Exercising when you have fear of heart attack etc!!

[xBettyBoopx]

Hi all

Does anyone else try to exercise but don't get very far for fear of heart racing and breathlessness? I'm so stupid 'cause I know that my heart is going to beat faster and I'm going to breathe harder (especially if I'm doing it right lol), but I just get so far and then panic about it!

It's not heavy exercise as I was a smoker for 37 years until last September so I'm not trying to do more than I should. But I want to get fitter now + I've put on some weight since giving up smoking, much to my annoyance

Els
xxx

[pinkpiglet]

Hello there! you sound just like me!!
I stopped smoking four years ago when I fell pregnant with my son and since then I have done very little exercise. I have since joined a private gym and have been swimming 3 to 4 times a week. I find that swiming, although it is a cardiovascular exercise and is equivalant to aerobics is gentler as you dont feel the burn so much. Also, if you feel tired or breathless you can stop at the side as often as you like and no one bats an eyelid. I am now also just getting into jogging and yes, i feel as if my heart will give in but this is just because i am not used to it.
Your doctor can run simple routine tests to give you the all clear to start exercise.
Good luck x

[den68]

hi Els

i am a bit like you on the excersise thing and gave up smoking in january and yep put some weight on. I hate that feeling of being out of breath and start worrying a bit about the old ticker. I guess we will just have to keep trying to over come it by practising. You know feel the fear and do it any way as they say

Denise

[pedropanic]

Hi Elspeth,

This is very common in anxiety sufferers if your anxiety is related to cardiac symptoms such as a racing pulse. When you develop your anxiety, you develop an association between a racing heart and a fear response. It's not a conscious association, so it doesn't respond to reasoning such as, "I'm exercising, of course my heart will race!" . Regardless of the cause, a racing heart creates a fear response, which in turn makes your heart race even more.

This is one of the last aspect of my anxiety to linger, because my strongest fear association is with my heart, but the exercise is a great way to break this association. The more you experience a racing heart WITHOUT fear, the less this will happen in the future. If you can exercise while accepting and relaxing with the racing heart you will be breaking that association all the time. Easier said than done I know!

Try doing it in stages. Raise your heart level for 10min by walking and be prepared to relax and let your heart beat faster. Then you can continue by increasing the time and the heart rate. Trust me, now I can get on the treadmill and get my heart rate to 150bpm without freaking out, so you CAN beat this! I have workouts where I want to run home and hide, but I relax, go about my workout and let my heart get on with the very important business of keeping me alive!