Exercise support group

[[no...]]

Great Job, Rapunzel. Every little bit helps. 

 

Sorry about your melon, Drewski  did you have any gluten by mistake? When I went gluten free the first 6 months I ingested a lot without realizing. There is definitely a learning curve.

 

I've bumped my walks up to 30-35 min daily, brisk pace, for the last 4 days. Still no uptick in sx....on the contrary I've had the best 4 days I've had in over a year. I sure hope it's the exercise because that's one thing I can control.

 

How are all the other exercisers doing?

 

 

Hi all  I am walking a few miles a day but its getting harder as I'm tapering  down futher and feel like all the cuts are catching up as well as the sxs  Kiddo  I notice you and others mention Gluten, is anyone a Celiac? If not and people are stopping eating foods containing Gluten thanks  as usual  to  a Doctor who wrongly tripped the whole gluten myth off, then you'll be interested in his retraction below. 

 

I have always maintained and have posted about it often that I believe anyone who starts a 'Diet fad'' no matter who they are and so called 'Diet gurus'' are as bad as big Parma making billions off disinformation. If you have a proven medical condition that reacts to certain food's then its necessary to avoid them. I have become very intolerant to some of my favorite food's during Benzo tolerance withdrawal and more since I began my taper and I've eaten practically everything for year's with no problems until Benzos withdrawal ugg!  :D :

 

Love Nova xxxx  :smitten:

 

Doctor Who Started Gluten-Free Fad Says He Got It Wrong http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/doctor-started-gluten-free-fad-wrong-23840150

 

Also the lies about cholesterol  saturated fat by Dr Micheal Eades  video part one https://vimeo.com/77730824

 

video part two https://vimeo.com/78259209

 

 

 

[[Ki...]]

Hi Nova,

 

I'm sorry you're getting an uptick in symptoms from your cuts and/or exercise. I did at first too, but I started slow and worked my way up to where I am now. I can walk briskly for 35 min with no uptick, in fact I feel much better for a couple hours afterwards.

 

Regarding gluten: there will always be naysayers about ANYTHING. I don't like the way I feel when I eat Gluten...I eat Paleo because I like it and because I can physically feel the difference. I'm not into fad diets (they change all the time) I just eat really healthy and fresh and nothing processed....which just happens to eliminate Gluten at the same time 

[[no...]]

Hi Nova,

 

I'm sorry you're getting an uptick in symptoms from your cuts and/or exercise. I did at first too, but I started slow and worked my way up to where I am now. I can walk briskly for 35 min with no uptick, in fact I feel much better for a couple hours afterwards.

 

Regarding gluten: there will always be naysayers about ANYTHING. I don't like the way I feel when I eat Gluten...I eat Paleo because I like it and because I can physically feel the difference. I'm not into fad diets (they change all the time) I just eat really healthy and fresh and nothing processed....which just happens to eliminate Gluten at the same time 

 

 

I avoid grains and have done since I worked out  over 10 year's ago that I love rice, bread, barley ect, but they don't like me. I had to keep and eye on things as I had problems and didn't know why, turns it was the grains. And when I was a teenager we had a national bread strike that went on for months in UK. I was a sandwich freak and put EVERYTHING in sandwiches. 

 

I even tried to put Cream of tomato soup in a sandwich one time. I felt rough for a few week's with no bread but then had a complete turn around and worked out it was the wheat, but being young soon forgot my 'Epiphany'' and went back to sandwiches . Until many year's later had a reaction to a rye crisp bread then realized rice made me ill and bunged me up, then other grains were also problematic.

 

Glad to see your having a better time with your exercise and getting benefits from it 

 

 

Nova xxx  :smitten:

[[dr...]]

All I know nova is when I cut gluten out my migraines went from once a week to the first one I had which started on saturday.  it was 33 days since my last one.  I also used to notice when i drank a beer I would get congested as hell.  It may be a coincidence for me but it is not a big sacrafice to for me to do.  I used to be one who poo-pood all this gluten stuff unless you were celiac but I have changed my tune. 

