Imaginos

Imaginos

Full-time layabout
Apr 7, 2018
638
It's been a few days since I last exercised and I can feel I'm starting to slip again, such to the point where a month or two might go by where I don't exercise at all. Damn it. I really hate this. There's just no fucking winning here. In the end, it just ratchets my self-loathing up to eleven. There's no salvation to be found in giving up and doing nothing, just as there's ultimately none to be found in exercise either. No matter what I do there's no respite from myself, but, even so, I hate myself for not being able to get myself really in shape and that even when I have all the time in the world to devote to it, I still stumble and fail constantly.
 
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saltshaker

saltshaker

salt shaker, rule breaker
Jan 29, 2021
402
I never do any exercise. It really bothers me and I hate being a disgusting fat blob, but I just cant summon the motivation nor the confidence to try anything. I'm too unfit to run and just the thought of going to a gym makes me want to cry. If I tried I would just fail.
Go for walks, they're something at least, not moving much can make you more depressed.
 
030366

030366

Member
May 18, 2020
26
I like running, its a good way to distract my mind from the work I do all day and also to get a break from my anxiety, whenever I don't feel like going out, I just jump rope in my garden.
 
J

JipJopMop

Member
Mar 6, 2021
96
I used to exercise and it absolutely had NO effect on my depression or desire to kill myself

Now I can't exercise due to a health issue
 
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Imaginos

Imaginos

Full-time layabout
Apr 7, 2018
638
Go for walks, they're something at least, not moving much can make you more depressed.

If you're agoraphobic, like myself, then walks are an impossibility. I wish exercise did more to stem my depressed feelings, but it never did, nor does it even now. Feeling like I have to exercise actually increases my depression and, if anything, inspires awful feelings in me.

I used to exercise and it absolutely had NO effect on my depression or desire to kill myself

Yep, same here. At the end of the day, it's just an utterly futile gesture. That's why I can never keep it up long term. The crushing uselessness of it eventually just becomes too much to bear.
 
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Dr Iron Arc

Dr Iron Arc

Into the Unknown
Feb 10, 2020
21,049
Go for walks, they're something at least, not moving much can make you more depressed.
I go on hourlong walks around my neighborhood almost once a day but they don't necessarily make me less depressed. If anything I get even more lethargic and tired because of them than when I don't go on a walk at all (like when it's raining too hard or something).

In fact the only benefit I feel from these walks is the little drops of praise and approval I get from people when I tell them I'm going on these walks. That's how low I've set the bar for myself and I love that.
 
Makko

Makko

Iä!
Jan 17, 2021
2,430
I found my old 2 kg dumbbells that I used to lift at random moments and feel like a pro body builder. Maybe I should start again?
 
S

summers

Visionary
Nov 4, 2020
2,495
I found my old 2 kg dumbbells that I used to lift at random moments and feel like a pro body builder. Maybe I should start again?
A set of dumbbells like this is the best money you can spend on exercise equipment for your house.
1615708509875
 
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magick'sgone

magick'sgone

And so on it goes....
May 16, 2019
125
I immediately thought of Old Boy when I read your original post! Great movie. Being locked up in that place would actually be a bit of a blessing now. But yeah, exercise is one of many necessary activities required in order to keep my shit together long enough to outlive certain people.
 
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muffin222

muffin222

Enlightened
Mar 31, 2020
1,188
Yes, exercise helps me a lot. I notice an immediate difference in my moods and stress levels when I begin to neglect my workouts.
 
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Apathy79

Apathy79

Arcanist
Oct 13, 2019
492
I've never done exercise for the sake of exercise in my life. But when I was young I enjoyed playing a variety of sports and was very good at one in particular that took up hours each day. Since then I've always enjoyed trekking and occasionally mountaineering and most of my travel has centered around that. Back home here in my hermitage, I still go for long walks on the beach, again not for the sake of exercise but because it's enjoyable. I have no doubt if I lived in the city I would never do anything even remotely resembling exercise, unless I planned a seriously demanding trek holiday and needed to be ready for it.

