Feeling Guilty

[ohdiamonds]

Last time I went to the gym I did about 2 hours worth of cardio and before that I hadn't worked out in years. That same night I had the worst pain of my life in my lower abdomen. I'm guessing I pulled a muscle somehow. I learned my lesson that two hours is way too much.

Anyway what im trying to get at is that I feel like if I don't do anything on the Eliptical machine I feel guilty. Even if I do 5-10 minutes on the Eliptical and can't go any furthur I still feel guilty. I see other people doing it for 40 minutes and longer and here I am feeling like i'm going to die from my heart beating too hard/fast and not being able to breathe. It's embarassing...

Is 5-10 minutes enough? Should I add a minute a week, a minute everyday? Suggestions would be awesome.

 

[San2]

I'm by no means an expert, but I know that it's not supposed to hurt. And you shouldn't feel like you're 'dying' either. If you can only do 5 minutes at first, then do 5 minutes. You have to start somewhere.

Don't compare yourself to others. Those others might be working out for years now, while you only just started. I am sure they started out slow as well and had the same problems at some point. Don't forget that this is about you, not anybody else.

If you take small steps, you'll see that very quickly you will be able to do 10 minutes, then 15, and before you know it, you'll have no problem doing 40 minutes or longer either.

About 2 months ago I started on my bike. The first time I tried I managed 10 minutes before I had cramps in my legs and feet, and felt like I absolutely couldn't go another minute. Today I do 45 minutes without any problems.

Do what you can without hurting yourself or feeling as if you have to pass out. Be consistent, and you'll see an improvement really quickly.

 

[post-petite]

Hello Oh!

Thank you for dropping by my diary-- I was looking to see if you had started one? As you read I was having problems with the elliptical also.. I think I will try to add just little at a time-- and then do the rest of the work out on the treadmill. Does your gym have a pool? I like water aerobics and it is very easy on the joints. You might give that a try. Hang in there girl! Everyone on this site is very supportive!

 

[ohdiamonds]

Hello Oh!

Thank you for dropping by my diary-- I was looking to see if you had started one? As you read I was having problems with the elliptical also.. I think I will try to add just little at a time-- and then do the rest of the work out on the treadmill. Does your gym have a pool? I like water aerobics and it is very easy on the joints. You might give that a try. Hang in there girl! Everyone on this site is very supportive!

You're welcome. I haven't started a diary yet, but I might be doing one tonight. I've decided that I need to lose quite a bit of weight before I start the elliptical. I think biking and walking on the treadmill at a medium pace is good enough until I've lost that bit of weight. Anyways, i'm hanging in there and thanks for stopping by this thread even if it isn't my journal.

 

[jeffisbig]

I have the same problem, I tend to worry about what other people are doing and what I am not.

You have to ignore it. Do what you can and don't worry. As you progress you'll do more and more.

Do 10 minutes on the elliptical then switch to a bike for 10, or however long you can do it.

 

[Matt2]

Well here's some reassurance, you will NOT die from exercising too much/ breathing too hard/ heart beating too fast. If you dwell on those ideas, you're probably going to get panic attacks, which are benign and harmless but ever so annoying.


Now, if you can't do much on elipticals etc., I would suggest a much more fun and even better alternative: recreational sports. Play some raquetball with a friend, go kick a football around in the park for an hour.

10-15 mins on a eliptical won't do squat next to an hour of intensive HIIT based sports.