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piranhapulled and expanded from a discussion on integrating some exercise into one's life.
i know not overdoing is the key for me, but man, i find it extremely hard to figure out what's a good amount instead. i am a habitual overdoer, with everything, and it's only gotten worse with the depression -- because i no longer do a lot of things well, and often have no energy to do things at all, when i do muster up the energy, i want/need to use it all right then and there. because there's no guarantee that there will be more tomorrow, even if i take it slow and easy.
if i don't garden every day from the very start of spring (and i didn't, though i made a good start), there's so much to do by the time i get around to it that i'll put in hours, and then collapse exhaustedly. i've been pacing myself with the blackberries this year, and i am barely outperforming them. that's not "moderate", that's ... pitiful, and not working well. it depresses me.
with physical activity, there seems also no clear progression for me -- i can actually walk/hike at a slow, comfortable speed (not breathing hard for most of the time) for hours, all day even, and i will be just a little more tired than if i walk the 20 min mailbox loop at a speed that actually works my heart steadily -- but both will leave me too tired to do anything else afterwards. not getting endorphin rushes is a bummer.
i think i need to shoot lower than "moderate activity", because i already do that, and it never keeps working.
also, once i do shoot lower, and accept that as good enough, i have to build it into my morning routine, because if i don't, i won't keep it up. i barely manage cooking, and i actually like to eat; there is no chance that i'll do exercise every day if it takes a concerted effort to make it happen at random during the day. and i have no other routines than in the morning. and in the morning i am not yet too tired. no, it needs to flow like other things i have to do, like peeing when i get up (no pun intended), washing up, and checking the cat food. if i can just add some exercise in there, 5 minutes, then that has a chance to get me over the hump. because this worked marvelously when i lived on the boat -- i had to walk up to the marina to pee and walk the dog for her morning ablutions, and those were 10 min of very mild physical activity that didn't tire me out.
the dog was really good for me too. i can't always get myself going for myself, but i can do it if i have responsibility for a dog who needs to be walked and played with. i should think about that again.
i know not overdoing is the key for me, but man, i find it extremely hard to figure out what's a good amount instead. i am a habitual overdoer, with everything, and it's only gotten worse with the depression -- because i no longer do a lot of things well, and often have no energy to do things at all, when i do muster up the energy, i want/need to use it all right then and there. because there's no guarantee that there will be more tomorrow, even if i take it slow and easy.
if i don't garden every day from the very start of spring (and i didn't, though i made a good start), there's so much to do by the time i get around to it that i'll put in hours, and then collapse exhaustedly. i've been pacing myself with the blackberries this year, and i am barely outperforming them. that's not "moderate", that's ... pitiful, and not working well. it depresses me.
with physical activity, there seems also no clear progression for me -- i can actually walk/hike at a slow, comfortable speed (not breathing hard for most of the time) for hours, all day even, and i will be just a little more tired than if i walk the 20 min mailbox loop at a speed that actually works my heart steadily -- but both will leave me too tired to do anything else afterwards. not getting endorphin rushes is a bummer.
i think i need to shoot lower than "moderate activity", because i already do that, and it never keeps working.
also, once i do shoot lower, and accept that as good enough, i have to build it into my morning routine, because if i don't, i won't keep it up. i barely manage cooking, and i actually like to eat; there is no chance that i'll do exercise every day if it takes a concerted effort to make it happen at random during the day. and i have no other routines than in the morning. and in the morning i am not yet too tired. no, it needs to flow like other things i have to do, like peeing when i get up (no pun intended), washing up, and checking the cat food. if i can just add some exercise in there, 5 minutes, then that has a chance to get me over the hump. because this worked marvelously when i lived on the boat -- i had to walk up to the marina to pee and walk the dog for her morning ablutions, and those were 10 min of very mild physical activity that didn't tire me out.
the dog was really good for me too. i can't always get myself going for myself, but i can do it if i have responsibility for a dog who needs to be walked and played with. i should think about that again.
no subject
on 2006-06-28 22:45 (UTC)FWIW, doing the walk to the mailbox at a slow pace is good for you; exercise doesn't have to get your heart rate up to be beneficial.
Yay for dogs, they bring enthusiasm to an activity even if you don't have it.
no subject
on 2006-06-30 20:36 (UTC)no subject
on 2006-06-29 00:44 (UTC)And yes, it's very hard to incorporate exercise. I find that if I'm out of the habit, any regular exercise will wear me out for the day until my body adjusts. So I'm trying to just keep at it, realizing that I will end up napping in the afternoon on any of the days on which I work out or walk seriously. Having dogs to walk definitely helps, especially since one of mine is quite persistent if he wants something.
no subject
on 2006-06-30 20:34 (UTC)what i really want at those times is a blue heeler. a smart dog who likes to work and learn, not too large so there's room on the boat, not so small that it's yippy (nothing against yippy dogs as dogs, just that the sound grates on me).
i do still sometimes miss mischief. she was such a fun dog. if not the blue heeler (i'd probably have to buy a purebred, which would be quite uncharacteristic, and i'm not sure i could justify it), a lab mix will probably be the next dog. mischief was black lab/pointer, and that was a great combination.
no subject
on 2006-07-01 01:12 (UTC)I guess that's the only advantage I see to getting a pure-bred in your situation: predicting size. OTOH, if you rescued or adopted an adult, that would take care of that issue. Of course, I think everyone who wants dogs should have them... *grin*
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on 2006-06-29 18:12 (UTC)no subject
on 2006-06-30 02:04 (UTC)maybe if they make it into a video game. :)
no subject
on 2006-06-30 02:07 (UTC)no subject
on 2006-06-30 21:20 (UTC)