The Power of Exercise!

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#1 Dec 22 - 8PM
Gravity
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The Power of Exercise!

I wanted to share with all of you my little secret to happiness.. EXERCISE!

It seems so cliche.. and we've all heard it 1000 times, but I am here to tell all of you that exercising has brought me back to life.

My ex-psycho was HORRIBLE. Some even said that my story was one of the worst they'd ever seen on lisaescott. I found that trying to stop my obsessive thoughts about him only made me think of him more.

There is a psychological study called the white polar bear. A professor stands at the front of the room and tells his students not to think of a white polar bear for one minute. Every time one thought of the white polar bear, they had to make a mark on a piece of paper.

Lo and behold.. after a minute.. each student had numerous marks on their paper. You see, trying not to think about something.. still means you're thinking about it.

For example, take dieting. If all day you're thinking "I'm not eating cake," the word cake is on your mind which makes you want it more.

When I exercise, I'm not thinking at all. When I exercise it is MY TIME. Noone else's. It is my time to listen to whatever music I want. It is my time to make my body, a precious instrument, as finely tuned as possible. If I have to think about the psycho, I let myself think about it at the gym knowing that the second I leave the gym, he leaves my mind.

Exercise! And I find that you have to look at exercising not as something you have to do because this makes it hard to get motivation. Remember how good you will feel when you leave the gym/are done with your walk/jog what have you. Hold on to that feeling!

Dec 23 - 9AM
Sea
Sea's picture

Exercise is good! It gives u

Exercise is good! It gives u "happy hormones" after that, lift your mood! I run and swim 3-4x a week. ExN dont like cardio exercise and i felt depressed and unhealthy when i was with him. Now i resume my long lost routine and am very happy with it :)
Dec 23 - 8AM
MandyM
MandyM's picture

For me, working out gives me

For me, working out gives me two things: a sense of accomplishment when I'm done, and the satisfaction of knowing I look good because I did it. Do I enjoy working out? Not always. Sometimes I loathe every single second of it. :-) But the two reasons above are pretty motivating, and when I'm finished, I'm always glad I made myself do it.
Dec 23 - 1AM
Im_always_fine
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If can't get to gym...close

If you can't get to gym...close the curtains and crank your fave tunes...and DANCE! Til your dripping in sweat. As soon as numb nuts is gone I'm going to take belly dancing to reconnect me with my feminine energy. 7 years ago I broke up with a man who is still truly the epic love affair of my life. Anyways it was a tremendous and unexpected loss. I was in my old house the and had installed a strip pole. I can't stress how EMPOWERING dancing around that pole every night was. My self esteem never skipped a beat! I still have the pole but I'm renting and can't install it. If you truly want to get physical in an empowering way...I highly recommend the FEMALE arts of pole and belly dancing.
Dec 23 - 1AM (Reply to #8)
Im_always_fine
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Also..one problem I'm

Also..one problem I'm experiencing is that I've been so isolated and have had very little contact with anyone except him for years that I've picked up his gestures and body language. Also he is overbearing and dominating, and louder so I've retreated on some levels...it's not worth the conflict. It's as if he's absorbed me. I'll notice when I'm talking or walking that he's "all over" me through my movement. I can't express how I HATE this. I hate it! I'm gone and in my place HIM. so dancing will help me shed him and ease back into me. To reconnect with my own movement....and ultimately my own expression.
Dec 23 - 9AM (Reply to #9)
Gravity
Gravity's picture

Im_always_fine

That's great! Have you tried zumba!? Zumba is also a very fun dance workout! And I know what you're saying.. "when you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you" - Neitzche What I mean by that is when you're surrounded by a psycho for long enough.. you start to pick up on their mannerisms ect. Let exercise be your way of clearing your head.. your way of doing something for YOU. You'll come back in time, I promise! Even you being on this website is part of the strong woman that you are! Hold on to that :) xoxoxox
Dec 23 - 12AM
walking_on_sunshine
walking_on_sunshine's picture