Essentially I've gotta enjoy it or I won't do it. I've never been to a gym in my life and can't even comprehend doing home workouts.
 
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Imaginos

Imaginos

Full-time layabout
Apr 7, 2018
638
I immediately thought of Old Boy when I read your original post! Great movie. Being locked up in that place would actually be a bit of a blessing now. But yeah, exercise is one of many necessary activities required in order to keep my shit together long enough to outlive certain people.

Glad to hear you know of it. Oldboy was my first taste of SK cinema and I've been interested in it ever since. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, from the same director, was pretty good too. Anyway, yeah. I've basically been locked in a room for close to 15 years, just like the main character from that film. He and I share such a similar predicament it's almost uncanny. In my case, I fall in and out of exercise habits since I lack an overarching framework to justify the effort. Without the chemical hook of endorphins pulling me along, there's nothing that can actually fuel the overall habit long term. At least not without a greater reason being in play and, for me, I just can never seem to find an answer to that which sticks.

Yes, exercise helps me a lot. I notice an immediate difference in my moods and stress levels when I begin to neglect my workouts.

I wish I could say the same. In my case, I have to do it in the face of the fact that it doesn't actually make me feel much better at all. In fact, it often becomes more like a constant mental/emotional pain on my psyche. I'm curious, but would you still exercise even if it didn't manage to improve your mood?

Essentially I've gotta enjoy it or I won't do it. I've never been to a gym in my life and can't even comprehend doing home workouts.

Yes, this is the core problem. Without actually enjoying the activity, then it becomes enormously more difficult to stay involved in the actual act of doing said activities. I've sometimes thought that if our house was somehow on the edge of a remote nature trail, one that I could jog along and use to stay active without running into other people, then this could be a really great way to make the act of exercise truly enjoyable. As it is, I have to rely entirely on home workouts which, no matter how I switch them up, are very tedious to actually do and feel very much more like a chore versus something that's actually stimulating or enjoyable.
 
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LONE WOLF.

LONE WOLF.

PUNISHER.
Nov 4, 2020
1,988
How
No, I certainly do not exercise. It takes decades of self appointed discipline not to exercise. My laziness known no bounds. I go for long walks with support workers.
How Did you get support workers Mick! I've been trying to get one for years!
 
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Mentalmick

Mentalmick

IMHOTEP!!!
Nov 30, 2020
2,050
How

How Did you get support workers Mick! I've been trying to get one for years!
I live in supported accommodation. Social services give you a set amount of hours per week. Although you do have to pay towards it. I pay seventy something pounds per week. How you go about getting them I have no idea, it was automatic when I left the asylum. Maybe contact social services? Sorry I can't be of more help.
 
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favourite

favourite

Student
Feb 15, 2019
191
I love long walks (long -- like 20-25k steps). I l'm also dipping my toes in calisthenics now.

Walking helped me lose over 60 pounds, so I don't feel so gross anymore. I'd say it's quite a success, lol.
 
J

JustLosingMyself

Mage
Sep 4, 2018
544
Walking the dogs twice a day...
Jump on the bicycle and do a round for an hour.
When I was well I'd commute to work with the bicycle. 4 hours a day in total for 100km. Would boost my energy and mood.
This pandemic has been a real boon for me; forced me to go out and exercise more
 
D

Desi

Student
Aug 16, 2019
118
I have to regive it a try.
it's either feeling the endorphins or having to drink (again) tonight.

NB: took the bike, went to the park, it's uphill, realized there was no place to lock my bike. Biked around a bit. Came back. And i just run around my place for a couple of additional minutes. Took a really cold shower to finish. Feeling the endorphins, a little.
i know i'm spiralling down, trying to fight it.
will try that again tomorrow. Longer run.
 
