# Exercise suggestions



## bill hopkinson (Jul 11, 2014)

I would like suggestions about how to take exercise, especially on days when it is wet outside.

An issue for me is that exercise needs to be constructive, such as gardening, DIY, walking somewhere I need to go. 
I cannot get motivated to do exercise for the sake of it, such as swimming, or gym. It just seems pointless and more important, mindless. I am much the same with sport, why waste energy getting a ball in a hole when all you do is take it out again?

Work is sedentary. I work part-time teaching at my computer four hours a day.

I have a pedometer, and if I have walked less that 2km by mid evening, I walk to the shops to get something, anything.

So what what works for you?


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## bev (Jul 11, 2014)

Hi,

Well it might be tricky given your views on most exercise!How about cycling? Do you have a bike? I know you say you dont like gyms but have you tried using kettle bells? I have recently started going to class's and find it great fun and something you can do at home by watching youtube for the exercises.

Do you like dancing? You could join a club and meet others whilst also burning the calories! 

To be honest - once you start seeing results from any form of exercise you wont need to be 'motivated' as such as the need to improve all the time will take over. Try doing something/anything in terms of exercising for three weeks and see how you feel - after all nothing else is going to shift those pounds is it?! You just have to motivate yourself - no-one else can do that for you I'm afraid....also dont look upon exercise as some sort of punishment - think of it as a lifestyle change and something you *need* to do like brushing your teething or having a shower - dont let it be an option - just get on and do itBev


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## bill hopkinson (Jul 11, 2014)

bev said:


> - just get on and do it



Maybe I should add in there depression. I have to work hard at anything to be motivated, and pointless activities really rile me.

My doctor prescribed a course of sessions at the gym to work on depression and exercise, and it pushed me much deeper into depression because treadmill and so on seems so monotonously pointless.

I can just about get motivated to activities which have purpose.


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## bev (Jul 11, 2014)

e





bill hopkinson said:


> Maybe I should add in there depression. I have to work hard at anything to be motivated, and pointless activities really rile me.
> 
> My doctor prescribed a course of sessions at the gym to work on depression and exercise, and it pushed me much deeper into depression because treadmill and so on seems so monotonously pointless.
> 
> I can just about get motivated to activities which have purpose.



Right I take your point - didnt realise depression was in the mix too sorry. BUT and you may not like this - exercise helps depression - it increases the serotonin levels which in turn help lift the mood. Trust me on this it works. I have experience of both too. Perhaps you didnt try it for long enough to have any effects. 

So - do you have a bike? Do you like dancing? Power-walking? Things like gardening are good but unless it involves things like moving tons of earth you wont break out into much of a sweat!

What levels of exercise are you used to? Its not easy to advise someone as it could be that walking to the shop is a big change for you but wouldnt count as much for someone else if you see what I mean?

What interests you? Do you prefer to be alone or with company? Have you asked your GP about medication for your depression?Bev


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## bill hopkinson (Jul 11, 2014)

bev said:


> e
> 
> Right I take your point - didnt realise depression was in the mix too sorry. BUT and you may not like this - exercise helps depression - it increases the serotonin levels which in turn help lift the mood. Trust me on this it works. I have experience of both too. Perhaps you didnt try it for long enough to have any effects.
> 
> ...



Thanks Bev,
I get that exercise helps my depression, heavy gardening work is a great help.
I don't have a bike, and have never danced, but I walk. When we are away I will happily walk 4 miles and more a day, and once or twice a week my pedometer tells me I am doing that at home. 
I been taking depression medication since the onset of diabetes and I negotiate with my GP regularly what level to take as it has some unwelcome side effects.
When depression is darkest what interests me? Creeping off to a dark hole is the obvious answer, but I counter it by trying to work out something I would really enjoy doing. I discard the first twenty answers which usually involve eating or going back to bed, and do the 21st thing which involves activity and preferably sociability.

Perhaps what I am searching for is a bigger box of answers 21 and onwards.


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## bev (Jul 11, 2014)

bill hopkinson said:


> Thanks Bev,
> I get that exercise helps my depression, heavy gardening work is a great help.
> I don't have a bike, and have never danced, but I walk. When we are away I will happily walk 4 miles and more a day, and once or twice a week my pedometer tells me I am doing that at home.
> I been taking depression medication since the onset of diabetes and I negotiate with my GP regularly what level to take as it has some unwelcome side effects.
> ...



Hi Bill,

Just a quick reply as off out but will try a more detailed reply later. So 4 miles walking on holiday - thats fantastic - well done! I have been on anti-depressants and know about the side effects too - not pleasant is it - finding the balance is difficult sometimes. BUT well done for discarding the first 20 ideas you have - that takes a lot of courage and strength - so you see you are more strong-willed than perhaps you realise. I will put my thinking cap on and try to think of other ways to get the exercise - are there any nice walks near where you live? Perhaps google nice walks in your area and beyond and pick one a week and go through the list? Just a thought but will get back later with anything else....p.s.do you have anyone who would join you on the exercise to help motivate and keep you company?Bev


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## Redkite (Jul 12, 2014)

Hi Bill,

I completely agree with you that exercise for exercise's sake is boring and impossible to keep up on a regular basis!  I've often wished I had a dog, so I would have to go out for daily walks!  (The cat wouldn't stand for it though! ).  I too would hate going to the gym or to organised classes - not my thing at all!

