I don’t exercise to lose weight. In fact, any time I’ve exercised (or dieted) specifically with weight loss in mind, it was not sustainable. I’m at a point in my life where my physical health, and especially my mental health, are the most important. I exercise for overall health, and I’ve found that every little bit helps.
It’s Never Too Late to Begin Exercising
I subscribe to the HAES (healthy at every size) way of life. I try to eat intuitively, that is to say, when I’m actually hungry (listening to my body’s hunger and satiation cues) and not when I’m bored or stressed. And I exercise my body on purpose.
Now, you don’t know me, but for me to say that I exercise on purpose is huge!
My past work life in a corporate office was sedentary. Outside of that, I hustled during my commutes, and at home looking after a house, a marriage, and three growing kids. I was mostly exhausted.
I’ve never been athletic. I joined gyms and took yoga classes, played softball and bowled, but these activities waned. As such, the benefits were few, if any, and didn’t come close to outweighing the effort. Exercising in general was always a chore.
Until, that is, in August 2021 when I suffered acute, crippling panic and anxiety that lasted for months. I was very sick. Along with medication and psychotherapy, I adopted a daily set routine of waking up and going to bed at a certain time, and getting some form of exercise.
Micro-Improvements From Routine Exercise
I’ll admit that when I started exercising routinely, it was mainly as a mean of distraction. Those who have suffered mental illness know that a lot of time is spent inside your own head. Distraction is good.
I began by taking slow, short walks. Then, my walks got longer and I picked up my pace. On bad weather days, I decided to do gentle yoga, using YouTube for inspiration and guidance. When pandemic restrictions abated, I utilized my building’s fitness room and exercised on the elliptical machine. I alternated days, yoga one day, walking or doing the elliptical the next day.
Soon I began to notice micro-improvements in myself. My mental health improved because I was successfully distracting myself. Also, exercise produces endorphins and serotonin, the “feel good” chemicals.
The improvements to my physical health were harder to detect. They were slow and gradual. For instance, on the days I walk outside, while I used to walk 1 kilometre at a slow pace, I now walk 5–6 kilometres at a brisk pace. I have adapted several different yoga routines into one that I do regularly, adding and adjusting stretches as my body responds to my efforts. Also, while I started on the elliptical on level 1, huffing and puffing and cursing every minute of it, I am now on level 13, I feel great while I’m at it (pride, confidence, etc.), and I look forward to the sweat! This is something I never thought I’d say.
Final Thoughts on Exercising for Overall Health
I have a long way to go before I would call myself fit. Having said that, exercising is now a big part of my overall health. I started off slowly, forcing myself, quite frankly, to move my body. And now, two years later, I’m stronger, have more physical endurance, and my mental health is stable. Believe me when I tell you that I never thought exercise, particularly at the glacial pace at which I started, would help. I’m here to tell you that it has helped. Tremendously. Every little bit helps, and it’s never too late to start.
Feature image by Arek Adeoye on Unsplash.
See more of my posts on mental health here.
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