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eternalmelancholy

eternalmelancholy

waiting for the bus
Mar 24, 2021
1,169
I used to exercise and it absolutely had NO effect on my depression or desire to kill myself

People exercise to look better naked. Health benefits is just an excuse not to look shallow. I used to go to the gym before covid. I haven't gone since. I still do some light calisthenics at home though.

I think I actually look better now. I lost a lot of strength but since I no longer feel hungry from heavy exercise I rarely eat. Plus I just don't have the energy to get ready for the gym, drive, wait around for equipment, take a shower and come back home. To exercise for an hour at the gym requires a 3 hour commitment with all the travel and clean up.
 
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Imaginos

Imaginos

Full-time layabout
Apr 7, 2018
638
After 4-5 months of laying flat on the ground after yet again being bucked off the proverbial horse, I've got a bit of an itch to take another crack at exercise again, but as always the same difficulties present themselves.

One big problem comes back to the fact that I could never find a routine that was truly sustainable. Either it'd be too boring, or require too much technique that I wasn't capable of replicating. Ideally, exercising in itself would fully satisfy me, or at least satisfy me enough to maintain the habit, and thus allow me another means to pass the time so I wouldn't be left just sitting around staring into space or napping all the time, especially when I'm too sick of watching movies/shows or playing games to try and fill in the many unforgiving moments of my horrifically empty existence.

As it is, I'm also an absolute weakling. For instance, I can only do a max of 10 pushups (maybe 15 if I really, really pushed myself) before my entire body gives out beneath me. As much as I'm physically weak, I think my low self-esteem plays a big role here too. In the sense that my subconscious mind intensifies that weakness even further, so I basically psyche myself out into actually being even weaker than I am.

As far as equipment, I've got some kettlebells ranging 15-36 pounds, an ab wheel, a couple exercise bands, and a stationary bicycle. I'm 5' 10" and currently weigh 198 pounds. At my lowest I was 167 pounds, and I managed to keep myself in the low 180s for a couple years. Lately however, I've been getting fat again because, well, that's severely debilitating depression for you, followed closely by how I've returned to overeating in a futile/fleeting attempt to fill the void.

How is someone like me supposed to stay "motivated"? I mean, seriously, just how the fuck am I supposed to do that? Then again, I guess that's the eternal conundrum that me and tens of millions of other people find themselves having to grapple with, only to usually end up on the losing end of it in the process. It's a hellish predicament. One of those many things in this world where you either do it, or you don't, with no middle ground in-between. Nobody can help you, and nobody fucking cares.

Having said all that, I really should be going to the gym for my mother's sake, since she refuses to go alone and I'm the only who could accompany her. She's pretty overweight, bordering on extreme obesity, and really needs to start taking her health more seriously. Me though, I'm too depressed, afraid, and yes I'll admit it, too lazy to go to a place like a gym. I wouldn't even know where to start at a gym anyway, plus it wouldn't be long before I'd be too exhausted to do anything. Then again, if something happens to my mother, in terms of health complications due to her lack of exercise/activity, then it'll basically be all my fault. Because my brain can barely function these days, I'm left not knowing what I can do in the face of all this, but right now it seems like I'm headed for one hell of a nasty brick wall. The kind that will probably leave me viciously regretting my current inaction. It's really a shame that realizing this and seeing that it's probably coming at some point in the future isn't motivating me that much to change my behavior. Damn it. Fuck.

I can see the nightmarish inevitabilities approaching, and yet all I do is sit here unable to respond. I should be doing everything I can to alter this tragic trajectory I'm on, but instead I just keep on doing nothing. Yet how can you draw blood from a stone? Then again, I've got plenty of blood to spare. After all, I'm a living, breathing person, who sweats and bleeds like any other. Alas, if only I were nothing more than a stone. Then I wouldn't have to be anything, or feel the agony of not knowing how much is really in my control and what isn't.
 
