Exercise Mojo gone in the past few weeks - I hate myself but should I be kind

[cheltsam83]

In the past two years I heave really caught the exercise bug, running up to 10k a couple of times a week and going to a couple of gym classes after work. I love the benefits and it has really bought me alive and made me feel more confident,

However in the last two weeks I have lost motivation, and feel really tired. Then I get really bad guilt about not going and end up eating lots of chocs which makes me feel worse.

I have a lot going on at the moment lucky to have my bathroon refitted which meant I had to be about to manage that, I am also waiting for an op, should now be tomorrow but it has been cancelled at the last moment twice in the past two weeks. So I am building myself I for something I am very scared about for it to be cancelled at the last moment, I then feel guilty I have not been to classes in the week before, a part of this is being told to mininise my risk of getting covid which is really bad at my gym at the moment.

I am then going to need two weeks off post op to recover and I am feeling really bad about this and worry I am going to loose strength.

I have tried doing bits at home but I am struggling to get motivated to do this. I really hate myself for it and feel so guility I am not going to classes for over a month after its all done.

The short answer is you should be kind to yourself!

We are not robots - stresses and worries do feed through into our physical state. And it is horrible having the uncertainty of moving op dates - you get your plans all sorted, your head straight, and then bam! Everything is up in the air again.

Im speaking from experience here - I had surgery last October just when I should have been running a half marathon. Then I deferred and broke my wrist 8 weeks before the deferred race - but I ran it anyway.

Im now signed up for a marathon in April, but have now found I need a repeat of last October’s surgery, so will have to stop running for a bit. I was off running for 5 weeks for the last surgery.

But this is all about building mental resilience as well as physical resilience. Your fitness won’t drop off a cliff, but you may need to build it up again gradually. And stop with the guilt and self-shaming!

The thought of an op is scary, but you will get through it. It’s much healthier to think in terms of what you CAN do, rather than what you SHOULD do.

So, I know I’ve been neglecting my core strength for a bit, and my ankles need strengthening. They’re probably areas I can start working on before I can restart running. I’ll give myself some time completely off and then introduce things gradually. And it might be that my recovery takes longer than last time, which will be frustrating, but then I’ll have to make a call as to whether to defer.

Hope it all goes well for you

@cheltsam83

You can be kind to yourself and continue exercising.

Two weeks off won’t have a significant impact on strength. If you can do other forms of exercise e.g. walking, jogging etc you can minimise loss of aerobic fitness.

Our ability to handle training load is linked to stress. If recent stress has increased, perhaps the training load needs to decrease. Loss of motivation is an early sign of overtraining.

If the operation is cancelled, can you reduce the distance c10km run and increase the frequency? Instead of 3x10km per week, could you do 5x or 6x 3-5km walk/runs. Could you find an outdoor gym near you and do 5-10 minutes during the walk/run? Try to keep the intensity of the runs less than 6 or 7 out of 10 and always be able to speak in short, full sentences. I bang on about intensity a lot on Mumsnet - it’s because pushing even a little bit too hard can lead to a 4x or 5x decrease in time to fatigue and increase recovery required.

If you manage intensity, you should feel energised after exercise, not tired.

If you have the operation, ease back into exercise. Aim for increasing frequency first, both at the gym and with your running. Don’t focus on distance/pace or weight lifted as you ease back into it.

I'm sorry to hear about the cancelled ops. I had a relative go through this recently and it is so stressful.

I understand about the need to minimise covid risks. Perhaps focus on walking outside, with some short runs, and do something like Lottie Murphy Pilates (free on youtube) at home? This will help you maintain strength and work on form while not stressing your body or you. Then after the op ease back in. We all have to have time off sometimes for injury, illness, holidays etc. It does all come back - sometimes better than before after the rest. Good luck.

You have a lot on your plate and need to be realistic about what you can and can’t manage.

In terms of doing things at home, it’s not so much motivation as discipline that you need because motivation won’t always be there. Plus I always think you need exercise and its benefits the most when you’re not in the mood! Anything is better than nothing, so pick something you enjoy even if it’s just a dance party or something and once you get going you may find you’re more inclined to keep it up. But I wouldn’t worry about resting post op-your body needs to recover and you’ll soon regain fitness. Good luck!