Welcome to /r/EOOD

Have you tried something new that has helped you?

It doesn't have to be exercise related at all. Books, music, podcasts, tv, websites, organisations all help. Or it could be something someone said in passing that helped you and they have probably forgotten all about.

I am 54 now, I want to be as fit as I can be when I turn 60.

Right now I want to get through Pete's Rowing Plan and row 12000m. I want to get back to strength training. I want to run a Parkrun regularly again. I want to enjoy archery.

Having a goal shows me that I have a future beyond what mental illness tells me I have. Mental illness tells me all I have to look forward to is suffering and pain. Exercising tells me I will have quite a lot of physical pain but I can overcome that. If I can overcome physical pain I can overcome my mental illness.

Taking the overall pulse here. How are you? If not well, think whether there are any positives to share as well to balance negatives. But of course, if you need to vent, know we are here to listen.

Have you been mindful lately? Made any useful observations that have helped you and could help others? Share any efforts especially ones that change your mind or attitude, meditation efforts, positive thinking, and gratitudes.

In addition or alternatively, have you had any successes in improving what you eat? Any good recipes to share?

Worlds most convoluted post title goes to... me!

Its very easy to be dismissive of people who are trying to help us. Thanks to the internet we are all experts in everything. No idea how to do a Bulgarian Split Squat? Five minutes on Youtube are you're an expert. Do you know how to do a Bulgarian Split Squat safely though, that's a different question and harder to learn.

When I used to go to gyms I would always pay careful attention if someone said "I think your form on xyz is a little off". Its easier to see someone doing something wrong than it is to realise you are doing it wrong yourself basically. Someone is trying to help you and doesn't want you to hurt yourself, in fact they want you to become better. Listen to them, don't dismiss them out of hand.

Of course these are the reasons with have coaches and trainers. Its not really to motivate you, its to keep you safe and injury free. Even then its easy to say "I know best".

My entire rugby team did this once. We had an excellent coach. He sat us down at the end of another mediocre season and said our main problem was physical fitness. We were strong and fast but lost so many games in the last quarter as we were exhausted. The coach said that if we all committed to getting fitter we would win. That mean far more fitness training than skill or strength training. We said yes as a team.

We trained all through the summer off season, a first for the club. When the new season started we were winning and were playing well up to the final whistle. We still carried on doing endurance training. 5 or 10k runs, burpees until someone was physically sick, the lot. No skills or strength/speed training. We won most of our games before Xmas. However we were fed up with running and burpees. We asked the coach to step down and got a new coach that just did tackle practice and weight training. Our endurance declined and we ended up loosing enough games before the end of the season that we had another mediocre season. Neglecting ball skills for a whole season didn't help either.

To my mind its the same when someone is trying to help you out mentally. Its easy to say "This person is talking bullshit, why do I even have to listen to them". That person could be a family member, friend, colleague, someone random internet stranger, a therapist or anyone. They have seen something in you that has given them concern and they are trying to help you. It might not be teaching you good form for a lift but the motivation is the same. They want you to be better.

Medical professionals are the equivalent of coaches and trainers here. You have asked them for help getting your mind back to "normal". Don't think "I know better than this person" or "They don't have my best interests at heart, they just want the money".

I did this myself too. I had a brief spell on a psych ward after a suicide attempt about 8 years ago. I was given DBT therapy on the ward and it continued after I was let out of the hospital. DBT (and CBT) is based on Stoic philosophy which I had been reading about a lot previously. I thought I knew more than the therapists running the sessions about how it all "worked". I would quote Marcus Aurelius at them and would basically be a know-all arsehole who ruined the group sessions for everyone. Guess what? I got nothing from the sessions.

Its really easy to be abusive towards people who are trying to help us too. Especially when we are not communicating face-to-face in places like this or elsewhere on line. Everyone is anonymous sitting behind a screen and that makes it easier to rant at someone who is trying to help. You might feel you are justified in abusing a total stranger and it might give your ego a little boost but that is as far as it goes. Plus you have made that person less likely to help anyone else again. Ask yourself if you would be prepared to argue with, yell at and abuse a total stranger who stopped to help you in the street? I really, really hope not.

Now when someone tries to help me I listen to what they have to say. I welcome it in fact. I keep an open mind. I try to learn from them anyone who wants to help me. That might be someone teaching me how to do a Bulgarian Split Squat or my therapist discussing how to deal with my family. Its the same at the end of the day as their motivation is the same.

Keeping an open mind and listening to people who try to help us is good in so many other situations. It helps us minimise and cope with our mental health problems. It helps us become a better person.

Care to share your successes of this week, whether exercise or others? What went well, what is promising, what do you feel good about? If you have any selfies and progress pics to share, now is your chance

So I have a rule for myself that if my knees bother me, I need to wait before next run until at least 24 hours since the last time my knees bothered me. Oh and I never run two days in a row.

I was planning to run on Saturday and Monday, but yesterday my knees bothered me while walking, so I knew I ought to not run today.