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BeansOfRequirement

BeansOfRequirement

Behind the guilt was compassion
Jan 26, 2021
5,747
After 4-5 months of laying flat on the ground after yet again being bucked off the proverbial horse, I've got a bit of an itch to take another crack at exercise again, but as always the same difficulties present themselves.

One big problem comes back to the fact that I could never find a routine that was truly sustainable. Either it'd be too boring, or require too much technique that I wasn't capable of replicating. Ideally, exercising in itself would fully satisfy me, or at least satisfy me enough to maintain the habit, and thus allow me another means to pass the time so I wouldn't be left just sitting around staring into space or napping all the time, especially when I'm too sick of watching movies/shows or playing games to try and fill in the many unforgiving moments of my horrifically empty existence.

As it is, I'm also an absolute weakling. For instance, I can only do a max of 10 pushups (maybe 15 if I really, really pushed myself) before my entire body gives out beneath me. As much as I'm physically weak, I think my low self-esteem plays a big role here too. In the sense that my subconscious mind intensifies that weakness even further, so I basically psyche myself out into actually being even weaker than I am.

As far as equipment, I've got some kettlebells ranging 15-36 pounds, an ab wheel, a couple exercise bands, and a stationary bicycle. I'm 5' 10" and currently weigh 198 pounds. At my lowest I was 167 pounds, and I managed to keep myself in the low 180s for a couple years. Lately however, I've been getting fat again because, well, that's severely debilitating depression for you, followed closely by how I've returned to overeating in a futile/fleeting attempt to fill the void.

How is someone like me supposed to stay "motivated"? I mean, seriously, just how the fuck am I supposed to do that? Then again, I guess that's the eternal conundrum that me and tens of millions of other people find themselves having to grapple with, only to usually end up on the losing end of it in the process. It's a hellish predicament. One of those many things in this world where you either do it, or you don't, with no middle ground in-between. Nobody can help you, and nobody fucking cares.

Having said all that, I really should be going to the gym for my mother's sake, since she refuses to go alone and I'm the only who could accompany her. She's pretty overweight, bordering on extreme obesity, and really needs to start taking her health more seriously. Me though, I'm too depressed, afraid, and yes I'll admit it, too lazy to go to a place like a gym. I wouldn't even know where to start at a gym anyway, plus it wouldn't be long before I'd be too exhausted to do anything. Then again, if something happens to my mother, in terms of health complications due to her lack of exercise/activity, then it'll basically be all my fault. Because my brain can barely function these days, I'm left not knowing what I can do in the face of all this, but right now it seems like I'm headed for one hell of a nasty brick wall. The kind that will probably leave me viciously regretting my current inaction. It's really a shame that realizing this and seeing that it's probably coming at some point in the future isn't motivating me that much to change my behavior. Damn it. Fuck.

I can see the nightmarish inevitabilities approaching, and yet all I do is sit here unable to respond. I should be doing everything I can to alter this tragic trajectory I'm on, but instead I just keep on doing nothing. Yet how can you draw blood from a stone? Then again, I've got plenty of blood to spare. After all, I'm a living, breathing person, who sweats and bleeds like any other. Alas, if only I were nothing more than a stone. Then I wouldn't have to be anything, or feel the agony of not knowing how much is really in my control and what isn't.
If you're at all like me, then you need strength training--not cardio. Best thing would be if you could acquire a barbell and do at-home exercises such as the deadlift, shoulder press, squat and bench press (can be done on floor if you don't have a bench, I think). Some way of doing pull-ups might be good, as well. I don't like overhand pull-ups or chin-ups, so I do neutral grip pull-ups. For me anything over a certain amount of reps (depending on the exercise) feels like cardio and I hate it. There's also some weird movement when you place the bar on your hips (laying on your back) and hump into the air to strengthen the lower back or something, seen a few people do it in the gym.

Dumbbells are also an at-home option, if you're into that. I don't like them, but they are very popular.

