FusterCluck

This morning, before leaving for work, I picked a fight with my lovely wife, for no good reason, and now I'm sat at my desk in the office feeling ashamed. I've sincerely apologized to her and she has graciously accepted, bless her, but even so I know she is hurt by my anger. I've been so angry, irritable and short tempered in the last week and it's hurting my little family. Bah!

A good friend suggested to me that I should consider exercise, as the benefits can make a clear and direct difference to depression and state of mind etc. I'm currently taking 40mg Prozac per day for depression, which does help my moods, but it's clearly not helping enough. Oh, and I'm also starting to feel road-rage when I'm driving to and from the office

Can any of you please share your experience of taking up fitness training/going to the gym/jogging etc and the benefits to your state of mind after becoming sober? Whilst I am on day-13 and ever-so-grateful for being clean, I am very worried that my low mind state will make it more likely that I go back to abusing substances and I really do not want that to happen. Seems like I am currently stuck between abusing, which is awful, and not abusing, which is also pretty rubbish at the moment.

Thanks in advance.

FC.

Rosie88

You are correct. Exercise helps immensely with depression (for me). I'm not depressed, but bipolar and take meds for that. My doc always tells me to get good exercise and regular sleep (if possible) because they help regulate mood and natural seratonin.

Plus our minds are still funky from the drinking (I just woke up on day 12 myself).

It's honestly helps me when I feel down and angry. Give it a shot! :-)

Dee74

I was really skeptical but exercise really does make a difference to my mental health as well as my physical

I'm limited a little physically so I bought an exercise bike - thats been really good, but sometimes all it takes for me is a walk in the sun around the block (or two)

D

awuh1

Research shows that 20 mins. of exercise ( getting your heart rate up to that of a very fast walk), every other day (at least) will improve your mood. It may take as long as several weeks to feel the full benefit.

Doing it in the sunshine (as Dee suggested) will also get you some vitamin D, which has also been shown to help mood disorders.

.

Notmyrealname

Definitely has an impact on your mental state. Plus the self-improvement is nice for self-esteem and maybe more importantly, if you commit to fitness and keep putting in the time, and start to see results, it keeps you invested in yourself. Also the physical transformation goes along with the mental and spiritual transformation you're already working on.

And what else are you going to do with that 20+ hours a week you used to spend with a drink in your hand, really now?

GreenEggsAndHam

I personally find that weight lifting helps me a lot. It gives me an outlet for my anger/anxiety.

Years ago I used to jog and found that helped as well. Worth a shot!

Croissant

Apart from the good endorphins, I find walking helps me;

1. Think things out - once I'm 15 minutes into it, I never regret going for a walk.

2. Get outside four walls - Ever heard the term "Cabin Fever" it's good to get outside our four walls.

Lucie29

I honestly believe if you start exercising a few times a week and eating a healthy diet, (low carb, high protein) and cut out processed food, you will see a huge difference. I don't know if I could stay on the right track without it. It is always hard to get to the gym, but once I am there it feels awesome. The after effects are even better.

Meraviglioso

I notice a big difference in my mood when I work out. Some days it is tough to get there but I am always glad when I do. I also agree with the weight lifting, it is a great outlet for pent up anger or frustration. And as others mentioned, the physical results of getting stronger, more fit and healthier looking are a nice boost to the self esteem.

TiredEnough

Exercise has saved me. For me, it's been more mentally beneficial than ssri's and benzos by far.

trachemys

Yep, a brisk 1/2 hour walk in the sun will make you feel LOADS better.

If you haven't, you should probably let your doctor know your emotional state with the meds you're taking. May need an adjustment or even a change.

Tamerua

It's true, it's true! And I was the anti exercise person, but it really helps with mood. I find that doing it in the morning has more of an effect as well. And for me, jogging is like meditating. You're in a zone and you have to control your thoughts, getting them away from, "ugh, can I stop now?!?!"

lilgolden73

Exercise most definetly helps, as well as the dietary changes mentioned above. I'm sensitive to alot things and when I eat them I feel my mood is affected big time.

soberlicious

Absolutely! I never believed it was true. I felt like slapping anyone who suggested that exercise would help my depression (which I've battled for 25 years). But I was flat out wrong. It has been instrumental in managing my depression. Over 7 years without alcohol/drugs and over 6 years without any psychiatric meds.