 

my migraine is slowly disapating and I did 30 min elliptical yesterday.  my view was "I feel sort of wonky but exercise probably won't amplify it"  It didn't.  Body sore today so it is just a meditation day for me.

[[MT...]]

I think there is such a thing as gluten sensitivity--not as serious as the celiac thing but (I forget the numbers) 1-3% of people have it and have fewer symptoms if they go GF. Folks with IBS and migraines are more likely to be in that group. The doc who wrote "Total Recovery, Solving the mystery of chronic pain and depression" writes about it.

 

Today I listened to David Sedaris book on CD while lifting weights and laughed hard throughout the workout. Had someone ask what was up! I haven't laughed like that in a while. It's good to find out I can...even on a rough day. I was completely distracted from my symptoms. Maybe I need to make him my soundtrack, like on Aly McBeal

[Guest [Ty...]]

Today I listened to David Sedaris book on CD while lifting weights and laughed hard throughout the workout. Had someone ask what was up! I haven't laughed like that in a while. It's good to find out I can...even on a rough day. I was completely distracted from my symptoms. Maybe I need to make him my soundtrack, like on Aly McBeal

His stories have made me laugh too!  Glad you had a fun workout

 

[[no...]]

Hi Nova,

 

I'm sorry you're getting an uptick in symptoms from your cuts and/or exercise. I did at first too, but I started slow and worked my way up to where I am now. I can walk briskly for 35 min with no uptick, in fact I feel much better for a couple hours afterwards.

 

Regarding gluten: there will always be naysayers about ANYTHING. I don't like the way I feel when I eat Gluten...I eat Paleo because I like it and because I can physically feel the difference. I'm not into fad diets (they change all the time) I just eat really healthy and fresh and nothing processed....which just happens to eliminate Gluten at the same time 

 

Hi all  Kiddo I forgot about exercise and revving sxs up its gotten me on quite a few occasions and today I was looking out to see why and where things started getting bad  . And about an hour in to my walk it was obvious that once again exercise is adding to and revving up sxs So now the plan is to cut the amount of time I spend walking in to shorter sessions throughout the day and see if that helps at all, its tricky as the cuts are revving things up as well so I'm not sure which is the worse.

 

Then again withdrawal takes its own route, and changes direction without warning, but its safe too say, worse luck. That exercise is playing a big role at the moment, I find that one minute I can bare with it and then intolerance sets in again. I also noticed that sunlight is starting to bug me slightly and I became sun intolerant a while back. So time to go along with the body signals again and do whatever is possible  or needs to be done without adding more  problems to the brew.  :nono:

 

 

Nova xxx  :smitten:

[[MT...]]

Nova, I have to watch that exercise intensity and duration thing too. I tend to push myself too hard. Sometimes it seems OK but then it will clearly make me worse for a while (the whole shebang--makes GI stuff, insomnia, fatigue, emotional stuff, everything worse). It's only when I pull back on intensity and/or duration that I can stabilize.

 

I think exercising helps us feel like we're doing something to get well, and of course it helps, but we can't let that desire turn into a stumbling block. I'm glad you're taking care of yourself. Feel better soon!

[[dr...]]

Yup...listening to our bodies is a constant balancing act.  I am going to do a thirty minute or so moderate elliptical today as my head feels wonky...this damn migraine stuff seems to hang around for a while once it starts with me.

[[va...]]

i don't think that my running and biking you can call /exercising/

because i do it, so i could cry like a Baby while running or biking....

 

I'm almost 5 months off

and i just realised that I'm ****** big time :'(

 

I'm REALLY tired of all this :'( :'( :'(

 

 

 

 

[[ba...]]

wow i feel so good, i ran for 30 minutes this morning then this afternoon  i pushed a lawnmower alot i mowed all of a 300X 125 foot area +  i used a weedeater & blower im not gonna use a riding mower for awhile !

