Where do I start?

[GhostCat1]

I want to consider where I am now a clean slate. I am 5'5 and 133lbs last year I lost a good deal of weight going from a little over 200 to my current weight. Pretty much by cutting out pasta and sugar. I am now skinny fat. I work from home and actually have agoraphobia and PTSD. I have trouble working out when my heart races it causes like heart palpitations which make me panic and trigger my issues. I just don't know where to start either with my mental health or my physical health. I have a very hard time riding in cars and really can't go more than a mile in the car or on foot without panicking. It is a crappy way to live and I've been like this since 2013 when I quit heroin and quit smoking, and drinking. I've been sober for almost seven years but I've been trapped in a different way.

I don't want to take supplements or anything like that, I just want to get more muscular. I feel if I am more muscular that I will feel less vulnerable and maybe that will help my anxiety and other health issues.

Today I did some work with resistance bands and did 15 push-ups and started having heart palpitations. If anyone has any experience with this kind of thing first hand I would appreciate any tips or help. Right now I am a skinny fat guy with twig arms. Not sure why it says 50 i'm 29

[ElrondHubbard]

The band's and pushups are a good start. You also might want to try bodyweight squats.

I don't know about "heart palpitations". It may simply be that your body is unused to any hard physical effort. Rest long enough to allow your chest to calm down, then do another 15 pushups. Repeat this until you get used to the feeling, and it stops producing anxiety.

There's no reason to live a life sentence in a prison of your own making. Maybe it's time to start preparing for your breakout.

[etet1919]

I want to consider where I am now a clean slate. I am 5'5 and 133lbs last year I lost a good deal of weight going from a little over 200 to my current weight. Pretty much by cutting out pasta and sugar. I am now skinny fat. I work from home and actually have agoraphobia and PTSD. I have trouble working out when my heart races it causes like heart palpitations which make me panic and trigger my issues. I just don't know where to start either with my mental health or my physical health. I have a very hard time riding in cars and really can't go more than a mile in the car or on foot without panicking. It is a crappy way to live and I've been like this since 2013 when I quit heroin and quit smoking, and drinking. I've been sober for almost seven years but I've been trapped in a different way.

I don't want to take supplements or anything like that, I just want to get more muscular. I feel if I am more muscular that I will feel less vulnerable and maybe that will help my anxiety and other health issues.

Today I did some work with resistance bands and did 15 push-ups and started having heart palpitations. If anyone has any experience with this kind of thing first hand I would appreciate any tips or help. Right now I am a skinny fat guy with twig arms. Not sure why it says 50 i'm 29

Hi! I'm assuming you were diagnosed by a qualified nurse practitioner or psychiatrist. Agoraphobia can be a severely crippling (usually biochemical) anxiety disorder! I would hope you are receiving help with this through psychotherapy! I believe this needs to be addressed before worrying about "light" exercise jacking up your heart rate, ok? I wish you lots of luck with this!

[kip22]

start by easing back chip commands and eventually stop all communication
remove chip at next surgery. i hate u

this is noncooperation. u began it and u can stop it

[GhostCat1]

Hi! I'm assuming you were diagnosed by a qualified nurse practitioner or psychiatrist. Agoraphobia can be a severely crippling (usually biochemical) anxiety disorder! I would hope you are receiving help with this through psychotherapy! I believe this needs to be addressed before worrying about "light" exercise jacking up your heart rate, ok? I wish you lots of luck with this!

I have been doing exposure therapy for about 5 years now to treat my agoraphobia and PTSD, Yes I was clinically diagnosed. I'm not one of those people that talk about it for craps and grins. When I started I could not even go to my mailbox to check the mail. I can now drive, granted not far but I can do it. Progress is slow but it is progress. Nothing wrong with wanting to become healthier pyschically while I become healthier mentally as well.

[GhostCat1]

start by easing back chip commands and eventually stop all communication
remove chip at next surgery. i hate u

this is noncooperation. u began it and u can stop it

I'm not sure what you are referencing.

