Health Anxiety and Exercise

[glassgirlw]

I am just curious if anyone else has anxiety when it comes to exercising. I noticed my heart rate goes up which is good I know, but when I start getting red faced and not really short of breath but I can feel that I'm breathing harder, it tends to make me worry that I'm going to have a heart attack or something. Does anyone else get this, and how do you tell yourself that what you're doing is actually good for you?

I very rarely get any form of exercise. I work at a desk and yes I get up and walk around throughout the day but I don't really consider that exercising. So today, I went to the golf course and hit some balls at the driving range with my dad. I did pretty good for the first 20 or 30 minutes, and then I started to notice I was getting hot in the face, breaking a sweat, and while it wasn't hard to breathe, I didn't feel like I was gasping for air or anything. But I was definitely breathing harder. By the time we walked back to the car which was probably a good half a mile distance, uphill, I saw in the mirror that my face was pretty red. So that's a lot of where my worry is coming from right now. Anyone have any thoughts or advice?

[LiziJenks]

I have this worry! I have recently lost some weight and decided it is now time to take up some exercise to help maintain my new weight! Today I went to Pilates and did a HIIT workout and tonight I'm in major panic mode thinking I've over done it and my heart is literally going to pack it in tonight! I'm so worried, I know exercise is good for you but I worry I have an underlying heart condition or something! I feel you completely! X

[glassgirlw]

Yes exactly!! I tried to really focus on telling myself this was totally normal and the exercise was great for my heart and as my heart rate slowly decreased and breathing returned to normal I told myself that was good as well, as that's how it's supposed to happen for healthy people. Just basically positive self talk. But it definitely is still a niggling little worry in the back of my mind that something may be wrong. I guess I will just keep taking it slowly and build up my length of time gradually.

[barbara.walters]

Exercise has been a HUGE help in managing my anxiety. I feel better each day after I hit the gym . A healthy mind requires a healthy body. Excessive belly fat, obesity, and eating unhealthy foods are a guaranteed trigger to continue the panic cycle for me. Self-discipline is a great tool for managing anxiety too; what else do we really control in life but ourselves? Which brings me back to exercise as a tool for managing anxiety. Changing into healthy routines are super-tough at first. Everything good for you is always a lot harder than sticking with old ways, which tend to yield the same results.