Exercise support group

[[...]]

That's great, Fran!

[[Cr...]]

Hey Drew, just checkin in....my exercise has been greatly reduced, my body literally gives out after a couple minutes of running and lifting weights really messes me up, my muscles already feel like i did just from existing. I fully believe in the benefits of exercising, but im afraid my inability to make it an endorphin rush greatly impacts the level of benefit I can get....ive also been walking and moving as much as i can, but so far after weeks am seeing no progress in time or feeling. Going to keep at it, was just hoping that combined with impeccable diet would have had more impact. I am technically in acute though, but still, at 1 month off i think im getting worse

[[...]]

Hi CP

You can do this. You do not need an endorphin rush to get benefits from exercise. IMO, the key thing is to progressively increase the duration and/or intensity of exercise slowly, and without more than just a little increase in your symptoms. The good stuff from exercise, BDNF and other chemicals, will come about from the increase in exercise stimulation and not just the total amount. These chemicals are due to the adaptation our bodies are forced to make due to steadily increasing levels of exercise we are subjecting ourselves to. I could only do 2 minutes of walking at 1mph on my treadmill and no weights when I started exercising. It gradually went up from there and very light weights started a little later. Eventually, I was able to work out hard again but it took a long time to get there. The positive effects from exercise did start right away from that minimal level. I feel it contributed a lot to my healing. http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=77609.0

Good luck

 

Bart

[[Cr...]]

Thanks Bart, your writeup on exercise corroborated what i already thought to be true, that it can be really beneficial. At the moment I am running every other day until exhaustion which is about 4 min at 6mph, i have also been doing light weights more as cardio and stretching than strength training some days. Ive yet to find any benefit, but i am extremely depersonalized with 24/7 spinning thoughts and a deep dark depression, i sob constantly on and off all day and am regularly suicidal. So far, the exercise isnt working (its been a month) any my symptoms are the same if not worse than when i was on the med after failed reinstatement. I'm seriously beginning to think it may not be the benzos.

[[dr...]]

Cp-like you I don't see any benefit but I also think I'd be worse than without it.  I have heavy DR and anxiety most of the time too.  Like everyone else before me I thought I'd be way better than this right now but it is what it is.  I can't lift any weights as my muscles are super sore just from gentle walks.

 

Hi Bart!  How you feeling?

[[...]]

Hey Drew

Great job you're doing this thread. Thanks for starting it. I'm basically fine so long as I don't over indulge my vices.

Bart

[[va...]]

I'm going to torture myself to death

with running

:laugh:

 

just did 2 laps...

will do another 2 this afternoon

and then in the evening

 

:idiot:

[[Cr...]]

Hey Bart, i have read a lot of your threads and responses and consider you my superior in terms of intellect when it comes to this. Was just curious as to your opinion on ketogenic diets and intermittent fasting in terms of being beneficial to wd (I remember Perserverance mentioning fasting and keto in her MCT Oil thread) and i inadvertently used fasting combined with low carb diet in the past with what I believe to be the best i ever felt in wd (rigorous HIIT exercise being a key component as well)

[[...]]

Hey Bart, i have read a lot of your threads and responses and consider you my superior in terms of intellect when it comes to this. Was just curious as to your opinion on ketogenic diets and intermittent fasting in terms of being beneficial to wd (I remember Perserverance mentioning fasting and keto in her MCT Oil thread) and i inadvertently used fasting combined with low carb diet in the past with what I believe to be the best i ever felt in wd (rigorous HIIT exercise being a key component as well)

 

Hey man

I know that a ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting are great aids for bodybuilders and good for improving general health. I don't know how they would work for a person recovering from benzodiazepine damage. There is a chance they may increase stress on your body and exacerbate symptoms. If you try them just be careful and watch out for problems. Usually, just recovering from benzos provides more than enough stress for us. If you try one of them please report your experience. I've packed on some weight lately due to excess partying and junk food. I need to get back on the wagon and do something like you've done in the past.