[[...]]

Hi!

 

I hope this thread gets its well-deserved attention again, great initiative  :thumbsup:

 

When I began my taper, I had a good exercise routine going on, hitting the gym 3 to 4 times a week, in the mornings. It did tire me a lot but never felt symptoms revving up from it.

 

My main problem right now is being exhausted... it crept in way before I started to taper off K and believe I was in tolerance w/d.

 

So I want and need to get back into exercising 

Too much muscle has been wasted ...

 

I hope this support group comes together again, let's cheer for each other!!

[[He...]]

I have always been big on exercise.  I usually do cardio for 45-60 minutes/day plus weight training.  Always a huge walker -- 5+ miles/daily. I always turn to exercise when I am depressed.  It has helped me through so many dark times in my life.  What I don't understanding is that since I've gone off Klonopin, I can hardly exercise.  It is so hard now.  I do not understand it.  I know this is what my mind and body needs right now (plus I have gained 10 pounds in the last 6 weeks due to comfort eating!), but when I go to the gym, I can barely get through a very low level of the recumbent bike and the entire time I'm on the bike, all I want to do is quit.  Then I come home even more depressed!  Two days ago, I went for my usual lunchtime walk, and it was so grueling plus I thought I was going to pass out half the time.  Yesterday, I had a good walk (finally), but then afterwards, complete setback on my symptoms.  Ended up spending the rest of the day lying down, feeling sorry for myself and then (of course), overeating.  What a horrible trend I am going through!  When does this end?  I cannot believe that exercise has become so difficult.  Is there a correlation with having a good workout and then having worse w/d symptoms?  I was so irritable yesterday after my good walk plus had the worst RLS (worse than usual).  All of this is leading me to believe that I should just take it easy right now until my body heals, but I KNOW that exercise is what my mind needs.  What a catch 20/20!  I think I will just continue to exercise and push myself through it, hoping that things improve and I can someday get back to my pre-w/d level of exercise.  Exercising while not feeling good during w/d cannot be harmful to me, can it?  Does it worsen symptoms of w/d?

[[...]]

I have always been big on exercise.  I usually do cardio for 45-60 minutes/day plus weight training.  Always a huge walker -- 5+ miles/daily. I always turn to exercise when I am depressed.  It has helped me through so many dark times in my life.  What I don't understanding is that since I've gone off Klonopin, I can hardly exercise.  It is so hard now.  I do not understand it.  I know this is what my mind and body needs right now (plus I have gained 10 pounds in the last 6 weeks due to comfort eating!), but when I go to the gym, I can barely get through a very low level of the recumbent bike and the entire time I'm on the bike, all I want to do is quit.  Then I come home even more depressed!  Two days ago, I went for my usual lunchtime walk, and it was so grueling plus I thought I was going to pass out half the time.  Yesterday, I had a good walk (finally), but then afterwards, complete setback on my symptoms.  Ended up spending the rest of the day lying down, feeling sorry for myself and then (of course), overeating.  What a horrible trend I am going through!  When does this end?  I cannot believe that exercise has become so difficult.  Is there a correlation with having a good workout and then having worse w/d symptoms?  I was so irritable yesterday after my good walk plus had the worst RLS (worse than usual).  All of this is leading me to believe that I should just take it easy right now until my body heals, but I KNOW that exercise is what my mind needs.  What a catch 20/20!  I think I will just continue to exercise and push myself through it, hoping that things improve and I can someday get back to my pre-w/d level of exercise.  Exercising while not feeling good during w/d cannot be harmful to me, can it?  Does it worsen symptoms of w/d?

 

Hi Herckie!

 

I hear your distress and I thought you would benefit from reading this:

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=77609.0

 

You will probably find very good advice for getting back into exercising and feeling better from it - not forcing yourself through it and w/d symptoms. You just need to find the right way to do it for you - at this time of healing.