Its all I can do

The other day I went swimming because I came to a conclusion that there is nothing else I can do to rid myself of this pain. There were no other options for me. I dont drink, which is probably a good thing. Anxiety medication is not an option because I need to stay alert in order to go back to work and taking antidepressants had an adverse side effect and actually made me suicidal. The pain yesterday was so unbareable I just swam and swam and swam laps up and down until I ended up with what I felt was a mix of emotional/physical exhaustion.I was shaking, but guess what, I slept well. Swimming is awesome for so many reasons.I recommend it to everyone, it definetly created some good pain killers.I just need to push myself now to keep going.I feel that exercize is a definitie way out of this pain, but it takes so much effort, and so hard when your down.
Dec 23 - 9AM (Reply to #5)
Gravity
Gravity's picture

walking_on_sunshine

I love swimming. It feels so refreshing and invigorating. Can I tell you a secret? Sometimes when I'm swimming I think to myself: "It's my time! It's my time! It's my time!" Because it is, it's no one elses.. just mine! For once! And yes, when I sleep after swimming I sleep so much better. I've found that whenever I'm tempted to lay in bed all day I'll go to the gym because the time I would have spent laying in bed thinking about him and my misery I'm spending making my body better and clearing my head. Also, I've met a lot of really nice people at the gym! It's great to be around other people that are passionate about health. I've taken some classes and already met quite a few people that I see regularly. Great to be surrounded by the energy of others and make new friends!
Dec 23 - 11AM (Reply to #6)
walking_on_sunshine
walking_on_sunshine's picture

The womb

Swimming is like being in a giant womb lol. Sometimes I slip under the water and everything is so quiet. I too have secret thoughts as I dive under and swim along the floor of the pool " cleanse the soal, cleanse the soal" And as my hair gets heavy and fully saturated with water, I dive under again and think " wash that man out of my hair " and in my mind its like I'm leaving particles of spiritual pollution behind me in the water. Its so ridiculous but so not. Swimming is so spiritual for me, Ive always been like that, always loved the water :)
Dec 22 - 8PM
Layla
Layla's picture

EXCELLENT!

And may I add a GREAT suggestion for our members who do not want to join a gym or really HATE the idea of exercise: First off, please know that I have been a dancer for YEARS, meaning, since I can remember being able to walk, I was in a studio! HA! I only mention this so you understand, I have done it all in regards to maintaining ideal physique.... Get a REBOUNDER. Google it if you have to! It's fun, it's easy and it's GREAT for you! You won't even feel like you are exercising! When you get good balance and coordination down, you can add ankle/wrist weights and away you go! Weight stays off and you WILL improve your immune system, and drop weight! You heard it here ladies! It's fun and EASY and you don't even have the leave the house if you don't want to! Only piece of advice- invest in a GOOD one, and you will NOT be sorry! Have fun, get healthy, feel alive! You deserve it! love~ Layla
Dec 22 - 9PM (Reply to #2)
Gravity
Gravity's picture

Layla

Awesome suggestion, I'm gonna look into it :)
Dec 23 - 10AM (Reply to #3)
spinning
spinning's picture

Gravity, awesome post and

so true. Even though I dread working out some mornings, I do it anyway and ALWAYS ALWAYS feel better and am so glad I did. I have added three nights of hot yoga to the mix and I love it. Working out gives me strength mentally and physically...though I'll never be a centerfold!! Layla, what an awesome suggestion. I googled rebounder and want to get one right away!! I'll have to save up a bit but what a neat workout it looks like and so convenient to do at home (which is where I work out except for yoga). I have an eliptical (sp??) and lift light weights and it has become part of my routine. When I don't do it, I actually feel bad, so I know how much moving the body helps. This is an awesome post, Gravity, and all who have made suggestions! I love it!! Sincerely, (not) spinning BECAUSE I'M TOO BUSY ENJOYING LIFE TO EVER SPIN FOR ANY MAN, FOR ANYONE

spinning