Bart

[[Cr...]]

Very briefly keto has been found very helpful in epilepsy and neurological disorders and is assumed to be neuroprotective. Fasting has been found to not only potentially raise growth hormone, it also sensitizes insulin response and gives the body a needed rest from digestion to focus on other tasks (you still get all your nutrients for the day, just in a smaller feeding window)

 

Here is Pers' post that mentions both, but there is plenty of more scholarly info on pubmed and the like, as well as a bevy of articles online. http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=127796.0

 

And another writeup (sorry for poor source, on cell phone)

[[no...]]

Aloha everyone  I have just got back indoors after walking up and down my street in  my Pajamas,  which are blokes flannelet ones I bought two year's ago from the Mens dept of a clothing store. And as they are built for comfort not sexiness and obviously Pajamas, so I looked like the local mad woman  wobbling up and down the street but I don't care!! 

 

I did it and thats what matters, and its the first outdoors walk since my last one on 28/3/15 put me out of action for over a week, but I did manage to do what I needed to survive indoors at the time, so thats also good  It was lovely to feel the fresh air and smell the spring Primroses and all Natures Glory even if it was a bit of a push to do it I am grateful I was able too and did it. 

 

I was going to just put out the trash and get back indoors when I decided to put the trash out and see how far I can walk, and did twice up and down my street which is 100% from being stuck indoors and unable to move much at all due to many sxs. It was a bit hard on the breathing which is also problematic but I never died from suffocation  so its worth it even if it has added to sxs a bit, I am going to try again in a while.

 

I also read a few weeks ago that if your unable to do much but can sit then to stand up and sit down just once every ten minutes as this will constitute a work out and get the lymph gland and nerves working.  To stand, you have to tense your leg muscles, and engage the muscles of your back and shoulders; while standing, you often shift from leg to leg. All of this burns energy.

 

Nova xxxx  :smitten:

[[Cr...]]

Thats awesome Nova! Heres hoping you dont have to pay for it too much later and are able to continue to push further. Its the last thing i want to do every morning and i always feel worse afterwards, but i get on that treadmill and i run for as long as i can, eventually, from past experience, i know i will come to desire it. Im just hoping its sooner than later....at the moment it makes my dpdr worse for the rest of the day.

[[Al...]]

Bart-Good morning and thank you so much for posting the link about exercise. I just perused through it but I will read the thread while I work out. I too noticed a huge difference when I increased my every day work out from 90 minutes a day to 2 hours a day. My Pdoc told me if I am able to do it I should work out for 2 hours a day and I should also lift weights for 20 minutes a day. She told me that there has been a recent study that lifting weights is great for the back of your brain. I have been working out for 23 years (7 days a week I never missed one day of exercise) and I worked out every day while in recovery. I know that exercise has helped expedite my recovery and my s/x were very manageable and all abated quickly. There has to be a positive correlation between working out daily and recovery.

 

CP-You need to listen to your body and please don't push exercise if you can't. I only work out every day because I can and my body and brain is telling me this, and I realize how fortunate I am. When I increased my work out from 90 minutes to 2 hours I never felt out of breath or sore, my brain actually wanted more. I know this sounds crazy but one would have to experience it to know what I am talking about. Everyone heals in time but it's so important to listen to your body and don't over do it if you are not feeling well. You have your entire life to work out!!

Fran

[[...]]

Hi guys

I look at exercise as a positive addiction. When I miss a few days I feel out of sorts. Also, I suspect the positive biochemical effects of weight lifting relative to aerobic exercise are under appreciated. This is because from a researchers perspective it is a whole lot easier to get rats to run on a treadmill than it is to get them to "pump iron" or do something that simulates weight lifting.

Bart

[[Al...]]

Please read.

http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2013/10/how-exercise-beefs-brain

[[La...]]