 

Good luck and I hope to see you on this thread!

Hugs,

Julz xx

[[MT...]]

Thanks for sharing that link, Julz. Herckie, how much people can exercise in wd seems to really vary from person to person and even from week to week. I was able to exercise from 3-7 hours per week for the first 5 months after my taper. Then I hit a wall and every bit of exercise was harder. I certainly noticed that when I pushed too hard I was worse afterwards so I really try to listen to my body. I never feel motivated but when my body feels especially heavy and draggie I've learned it's best to either skip that day, go shorter or do much less intensity. Even 10 minutes is worth doing when I can but I'm really striving to not make myself worse by pushing too hard. I trust this will get better in time.

[[dr...]]

Yup...I'm in a bad wave and haven't been able to exercise for one week.  Walked 1.5 miles yesterday and had two panic attacks!  The week before I was hiking 3.5 miles a day no problem.

[[MT...]]

Yup...I'm in a bad wave and haven't been able to exercise for one week.  Walked 1.5 miles yesterday and had two panic attacks!  The week before I was hiking 3.5 miles a day no problem.

 

ARgh! Benzos suck!!!!! I feel your pain.

[[ni...]]

Hey guys, any of you ever have any cramping issues? My thighs, quads, calves are all cramping & is very painful.

 

This has been happening for a couple days, I went mountain bike riding Friday & Saturday was pretty good but I could feel the cramps

coming back Saturday evening & full blown Sunday morning.  It was hard falling asleep last night & there is no amount of stretching

that helps alleviate the pain.

 

Thoughts?

 

Thanks!

 

Ninj 

[[dr...]]

I used to cramp a lot more.  It is very common.  I take more baths than a princess in a castle now.  .  I also use Epsom salts in my bath once in a while. Good luck.

[[La...]]

Hey guys, any of you ever have any cramping issues? My thighs, quads, calves are all cramping & is very painful.

 

This has been happening for a couple days, I went mountain bike riding Friday & Saturday was pretty good but I could feel the cramps

coming back Saturday evening & full blown Sunday morning.  It was hard falling asleep last night & there is no amount of stretching

that helps alleviate the pain.

 

Thoughts?

 

Thanks!

 

Ninj 

 

Huge mountain biker here. I MTB'd all through wd. Of course your cramping, your still on benzos! Do your best to stay fully hydrated on the bike and make sure glucose and Mg2+ are never limiting (to your muscles); you already know the drill, glycogen load the night before, etc. But even if you do everything right, these damn benzos can spark cramps. Get off the bike and stretch as necessary, wouldnt want to endo on the steeps due to cramping. I once ENDOd head first into a cactus, glad I had my helmet on. lol

 

BTW, when I MTBd even in the worst of waves, all the suffering seemed to disappear temporarily while on the bike, especially on technical trails/steep descents. Same effect in the curl (surfing).

 

laser

Good luck!

[[ni...]]

Hey guys, any of you ever have any cramping issues? My thighs, quads, calves are all cramping & is very painful.

 

This has been happening for a couple days, I went mountain bike riding Friday & Saturday was pretty good but I could feel the cramps

coming back Saturday evening & full blown Sunday morning.  It was hard falling asleep last night & there is no amount of stretching

that helps alleviate the pain.

 

Thoughts?

 

Thanks!

 

Ninj 

 

Huge mountain biker here. I MTB'd all through wd. Of course your cramping, your still on benzos! Do your best to stay fully hydrated on the bike and make sure glucose and Mg2+ are never limiting (to your muscles); you already know the drill, glycogen load the night before, etc. But even if you do everything right, these damn benzos can spark cramps. Get off the bike and stretch as necessary, wouldnt want to endo on the steeps due to cramping. I once ENDOd head first into a cactus, glad I had my helmet on. lol

 

BTW, when I MTBd even in the worst of waves, all the suffering seemed to disappear temporarily while on the bike, especially on technical trails/steep descents. Same effect in the curl (surfing).