Sounds like the gym would be a good option, but it might not be realistic. If I had to travel far to get to the gym I probably wouldn't go at all. If you end up going, I'd say start out with barbell exercises (compound lifts), surprise surprise. If you know what you're going to do at the gym, maybe it'll take less to just try it out.

About the motivation, I agree that it's more or less impossible for people in our shituations to get motivated to do things we don't like. This is why I recommend enjoyable strength training rather than cringe cardio/cross-fit or whatever.
 
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Imaginos

Imaginos

Full-time layabout
Apr 7, 2018
638
If you're at all like me, then you need strength training--not cardio. Best thing would be if you could acquire a barbell and do at-home exercises such as the deadlift, shoulder press, squat and bench press (can be done on floor if you don't have a bench, I think). Some way of doing pull-ups might be good, as well. I don't like overhand pull-ups or chin-ups, so I do neutral grip pull-ups. For me anything over a certain amount of reps (depending on the exercise) feels like cardio and I hate it. There's also some weird movement when you place the bar on your hips (laying on your back) and hump into the air to strengthen the lower back or something, seen a few people do it in the gym.

Dumbbells are also an at-home option, if you're into that. I don't like them, but they are very popular.

Sounds like the gym would be a good option, but it might not be realistic. If I had to travel far to get to the gym I probably wouldn't go at all. If you end up going, I'd say start out with barbell exercises (compound lifts), surprise surprise. If you know what you're going to do at the gym, maybe it'll take less to just try it out.

About the motivation, I agree that it's more or less impossible for people in our shituations to get motivated to do things we don't like. This is why I recommend enjoyable strength training rather than cringe cardio/cross-fit or whatever.

Well, I appreciate that you offered some feedback/advice, but the bottom line is that all this is just completely hopeless. Always has been, and always will be. On top of this, I've never been at a lower point, but since every single moment I continue to remain alive is a new low point for me that's not saying much, and it's taking all my wherewithal just to sit here and endure yet another shitty, painfully empty day. The anger/misery/stress swirling inside me is excruciatingly intense. Everything about what I am is a total fucking mess. I can't begin to express how intensely I hate myself, and this entire wretched existence I'm too much of a gutless turd to actually go out on a limb to try and fix (even if it's impossible), or to otherwise simply put an end to once and for all. Instead, I'm just left feeling impotent rage at how staggeringly shitty this existence of mine is compared to most other people, and just how goddamn unfair everything is in general. I constantly think, "Why me? Why did I have to get dealt such a ridiculously bad hand?", and the truth is that it had to get dealt to someone, and I was just the poor bastard unlucky enough for it to end up being me. Between bitterness, anger, and hatred, along with emptiness, sadness, and boredom, I never feel anything else. It's a wonder that I haven't completely snapped by now, but I guess there's still time for that to happen at some point, since things are never going to get any better.
 
Gabriel.88

Gabriel.88

Member
Jun 6, 2021
32
Yes, going to the gym/doing some type of exercise that makes your body go to 100% could save many lives.. When I started working out it was just about looks, but after you get more mature, you just do it ,cause it´s good for your mental health.
I know it´s hard to go to the gym when you are fat/skinny . I have been there & the best thing I can say is to not say you started going to the gym ,cause there are people who will mock you cause you are fat & you are in the gym..
 
...

...

crippled with grief
Nov 8, 2021
335
the gym used to be my foundation. was the source of everything good. when i life was shit and i couldn't do anything else i could always count on getting through a workout. but i shared it with my ex and was our biggest bond. now going to the gym makes me want to cry. not been since. lost my appetite. lost all my gains and strength over the years in literally a month. skinny as fuck now and even more depressed
 
TheHatedOne

TheHatedOne

Death is salvation
Sep 26, 2021
2,028
Yes, I do exercise whenever I have time, I've made it a habit ever since I was 15 and I'm proud of it. I mainly do it to maintain myself but it doesn't really help. Though, it makes me feel better temporary and I have to admit that once it even got me rid of the fear of living.
 
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