One of my yoga instructors says "go to your edge". I love the idea of pushing myself gradually and going a little beyond what I thought I was capable of. That concept has pushed me to run farther, get into harder poses, etc, but it's not just about physical strength, it's about mental and emotional strength too...sometimes even more so. That transfers over to everything in life. So when the depression, or any other less than savory emotions come along I feel stronger to cope until they pass. Sadness comes, hard times come, but it no longer emotionally cripples me like it used to. Of course it's not all down to exercise, but I've learned many important lessons through working my body.

NightmaresOnWax

^ exactly.

Exercise is not magic, but It definitely makes a noticeable difference. I have found it particularly useful in managing stress and anxiety, more so than depression.
I'm still working on getting my diet back on track, but I'd imagine an all around healthy lifestyle will make a big difference.
This day and age, there are a lot of different views on what a "healthy" diet is.
My advice is not to adopt anything extreme and eat a balanced diet that is diverse in macronutrients, micro nutrients AND phytochemicals. I wouldn't be as concerned with carbs vs protien vs fat as long as your diet is rich in nutrients. Carbs are only bad if you eat the WRONG carbs, like the ones in junk food, soda and white flower. Eat the carbs that are packages with tons of nutrients, like the ones in fruits and vegetables. Same with fats. There are good fats that are healthy and there are fats that are very bad for you. The fat in seeds, nuts, avacado's and fish are completely different than the fat in meat and processed oils.

I would highly recommend checking out "eat to live" by Dr. Joel furhman. It's about 160 pages and it's 12 dollars. He goes over all of today's popular diets in detail and I've seen his diet work wonders on numerous people first hand. Including myself. I lost 80 lbs and got off blood pressure meds, acid reflux meds AND I did it all whilst still drinking. I'm excited to see what wonders it will work when I get back on it while sober. The best part is you can eat as much as you want. You never go hungry.

melki

I remember feeling very annoyed with the "exercise" advice and also being skeptical. Now I can honestly say that apart from getting sober, exercising is the next best thing I've done for myself. I am now in the habit of exercising and when I don't, I feel the difference within a week. I know people "addicted" to it and was hoping to get to that stage, but often it's still a struggle to get started. When you're in a mood or feeling lazy, it's hard to make it out the door, but like most have said - once you do, you never regret it. What helps me is variety, I get bored with one type of exercise. I joined the gym that has a lot of different equipment and learned to use all of the machines. This gym also offers group exercises, and whereas I didn't think of myself as a group exercise person, I now have my collecion of classes that I really enjoy (weights, combat, dance, circuit). If I can't make it to the gym, I have my set of home exercises and at least try to walk or run in the neighborhood. Some days it feels I could go on for hours.

I hear you about irritation and anger, I also get like that. It truly helps to get out the door and get physical to get that aggression out. It helps to have that time to yourself to refocus too. The difference in the mood after exercise is noticeable, definitely give it a chance.

Sounds like you have a wonderful supportive family and are trying very hard. You don't want to feel guilty after snapping at them. Keep going! You're doing great, you can do more!

Anna

I also believe exercise is so, so important. For me, it's long walks that work well.

I take an antidepressant too. For me, it levels the playing field, but I cannot rely on that alone. Exercise is a big component in dealing with depression.

FusterCluck

Wow, that's some wonderful encouragement and advice you folks have given me

Right then, I've joined a gym today, asked my friend to give me an exercise plan (he's a fitness instructor) and am going to get my juicer out again with a view to beginning to turn around my dietary habits.

Thank you all so much!

ESD907

My only advice on the new exercise regime would be, don't get a workout that you don't like or are unable to keep up with. I did this many times, only to peter out. I now have a minimum that I'm okay with, which for me is a 15 minute mile walking DVD. My maximum is I do the eliptical for one hour and wts for aprox 30 minutes. My avg is somewhere in between there. Same for the juicing, if you can only do it here and there its good. Don't say, I'm going to juice all the time. and as far as road rage, I'm never had clinical depression, only the type brought on by grief, and everyone out there is a terrible driver IMO, Lol. My children have a very telling vocabulary because of it.

NightmaresOnWax

That's very solid advice, too.
I've had quite a few workout partners over the years who would just start running on the threadmill for 30 minutes right off the get go and then went over and started lifting heavy weights for another 40 minutes or so. When I would mention taking a rest after lifting upper and lower body back to back, then possibly an additional day of rest on the weekend, they would scoff.

After about 1.5 weeks they started flaking out and within 3 weeks they flat out quit going. Make sure you start out easy with something you can maintain long term. It's better to do a light work out consistently than burn yourself out and quit altogether.