However, my Garmin fitness tracker has monthly challenges, and I knew that I could not possibly complete the challenge of 10 hours of running in April in only one more run, since I had almost 1.5 hours left, and that’s more than I ever do in one “run” - btw when I am running outside using Couch to 5K app I count the entire training session as a “run” though it is a combination of running and walking, I am not an experienced runner, and I am 50 years old, so I figure that is ok.

At first I decided I would be responsible and not run today, and just give up on getting that badge in the Garmin app.

But then I thought: I deserve that badge, and I am so close! So I decided that I could use in my virtual reality headset a game called Run VR, which in reality is me running in place but in virtual reality I am running through a virtual landscape and collecting coins and diamonds as my reward. Running in place in my living room is much easier on my knees than running outside. I did this for a bit over half an hour today and my knees were fine.

There is still no guarantee that I will get the April running Garmin badge, but I am still “in the running” for it, less than an hour more of running to go in April to earn this badge.

Socializing can help depression, as can thinking of others, community service, caring for loved ones. Care to share any social activities that you have participated in this week or are planning to?

How have you unwound this week? Any creative projects you would like to share?

Which workouts are you currently focusing on? What have you done to EOOD this week??

This is a reminder to get new shoes regularly especially if your exercise involves running or walking. By the time the shoes are showing serious wear it may have been a while already when they were not good for running or walking. Shoes that have too much wear can contribute to poor form, pain and injury, blisters. Shoes wear out unevenly and may loose their bounce / cushioning / shock absorption which may be less obvious to many of us.

Have you tried something new that has helped you?

It doesn't have to be exercise related at all. Books, music, podcasts, tv, websites, organisations all help. Or it could be something someone said in passing that helped you and they have probably forgotten all about.

Learned Helplessness is a major aspect in many peoples mental illness, especially depression and PTSD. Essentially the brain assumes we have no control over events. Then when we do actually have an opportunity to take control we do nothing. We learn a wrong and unhelpful pattern of behaviour.

The classic stereotype of a depressed person sitting and "doing nothing" / mentally torturing themselves when "all" they have to do is reach out to someone for help is a perfect example of learned helplessness. At times we would rather do nothing than do something, anything, to help ourselves.

Of course exercise can help with this. Even doing 5 push ups shows us we do have some control. Do 5 push ups, or even 1, and you have taken control over one small aspect of your life. Keep doing that regularly and you are unlearning learned helplessness.

To my non-expert mind this process is similar to therapy, at least the therapy I have had. The therapist would ask me to talk about something and challenge some of my responses to ask me why I think that way. In turn that makes me think differently when a similar situation arises. Instead of a conversation with a therapist lifting a kettlebell, shooting a bow or sweating on a rowing machine shows me different ways to think. I challenge myself physically and mentally at the same time. I prove to myself that I can take control over something in my life.

Then as I always say "If I can go outside into the dark and rain at 7am to exercise in my back yard the rest of the day is going to go that little bit easier."

Exercise Out Of Depression is not all about the runners high, far from it.

Taking the overall pulse here. How are you? If not well, think whether there are any positives to share as well to balance negatives. But of course, if you need to vent, know we are here to listen.

Hoping somebody finds this helpful... don't know if this is the right subreddit for this

I live in a tiny house. I don't have a gym, nor do I want to go to one. But I want to try to stave off ill-health and be strong enough for hikes and such. If I don't exercise for a while, I get extra crabby and depressed. But a tiny house doesn't have a lot of room to exercise. On top of all that, I have a hard time motivating myself to exercise without other people around.

My progression of finding something that works:

• I tried using a barbell and plates for lifting, because I figured lifting would keep me strong, increase bone mass, etc with less time spent working out. But it was really annoying finding a place for the bar and setting it up/tearing it down. Plus it's much more tiring than other exercises for me. This was all making me feel bad, so I gave up on the barbell.

• I got some dumbbells with adjustable plates. The idea was that I could adjust the plates for different exercises, but that was annoying too. So I basically just set them up for 25lbs each, and did exercises which worked with that weight. This was easy enough to stick to, but it meant I couldn't do a lot at that weight, so I had to modify (like doing reverse curls).

• I wanted to build (or buy) a bench to do chest presses and other bench exercises, but I never did, largely because it would be annoying to find a place for it in the tiny house (I know some fold, but then you have to have free space to lean it against or under something). So I just switched to other exercises that don't need a bench, like push-ups, or using a chair.

• For a while I tried to have a normal workout routine, but I work remote, and am always in front of the computer, so it's very hard to break up my day. Plus I'm lazy, and generally won't finish an exercise if somebody isn't watching me. So instead I do just one or two sets of exercises a day, every day. Over time I can do a little more and change up the routine. And I can start heating up a meal and go quickly do the exercise before eating. I can also do some right when I wake up, or right when I'm going to bed.