 

laser

Good luck!

 

Laser,

 

Thanks for your input, I try to go mountain biking 2-3 days a week  You are absolutely correct, there is no tapering symptoms while on the trail & even after for a little while.  It is such a rush that all problems are forgotten & if you don't focus on the road ahead you will get hurt. 

 

I have a full suspension Trek Rumblefish, I love hitting the trails!

 

OTB into cactus doesn't sound like a good idea, haha

 

I also ride my motorcycle, I have a sport bike & the concept is the same.  Take your mind off the road in front of you & you will get hurt, it's a nice break from the tapering mind 

 

Have a great Sunday!

 

Ninj 

[[ni...]]

I used to cramp a lot more.  It is very common.  I take more baths than a princess in a castle now.  .  I also use Epsom salts in my bath once in a while. Good luck.

 

Drew,

 

I will have to find a princess crown & take a bath in some Epsom 

 

I will give that a try, thanks for your response & I hope you are having a wonderful Sunday.

 

Ninj 

[[...]]

I have always been big on exercise.  I usually do cardio for 45-60 minutes/day plus weight training.  Always a huge walker -- 5+ miles/daily. I always turn to exercise when I am depressed.  It has helped me through so many dark times in my life.  What I don't understanding is that since I've gone off Klonopin, I can hardly exercise.  It is so hard now.  I do not understand it.  I know this is what my mind and body needs right now (plus I have gained 10 pounds in the last 6 weeks due to comfort eating!), but when I go to the gym, I can barely get through a very low level of the recumbent bike and the entire time I'm on the bike, all I want to do is quit.  Then I come home even more depressed!  Two days ago, I went for my usual lunchtime walk, and it was so grueling plus I thought I was going to pass out half the time.  Yesterday, I had a good walk (finally), but then afterwards, complete setback on my symptoms.  Ended up spending the rest of the day lying down, feeling sorry for myself and then (of course), overeating.  What a horrible trend I am going through!  When does this end?  I cannot believe that exercise has become so difficult.  Is there a correlation with having a good workout and then having worse w/d symptoms?  I was so irritable yesterday after my good walk plus had the worst RLS (worse than usual).  All of this is leading me to believe that I should just take it easy right now until my body heals, but I KNOW that exercise is what my mind needs.  What a catch 20/20!  I think I will just continue to exercise and push myself through it, hoping that things improve and I can someday get back to my pre-w/d level of exercise.  Exercising while not feeling good during w/d cannot be harmful to me, can it?  Does it worsen symptoms of w/d?

 

Hi Herckie!

 

I hear your distress and I thought you would benefit from reading this:

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=77609.0

 

You will probably find very good advice for getting back into exercising and feeling better from it - not forcing yourself through it and w/d symptoms. You just need to find the right way to do it for you - at this time of healing.

 

Good luck and I hope to see you on this thread!

Hugs,

Julz xx

 

Hi Julz

I saw your link to my piece on exercise in benzo withdrawal. To all you people on this thread, keep up the great work you're doing with exercise. It certainly made a big difference for me. The right amount of exercise really has to be individualized and some people can't do any exercise for quite a while. I was one of these for the first several months of my taper. As a follow-up, I kept working out after my taper ended and still take some of the anti-cortisol supplements before workouts most of the time. I think they help muscle building by decreasing cortisol even after we are healed from benzo injury. I'll be dieting over the summer (by doing some juicing a la Joe Cross). If all goes well and I hold the brewskys and Reece's peanut butter cups down I'll enter a bodybuilding contest.

 

Healing happens and life gets better. My advice is don't "push" exercise while you're healing. Try to do it just to the point of increasing symptoms. Stopping the workout too soon is always better than knocking off too late. The time will come when you will be able to bang it out all you want.

