Exercise burns off that excess nervousness which comes with anxiety. So helpful. Yoga was good as its great but its also having your mind focused on the movements, positions and stretching. I now swim laps. Love it but at the start I was freakin about the increased heart rate that comes with exercise. I built myself up to 40 laps. Activities or hobbies which require your full concentration are relaxing as you are taken away from ruminating about problems and people. We are all looking for that one thing which takes all the anxiety away forever. There is no one thing... not even xanax. But its a combination of things which takes it away.
I don't know how or why I became athletic. In my 20's, I started playing tennis. I do not know why...I guess because it was so popular back then and "everyone" was picking up a racquet. I was thoroughly amazed that I was a natural. With a great backhand, might I add. Because I'm so obsessive by nature, when I find something I like, I want to do it all the time, so I was constantly recruiting friends and co-workers to play. It was actually a co-worker talking about "exercise class" that sparked my interest in that. She lent me an LP record "Feel Good, Look Great, Exercise with Debbie Drake." I worked out to it every single day in my studio apt. I also got into fast walking, cycling and exercise classes held all over the county, mostly aerobic conditioning. I absolutely LOVED it. Why was exercise so appealing? Well, it feels good to *be* good at something and it was the first time in my life that I'd found success doing anything at all. Also, it burned off the enormous excess energy I had. Lastly, and most importantly, it increased the endorphin activity in my brain. I FELT TREMENDOUS after any workout. I had no idea about that at the time. Years into it, I read something about this in the newspaper. I was stunned. Happy hormones are stimulated by increasing body movement, especially blood-pumping exercise! YES!
Exercise saved my life in so many different ways at so many different times. I made myself go to class in the midst of anxiety, depression, miserable heartbreak, etc. It did not make the anxiety immediately go away, unfortunately, but I was convinced I needed to do it. I am convinced movement is a life-giving potion that just makes you feel better. It's certainly worth a try.
Ugh, I know I need to move more. I am so stiff and sore all the time. I am pretty sure some of it is the fact I’m no spring chicken (in my 50’s…), but I know some is the lack of movement. I’ve been thinking about how to move more a lot lately…. Hhhmmm, funny that is NOT doing right? Time to put action to all that thinking. I can just feel it is the next step to push forward. Thanks Drew!
Now that the summer humidity has abated to some degree in Pennsylvania, I am pushing myself to walk every day and I am tracking my steps. Exercise has been a tremendous help since I started on my recovery. As Drew said, it has helped me begin to trust my body again. This has been absolutely vital for me. For six months, I was terrified every time my heart rate went up, because it felt like the beginning of a panic attack. I couldn't tolerate it for three seconds. Now, six months later, I can walk on my elliptical for 15 minutes! I can walk in my neighborhood and I am up to 5,000 steps a day. Exercise of any kind creates endorphins and this has helped me to feel a bit more hopeful and to do something good for my body every day now. Great timing with this podcast, Drew! Exercise helps in a myriad of ways, to get things back on track-albeit slowly. No, it's not a cure, but it's a small step to help the chemistry in your body. The panic cycle is all about chemistry, after all. Hopefully, when the body feels good, the mind will follow eventually...
I agree. And as anxiety is a cognitive problem (that effects the body and becomes a cyclical) then yoga won't be the 'cure' (or any other fitness). This was just me showing I agree saying that ;-)
And that adrenaline is released when you increase the intensity of the exercise.
I could have just made this whole idea of your blog more complicated. Sorry! But I am not sure it is red herring to say that adrenaline is not burnt off by exercise but fitness, yoga, tai chi...I think they all serve a good role in recovery and the brain realising what we can in fact do.
The “red herring” is the part where anxious people think that when they exercise they remove adrenaline from the bloodstream, which is categorically untrue. The red herring is the oversimplification that leads to the idea that exercise can be used as a “rescue” tool rather than just an overall wellness tool, which it totally is. 🙂
This peer reviewed article looks at the impact of adrenaline and noradrenaline on performance during exercise, beginning with the acknowledgment that increases in both have been measured consistently in other research.
“In fact, since adrenaline and noradrenaline are the main hormones whose concentrations increase markedly during exercise, many researchers have worked on the effect of exercise on these amines and reported 1.5 to >20 times basal concentrations depending on exercise characteristics (e.g. duration and intensity).”
I find when I go to the gym , I come out smiling , wow, I am able to do those weights and may work , and feel great , I can take on the world, for an hour after . But then next day , when I ache , it sets off that whole body scanning for sensations again . I find it a vicious circle
Exercise burns off that excess nervousness which comes with anxiety. So helpful. Yoga was good as its great but its also having your mind focused on the movements, positions and stretching. I now swim laps. Love it but at the start I was freakin about the increased heart rate that comes with exercise. I built myself up to 40 laps. Activities or hobbies which require your full concentration are relaxing as you are taken away from ruminating about problems and people. We are all looking for that one thing which takes all the anxiety away forever. There is no one thing... not even xanax. But its a combination of things which takes it away.