• Long hikes on weekends with other people really make me feel good. Meetup is great for this, but I need to drive several hours to a place other people want to hike. Still better than not doing it at all. Over time I got to like it more and I really look forward to the next hike. (This isn't in the tiny house, but it's the exercise that fights depression the most for me)

What I actually do:

1. Hand-release push-ups
2. Lunges, step-ups with dumbbells
3. Wide grip pull-up
4. Yoga bridge/wheel pose (before bed, 2 sets of 60 seconds)
5. Curl, shoulder press, reverse curl with dumbbells
6. Standing fly, towel row, kickback, rotational swing, snatch with dumbbells
7. Squat with dumbbell held overhead

I mostly do the push-ups and pull-ups, and the yoga poses before bed, with one or two others mixed in as I feel like it. I tried to pick exercises that maximize gain for effort/time. You can probably find more interesting compound versions of these, or just find any exercises you like to do.

Studies show that even 3 seconds of exercise 3 times a week can grow muscle. In my case, just doing 1 set a day has increased my push-ups and gotten me from 0 wide-grip pull-ups, to 2. My biggest problem appears to be I'm not eating enough protein, so I can lose the gains quickly.

But more to the point: I don't beat myself up for not exercising, because I do it every day. It only takes 30 seconds, so there's always time to do it, even if I forgot earlier in the day. When I do feel stressed out, I can go bang out a quick set and feel a little better.

I still notice occasionally where I'm weak and need improvement, but this minimum effort actually has results, so I feel better about doing it. And if it works in a tiny house, it will probably work wherever you live too.

Have you been mindful lately? Made any useful observations that have helped you and could help others? Share any efforts especially ones that change your mind or attitude, meditation efforts, positive thinking, and gratitudes.

In addition or alternatively, have you had any successes in improving what you eat? Any good recipes to share?

I've forced myself to keep exercising for 4 months now, I constantly feel hungry and have been studying nutrition on my own so it would be easier to eat less. I exercise 45 minutes to an hour 4-6 days a week. I've never felt worse, I still weigh the same and look disgusting, I cry nearly every day, I started pulling my hair out in chunks when I get too mad to deal people anymore, hitting my head on walls until it feels like my brain moves in my skull or my head is tender. I've tried group stuff like dodgeball, swimming, yoga, cardio, and just doing it randomly like squatting while brushing my teeth, random planks, having the stuff I'm learning on while I exercise, schedule, no schedule, workout routine, vice versa. Every time I try to find something to help, it says something I tried and I start crying again. Why is it not enough

I’m in the best shape of my life, social. Get constantly told by friends in gym I’m extremely muscular. I have a strong friend’s group outside of the gym. However all are married and have kids. So limited time to hang out. Dating at 37 is like navigating land mines, on top of that my new job pays well but is nothing but stress and my boss isn’t the best. She almost fired me two months in because of assumptions she made from my resume when she hired me. However she hired me for a different job then presented in interview and on job description. That hasn’t made me feel any better. I lift for my physical health. Since I have Barrett’s and hiatal hernia. When my anxiety and stress are high it makes me feel worse and cough a lot. How do you all manage? Note I’ve talked to a therapist, to deal with abuse from a relationship and struggling to find a new job. I have great hobbies outside of the gym as well. Always love going to a concert or some sort of event. Sum it all up life is just lonely.

About two years ago I decided to get in shape and started working out with a trainer twice a week. I definitely felt better, slept better, had more energy, and was less depressed. After about 6 months my trainer let me in on a secret. When you switch from exercising 2-3 times a week to exercising almost everyday, a lot of stuff really changes in your body. Your body goes from expecting to exert a lot of energy a few times a week to expecting it everyday - and that cascades to better sleep and much less soreness and a bunch more energy. Now I find my body gets twitchy on my rest day, it wants to move.

No pressure on anybody just starting their EOOD journey, you will absolutely feel better with any amount of movement. But if you find yourself plateauing, start moving everyday.

Care to share your successes of this week, whether exercise or others? What went well, what is promising, what do you feel good about? If you have any selfies and progress pics to share, now is your chance

Socializing can help depression, as can thinking of others, community service, caring for loved ones. Care to share any social activities that you have participated in this week or are planning to?

Feel free to add sponsorship links too of course, especially if you are running for a mental health charity.

How have you unwound this week? Any creative projects you would like to share?

Depression and other mental health problems can make it easy for sufferers to neglect themselves. When you stay in bed all day you are not in the shower, brushing your teeth or sorting out your hair.

Many psych people evaluate how well kempt a person coming to them as a patient is as part of their overall report. I guess their reasoning is that if someone looks OK they are not too bad. Its a terrible generalisation but there it is.

If you get hot and sweaty when you exercise then it takes a hell of a lot to just put on your day to day clothes without having a shower. Plus that shower often feels sooooo damn good. If you are in the shower then you wash your hair too. If you are like me when you get out of the shower you clean your teeth and generally spruce yourself up a bit. Its a hard habit for anyone to break.

When we look that little bit better we tend to feel that little bit better. Its the same as putting on a favourite item of clothing. It gives us a little boost.

So go out and get hot and sweaty. Enjoy the shower afterwards and look and feel a little bit better.

Which workouts are you currently focusing on? What have you done to EOOD this week??