 

Good luck and happy exercising

 

Bart

[Guest [Ty...]]

I have always been big on exercise.  I usually do cardio for 45-60 minutes/day plus weight training.  Always a huge walker -- 5+ miles/daily. I always turn to exercise when I am depressed.  It has helped me through so many dark times in my life.  What I don't understanding is that since I've gone off Klonopin, I can hardly exercise.  It is so hard now.  I do not understand it.  I know this is what my mind and body needs right now (plus I have gained 10 pounds in the last 6 weeks due to comfort eating!), but when I go to the gym, I can barely get through a very low level of the recumbent bike and the entire time I'm on the bike, all I want to do is quit.  Then I come home even more depressed!  Two days ago, I went for my usual lunchtime walk, and it was so grueling plus I thought I was going to pass out half the time.  Yesterday, I had a good walk (finally), but then afterwards, complete setback on my symptoms.  Ended up spending the rest of the day lying down, feeling sorry for myself and then (of course), overeating.  What a horrible trend I am going through!  When does this end?  I cannot believe that exercise has become so difficult.  Is there a correlation with having a good workout and then having worse w/d symptoms?  I was so irritable yesterday after my good walk plus had the worst RLS (worse than usual).  All of this is leading me to believe that I should just take it easy right now until my body heals, but I KNOW that exercise is what my mind needs.  What a catch 20/20!  I think I will just continue to exercise and push myself through it, hoping that things improve and I can someday get back to my pre-w/d level of exercise.  Exercising while not feeling good during w/d cannot be harmful to me, can it?  Does it worsen symptoms of w/d?

Herckie, it'll get better, I promise!  I've been a decent runner for 40 years, but when I came off klonopin I felt like a snail! I'm pretty much an exercise addict because it helps so much with anxiety, but I could't knock out one good run for the first few months after I completed my taper.  I kept moving at whatever pace my brain would allow -- sometimes a fast walk, sometimes a slower walk, and occasionally a walk/run, and it's gradually coming back to me.  I occasionally get in a good window where I can fly gleefully along, feeling like I've sprouted wings, but that's not the norm by any means.  It's still great when it happens, as it tells me that the old speedy me is still in there. 

 

As for the comfort eating, I did that too!  Still fight it, but I'm winning the battle...  It's a hard habit to stop when you're felling bad.  Don't you envy those people who can't eat, so lose weight during times of high stress?  I gained 7 pounds post taper, but have lost 4 through journaling my intake and exercise in MyFitnessPal on the iPhone.  I'm not doing a strict diet -- just trying to hold myself accountable for what I put in my mouth.  Some days are much better than others, but all days have been better than before I began documenting what I eat.  I guess that this wouldn't work if I did it in an OCD or a punishing way, but I'm just doing it to get honest with myself.  I even document when I overeat -- and then I leave it behind and start again.  Seeing "on paper" that I've had enough protein and other nutrients  actually helps me to feel less needy and more likely to look elsewhere for comfort.  It's also helped me to get my intake of protein, fruit, and vegetables up to where they should be for optimal energy and healing.  If I don't eat well, I feel pretty sluggish. 

 

I'm not trying to say this is easy, cause it's not, but it's a battle that I choose to focus on because I really value fitness.  That probably translates easily into this: I'm too insecure to be fat... 

 

All that said, you're in the really early part of WD after a pretty rapid taper, so be kind to yourself.  It'll all come back in time.

 

 

 

 

[[He...]]

Thank you Tybee for your response to my post as well as your support.  I have used Fitness Pal and love it too.  I admit though I do not record my binges.  At lunch today, I took an easier walk than normal as I was having a very bad day with my w/d symptoms.  And after work, I did a light and short workout.  I will listen to my body and not try to push it so much; however, I do plan to keep at it every day, even if it is just a little.  Exercise just makes my mind feel better.  Thank you again for your post.