I don't know how or why I became athletic. In my 20's, I started playing tennis. I do not know why...I guess because it was so popular back then and "everyone" was picking up a racquet. I was thoroughly amazed that I was a natural. With a great backhand, might I add. Because I'm so obsessive by nature, when I find something I like, I want to do it all the time, so I was constantly recruiting friends and co-workers to play. It was actually a co-worker talking about "exercise class" that sparked my interest in that. She lent me an LP record "Feel Good, Look Great, Exercise with Debbie Drake." I worked out to it every single day in my studio apt. I also got into fast walking, cycling and exercise classes held all over the county, mostly aerobic conditioning. I absolutely LOVED it. Why was exercise so appealing? Well, it feels good to *be* good at something and it was the first time in my life that I'd found success doing anything at all. Also, it burned off the enormous excess energy I had. Lastly, and most importantly, it increased the endorphin activity in my brain. I FELT TREMENDOUS after any workout. I had no idea about that at the time. Years into it, I read something about this in the newspaper. I was stunned. Happy hormones are stimulated by increasing body movement, especially blood-pumping exercise! YES!
Exercise saved my life in so many different ways at so many different times. I made myself go to class in the midst of anxiety, depression, miserable heartbreak, etc. It did not make the anxiety immediately go away, unfortunately, but I was convinced I needed to do it. I am convinced movement is a life-giving potion that just makes you feel better. It's certainly worth a try.
Ugh, I know I need to move more. I am so stiff and sore all the time. I am pretty sure some of it is the fact I’m no spring chicken (in my 50’s…), but I know some is the lack of movement. I’ve been thinking about how to move more a lot lately…. Hhhmmm, funny that is NOT doing right? Time to put action to all that thinking. I can just feel it is the next step to push forward. Thanks Drew!
Stiff and sore can be about hormones. Something I noticed.
Thanks.
Now that the summer humidity has abated to some degree in Pennsylvania, I am pushing myself to walk every day and I am tracking my steps. Exercise has been a tremendous help since I started on my recovery. As Drew said, it has helped me begin to trust my body again. This has been absolutely vital for me. For six months, I was terrified every time my heart rate went up, because it felt like the beginning of a panic attack. I couldn't tolerate it for three seconds. Now, six months later, I can walk on my elliptical for 15 minutes! I can walk in my neighborhood and I am up to 5,000 steps a day. Exercise of any kind creates endorphins and this has helped me to feel a bit more hopeful and to do something good for my body every day now. Great timing with this podcast, Drew! Exercise helps in a myriad of ways, to get things back on track-albeit slowly. No, it's not a cure, but it's a small step to help the chemistry in your body. The panic cycle is all about chemistry, after all. Hopefully, when the body feels good, the mind will follow eventually...
5000 steps! Go Rachel!!! 🙂
Thank you so much!
I agree. And as anxiety is a cognitive problem (that effects the body and becomes a cyclical) then yoga won't be the 'cure' (or any other fitness). This was just me showing I agree saying that ;-)
But I am not sure about the part that fitness does not burn off adrenaline; we use it as we make it. That it is a red herring that whole thing. Is it? As many experts don't agree. Saying it does burn off adrenaline. https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/inner-source/201508/exercise-your-way-out-anxiety-and-depression
And that adrenaline is released when you increase the intensity of the exercise.
I could have just made this whole idea of your blog more complicated. Sorry! But I am not sure it is red herring to say that adrenaline is not burnt off by exercise but fitness, yoga, tai chi...I think they all serve a good role in recovery and the brain realising what we can in fact do.
The “red herring” is the part where anxious people think that when they exercise they remove adrenaline from the bloodstream, which is categorically untrue. The red herring is the oversimplification that leads to the idea that exercise can be used as a “rescue” tool rather than just an overall wellness tool, which it totally is. 🙂
This peer reviewed article looks at the impact of adrenaline and noradrenaline on performance during exercise, beginning with the acknowledgment that increases in both have been measured consistently in other research.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18416594/
“In fact, since adrenaline and noradrenaline are the main hormones whose concentrations increase markedly during exercise, many researchers have worked on the effect of exercise on these amines and reported 1.5 to >20 times basal concentrations depending on exercise characteristics (e.g. duration and intensity).”
I find when I go to the gym , I come out smiling , wow, I am able to do those weights and may work , and feel great , I can take on the world, for an hour after . But then next day , when I ache , it sets off that whole body scanning for sensations again . I find it a vicious circle