Glad to see you folks are all doing well and getting out. I made it to the gym this morning, after the dreaded terrible wake up. I still had an overload of anxiety, but I worked it out this morning. I even remembered my ear phones today, loaded with my fav music. Had a guy even ask what I was doing different today as he said I looked as if I was enjoying myself too much. I told him it's the music making a difference and he gave me kind of an odd look and a nod, lol. I increased all my weights by 10lbs again and cannot wait until Wednesday tog et back. My workout now is about 45 minutes long. Next week and I'll add 3-4 more exercises and get myself to over and hour workout then. I tell ya, those endorphins are a wonderful thing when they begin to kick in. It takes away the pain, the worry, the depression and turns my world around. I think I'm hooked.

 

Hope everyone has a great day and can get out to do some exercise. 

 

 

Jim

[[dr...]]

what the heck is with the dreaded morning wakeups....I get the worst anxiety and feelings of dread.  Add in assorted racing heart or other stuff and it's not pleasant.  I just self talk to myself that this is normal for recovery and will pass in time.  I also tell myself I will feel better in an hour which I almost always do.  Very unpleasant

[[sh...]]

Great job guys and thanks for sharing!

 

I got back in the gym last thursday after a 5days out do to work and man it felt good.  Went Thursday,Friday and Saturday and im sore as hell and love it.  It takes my mind off the tension that i get in my muscles when I dont work them.  Cant wait to get after it again this afternoon.

 

stay strong!

sharkey

[[sh...]]

what the heck is with the dreaded morning wakeups....I get the worst anxiety and feelings of dread.  Add in assorted racing heart or other stuff and it's not pleasant.  I just self talk to myself that this is normal for recovery and will pass in time.  I also tell myself I will feel better in an hour which I almost always do.  Very unpleasant

 

I think my worse symptom now is the same thing.  That darn morning anxiety. Usually takes me until after lunch to snap out of it.  Especially on Mondays!  Have you tried eft tapping?  if not check out emofree.com.  it helps me (I have no idea how it works but does for me).

 

stay strong!

sharkey

[[dr...]]

what the heck is with the dreaded morning wakeups....I get the worst anxiety and feelings of dread.  Add in assorted racing heart or other stuff and it's not pleasant.  I just self talk to myself that this is normal for recovery and will pass in time.  I also tell myself I will feel better in an hour which I almost always do.  Very unpleasant

 

I think my worse symptom now is the same thing.  That darn morning anxiety. Usually takes me until after lunch to snap out of it.  Especially on Mondays!  Have you tried eft tapping?  if not check out emofree.com.  it helps me (I have no idea how it works but does for me).

 

stay strong!

sharkey

 

I've done it before but nothing really lessens it except positive self talk and waiting it out.  Luckily mine is usually much lessened after an hour or so of just lying there.

 

 

[[Cr...]]

My vision is getting so warped and distorted, i just tried running and it was like looking through a fisheye almost, everything bends and skews with movement. Im so scared.

[[dr...]]

CP-while scary it is a totally "normal" withdrawal dealio.  My vision has been terrible and now I wear my glasses on and off by the minute each day.  Thinking of going to optomotrist but I know the drill.  This will pass.

[[Cr...]]

I have a lot of the more normal vision issues, sparks, dimness, blurs, shadows, lines, afterimages etc, but this warping is freaking me out, are you saying you had something similar? Around the edges of my field of view it inches and warps with movement. Sound familiar? Ive found nothing on this.

[[dr...]]

I haven't had that specific one but I get visual auras.  I saw it mentioned what you speak of several times on this board and I am pretty sure Ashton speaks about it.  oh...in the book Recovery and Renewal Baylissa mentions her warped vision.

[[Cr...]]

Thanks Drew, i have an upcoming appointment with a neuroopthamologist, i am hoping she can shed some light as to what is going on, or at least rule out anything bad or degenerative. Still got in a 4 minute run, did some curls and situps, Im gonna hate myself tomorrow, but im sore always sore anyway, might as well be doing something positive to cause it.