I don't have the perfect solution, but I'd suggest trying to make errands for yourself so that you have to walk somewhere each day (and if rainy, put your anorak on!).  Also, do you have a friend you could meet up with for a walk?  I also suffer with depression, and it helps to get out and about with another person to talk to - my friend and I meet once a week and do the same walk, then have lunch in a cafe, and it makes a difference just to get out of these four walls!  Or perhaps there is a ramblers' group in your area?

If you enjoy gardening, have you considered taking on an allotment?


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## trophywench (Jul 12, 2014)

Right Bill - this is going to sound potty, but ....

Only works if you live in a home with stairs - we're in a bungalow so can't do it, but it's really good exercise indoors when it's raining etc.

A diabetic mate used to look up famous landmarks on the internet - eg the Eiffel Tower or the leaning tower of Pisa and somewhere in the info the sadist that wrote it will tell you how many steps you have to climb to get to the top - so you do that many steps but up and down your stairs.   Just divide by 13.

View may not be so interesting from the top but you can say when you've done it that you've climbed up whatever it is, or eg down, to the bottom of the Gouffre de Padirac (though that's Advanced LOL) - but just never up the Giralda at Seville cathedral !


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## Mark T (Jul 12, 2014)

When the weather is mostly nice, I sometimes do a quick bit of Geocaching.  An idea that I can thank Copepod on this forum for giving me.

The biggest issue I have these days is that I've mostly exhausted all the caches within walking distance of my house and it's a case of grabbing the car and going somewhere - which I don't always have time to do as I generally cache after little one has gone to bed or on weekends whilst he is sitting watching some tv after lunch (or on trips out).

Some cachers do go out in all weather, but thats not me


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## Pigeon (Jul 13, 2014)

Would cycling to work be an option if you did get a  bike? I tried this for the first time this week (7 miles each way) and it felt great! I did a recce one night to find the best off-road route and see how long it would take me. I got suggestions for a route which avoids most traffic here: http://www.transportdirect.info/Web2/JourneyPlanning/CycleJourneyDetails.aspx?cacheparam=1 I'm never going to manage it every day but I thought I would aim to cycle once a week over the summer. Or maybe you could cycle to the library, some different shops, to the park etc? Bikes don't have to be expensive, you can often buy a refurbished one from a charity, second hand shop or similar- or as you're in London maybe you could try a Boris bike to see how you get on?


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## Pigeon (Jul 13, 2014)

My other suggestion for getting motivated would be to sign up for an event, maybe a sponsored charity walk or something? Sign up with a friend or relative to keep each other committed and start collecting sponsorship so you can't back out. I did the Great North Run with a friend the year after I got diagnosed with diabetes and it was great for chasing away the blues. I didn't expect to raise much but actually people were really encouraging and generous and I raised over £500 for my charity. My friend and I went running together once  a week and there were so many times I would have backed out (rain, cold, feeling low etc) if I hadn't already arranged to meet her.

As for things you can do when it's raining, joining an exercise class is perhaps an obvious one, I hate gyms too (get so bored on tread mills!) but I have been to yoga and pilates classes, which I enjoyed. Or how about a salsa class or something - nice way to meet new people.

Failing that vigorous housework is good exercise! How about a good (late!) spring clean -  hoover behind all the furniture etc, put on some good music and do the dusting??

Or do you have any rooms need redecorating? Painting my flat was another thing I did when newly diagnosed, I like the quick effects you get from changing the room colour. It caused lots of hypos so must have been good exercise


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## HOBIE (Feb 2, 2015)

Pigeon said:


> My other suggestion for getting motivated would be to sign up for an event, maybe a sponsored charity walk or something? Sign up with a friend or relative to keep each other committed and start collecting sponsorship so you can't back out. I did the Great North Run with a friend the year after I got diagnosed with diabetes and it was great for chasing away the blues. I didn't expect to raise much but actually people were really encouraging and generous and I raised over £500 for my charity. My friend and I went running together once  a week and there were so many times I would have backed out (rain, cold, feeling low etc) if I hadn't already arranged to meet her.
> 
> As for things you can do when it's raining, joining an exercise class is perhaps an obvious one, I hate gyms too (get so bored on tread mills!) but I have been to yoga and pilates classes, which I enjoyed. Or how about a salsa class or something - nice way to meet new people.
> 
> ...



Have a look on Diabetes UK site. Lots of walks/Runs/Cycle/Swim events !


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## Copepod (Feb 2, 2015)

It's really nice to read that my suggestion of geocaching helped Mark T get out and about more. I find it makes me walk a bit more than usual eg I've fitted in a few caches before / after working on a race in Howgills [and also doing a parkrun] last weekend and an earthcache at a country park in Northamptonshire where I worked on another race the weekend before. 

Photography can also be a reason to get out and walk to places you might not go ottherwise. 

parkruns are free 5km runs in many parks at 0900 or 0930 on Saturday mornings - see www.parkrun.org.uk Many people start off walking the whole way, then alternating running and walking, gradually less walking and more running, until running the whole way.


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## HOBIE (Mar 12, 2015)

Lots going on


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