[etet1919]

I have been doing exposure therapy for about 5 years now to treat my agoraphobia and PTSD, Yes I was clinically diagnosed. I'm not one of those people that talk about it for craps and grins. When I started I could not even go to my mailbox to check the mail. I can now drive, granted not far but I can do it. Progress is slow but it is progress. Nothing wrong with wanting to become healthier pyschically while I become healthier mentally as well.

Sorry if I came across as "blunt" or assuming. I didn't mean to! I'm very glad to hear you have been going for treatment! And you HAVE made a whole lot progress! That's a huge accomplishment! And a huge congratulations on your successful recovery!! That's another tremendous accomplishment not to be overlooked! I missed a few major details here!

Absolutely- nothing wrong with pursuing fitness in any way you are comfortable with! Personally, I like using some dumbells when at home. It's a good addition to body weight exercises. You probably just need to practice and be patient with yourself! Progress with strength and conditioning will happen. It just takes time. How often do you currently train?

[GhostCat1]

I've started doing 30 minutes at a time a few times a week at the gym of my apartment. They are lacking in weight equipment and only have a ST900 Functional Trainer weight machine.

[etet1919]

I've started doing 30 minutes at a time a few times a week at the gym of my apartment. They are lacking in weight equipment and only have a ST900 Functional Trainer weight machine.

Just looked up this model, and it looks good to me! Cable machines offer so many options! That's another huge accomplishment just being able to use that public space and train! It truly is. Many people, even without anxiety disorders, are too intimidated walking into the average commercial gym, let alone doing hard training in front of the masses (it's the sad truth!). So, good for you taking that initiative! I'm thinking you could try putting in the request to management for a set of dumbells? They shouldn't be too costly. But in the meantime, continue to make use of this valuable machine with a well-structured push/pull program... You can start with a beginners program that's easy to follow, maintain and motivate...and it sounds like you've made an impressive beginning already (30 minutes, few times a week...you are becoming adept at controlling anxiety!! )

I'm sure you've scanned through the workout programming sub-forum by now! Has any particular beginner program caught your eye? Let us know and we'll give you more feedback!

[bstatic]

Dude you're almost like me! I had really bad agoraphobia when I was younger and eventually self medicated with pain meds and then alcohol. The alcohol was wayyy worse though and people would agree because I was drinking until my organs were shutting down.

What helped me was exposure therapy, proper treatment to help resolve underlying issues. My PTSD seems to have gone mostly away but I still suffer from anxiety having to always motivate myself to get outside.

I would suggest learning some tools to help with your anxiety. Some doctors especially in the states might recommend benzodiazapines but less people get off those than a ton of things actually and it sounds like you haven't really gone to learn mental health tools which is a long process so I would start there.

I forced myself to get into work where I would be dealing with people and that helps immensely so does roommates or a roommate. You're not going to die from a panic attack so keep on trying to learn to deal with it which will help alter the neuropathways making them less and less common but you can't really stop practicing for a few days fyi.


*EDIT* I saw that you are getting external help and such which is good. Sounds like you are on the right track to be honest. Just don't stop. For myself even a few days inside it becomes insanely hard for me to go to the grocery store and even then I feel like some vampire that sees the sun and whisks into the shadows lol.

[radrd]

If you have access to a functional trainer, I'd check out free Athlean-X YouTube videos. He incorporates it quite a bit and also has some videos with bodyweight exercises. Generally his form tips are helpful as well.

Just trying to get out and walk might be good for you, but obviously you can only do so much outside as you work through your mental issues. I wish you the best!

[martninick64]

The pushups of the band are a strong starting. You would even like to do squats with bodyweight. you can do also pull-ups. it's very hard for beginners but you can.

"Heart palpitations" I don't know. It can also be that physical energy is not used by the body. Remain longer enough to relax your throat, then move 15 more. Repeat until the sensation is conditioned, and fear ended.

There is no need to stay in jail for life imprisonment. Maybe it's time to begin your breakaway training.