walking anywhere - and I do love walking.

The falls stopped and I started going to the gym with a friend and we used the toning tables. One day as I was doing sit ups on the toning table a woman came over and started chatting to me, I turned my head to reply and carried on doing the sit ups but suddenly felt dizzy and when I tried to stand up it looked and felt for all the world like I was drunk. Two days later I awoke at 2am with the room spinning round - I felt like I was inside a washing machine on fast spin. I rolled out of bed and tried to stand up and immediately fell over as the room spun round. Then I started vomiting. It was the most terrifying experience ever with no apparent cause for it. I don't drink alcohol and I hadn't eaten anything weird. My GP said it sounded like I'd had a Meniere's Spin and that I had Meniere's Disease. Apparently it begins with unexplained falls WITHOUT dizziness and culminates in the Meniere's Spin. She said I might be lucky and that might be the last of it, because sometimes it burns itself out. I did have dizziness for a few years afterwards which was treated with Betahistine and I've never had another spin. But the result was a fear of not just exercise, but of moving my head, because even turning to look at someone brought on the dizziness. It is such a horrible illness and affects life far more than people realise.

I loved swimming and couldn't do that either because of the side to side head movements and also the danger of having a spin in the water. I stopped walking because I was afraid of falling. And the weight piled on. I developed asthma, IBS, angioedema, anaphylaxis. Then came diabetes and I'm also having treatment for precancerous cells.

What upsets me most is when some people look at my obviously overweight figure, and assume I got that way from sitting at home all day feeding my face with pork pies. Others give 'advice' about needing to get some exercise, without even asking or knowing why I couldn't exercise in the first place. I had to spell out to one of my previous GPs the reason why I'd stopped exercising was because I kept having dizzy spells and falling over!

When I was younger, I cycled regularly, I walked regularly, I swam regularly, was never interested in the gym because I like the outdoors and I was a person who was always on the go and it's horrible to have lost that.

I've returned to swimming after 2 years and the Meniere's hasn't reoccured, thank goodness. I'm really enjoying my twice weekly swim and I've just sent off for some decent supportive walking shoes so that I can get out walking a bit more. I use trekking sticks now if I feel a bit unsteady, but I can't do anything like as much walking and exercise as I'd like to.

 

[hanadr]

If you live in a fairly urban area, you might find a Sports Therapist at a local leisure centre or gym. These people are not common, but are brilliant at tailoring exercise programs to health conditions. I've been going to classes with a wonderul one for several years now. I have some residual damage from a stroke almost 10 years ago. We do exercise in the water and everyone, whatever their condition [ and we have a whole range within the class!] benefits. I can do 10 minutes continuous jumping jacks in the water, but only a few on land.
Hana
Ps diet makes more difference to weight than execise does. How about the diabetics' friend, the controlled carb eating plan?

 

[anna29]

Hi All.
You ask all the questions you wish to - none are ever too silly either.
Another thought for you purplekat/mum and gracek too.
I attend a local church hall - chair based exercise class.
There are 17-18 of us all with various health issues and varying sizes/ages.
Some have been in serious accidents , had surgery, another lady is in a wheel chair,
others with joint and feet mobility difficulties.
Three of us are diabetic also!
We work on joint suppleness, balance, posture, muscle strenghtening
tone up and cardiovascular and how to use our lungs better when breathing.
For those vunerable to falls our teacher teaches us "how" to fall safetly without
breaking any bones.
Its how to 'roll' out the fall - as you go down, just like skiers/parachuters do!
Balance and posture teach us how to prevent falls and stand,walk safer also.
No-one ever judges others or laughs at them.
We wear what we feel comfortable in - no lycra leotards! :lol:
We finish of with a quiz and a brew the chance to mix and chat too.
I attend every session and 'LOVE' it...
Have made some lovely new friends here.
Hope this extra pointer helps?
Anna.