How I feel When I don’t Exercise

Over winter exercise got a bit too hard. I don’t really know what was going on but for a few months whenever I tried to get back into exercise properly I would get really sick. Needless to say this basically sapped all of my motivation and desire to exercise since it left me feeling so bad every time I tried.

Over winter I got a bit run down and got into some bad habits. I got to the point where it was really hard to get out of bed in the morning and I mean really hard. I wasn’t sleeping properly and was finding it harder than usual to go to sleep at night. I didn’t have as much energy during the day and basically I just felt like rubbish.

I had developed a daily coffee habit which was essential or I just would not be able to function and my reliance on it was pretty bad. My legs got sore and restless and I noticed while I wasn’t as unfit as I had been in the past I knew I wasn’t on top of my fitness and it was getting me down.

To be honest prior to my surgery when I did not find exercise enjoyable this was all par for the course. Exercise made me more tired if anything and I didn’t enjoy it. Whenever I did exercise I hated every second and could not wait until I was done. When I was morbidly obese just getting through the day was physically hard and tiring enough but I didn’t realise how much until I got to a normal weight.

I have been slowly but surely getting back into my exercise over the last month or so and my gosh have I enjoyed it. I am sleeping much better and being physically and mentally tired at the end of the day means I am able to fall asleep easily and sleep better once I am asleep. In the morning because I have slept better its much easier to get out of bed and I actually feel awake and refreshed in the morning (well most mornings anyway.)

My energy levels are better and my state of mind is in a better place. My body feels better generally (really hard to articulate but hopefully you know what I mean) and I really love the freeing feeling when I’m out for a run and just able to let my mind relax and have some me time.

I have been really stressed lately and exercise is one of my ways of dealing with stress. I actually can’t believe how instant the mental and emotional relief is after I have been for a run. Basically I have really missed exercise over the winter and getting back into it properly has really improved how I feel physically and mentally.

The enjoyment I get from exercise and how physically able I am now is honestly one of the things I have gained that I am most grateful for since my gastric bypass. To feel physically fit and vital is amazing and the comparison to how I feel when I don’t exercise is very noticeable.

Do you notice anything similar when you don’t exercise? I would love to know what you most enjoy about exercising let me know in the comments below.

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There are 6 comments for this article
  1. Nerida at 2:42 pm

    I totally understand how you feel about exercise over winter. I am trying now to get back into walking again after not exercising properly for the last 6-8 weeks. Starting out slowly and hoping to get back into the gym again too. I feel so much better when I’ve exercised, sleep better too and eat better as well. I haven’t developed a coffee habit so much as a diet coke habit and need to break that. Thanks for a great perspective. N 🙂

    • Melissa Peaks Author at 7:06 pm

      Thank you for reading Nerida I really appreciate it! That’s great that you’re getting back into exercise too. It’s amazing the difference in how it makes you feel isn’t it.

  2. Nigel Pearson at 7:35 am

    Hi Melissa,
    I have turned my daily walks into something of a ritual! I just gotta do it. It starts off every day and helps me function so much better at work. Several colleagues are beginning to follow suit and we all concur on its benefit to our psyche.
    As I am now 2 mnths post-surgery I have to add how the exercise helps with bowel motions. I am still having optifast and my tiny tummy does not stand very much of the soft diet I am otherwise eating before it tells me “Enough!”. Many in our group have commented about the problem of constipation and wind post-surgery……the exercise is the best panacea ever! So, I frequently have more than just the one walk each day. I enjoy getting out and about in our local park, or walking the streets rather than using my treadmill.

    • Melissa Peaks Author at 6:45 pm

      Hi Nigel, I’m glad that you’ve really started to enjoy it and find benefit in exercise too! I find the treadmill so boring, it’s so much more interesting getting out and about in your neighbourhood isn’t it.

  3. Carolyn at 5:21 pm

    Something Nigel mentioned that I had been meaning to ask. How are the “stools” post Op? Do you eat enough to daily do no.2s?

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