Lived Experience Forum

[4Wheels]

I've struggled in the past to keep busy. To keep my mind ticking over.

There's a few different reasons to this, which I'm sure I'll share when the time is right.

For now, I'd rather talk about the steps I've made lately toward becoming a happier person.

It started with a simple goal. To be excited for something every week. Remember when you were a young kid, and there was something exciting every day. It could have been something as simple as dad coming home from work. When you're an older child and teenager, friends suddenly take the focus of your life, and things like playing sports with them or just hanging means is always the thing to look forward to.

When you start to work yourself, ambition takes over. How high can I climb the corporate ladder, how quickly can I learn a trade and make as much money as possible. Then other priorities in life emerges, and work doesn't become your number one priority.

Don't get me wrong, I love my family-driven life. But in my comfortable, stable life, especially now the kids are older, I've lost something to look forward to.

Call it a New Years Resolution if you want, I've made an effort in the last 5 months to turn around my physical shape.

It's been great. I've lost 12kg and have felt my best in more than 10 years.

On top of looking forward to my regular 5 days a week at gym, I've been visiting the newly opened Xtra Clubs within the Bondi Junction Mall. Properly recovering from my workouts is awesome, and emerging out of those ice baths give me an incredible rush of dopamine. At first I was gritting my teeth in those ice baths, now I'm grinning cheek-to-cheek, a bit like the fella Xtra are showing here on their website.

Monthly as well, I'm starting to go on long walks around the city, with the goal of building up my fitness to start half, then full marathons. That's just one long term goal, the other is to get back into a social sport.

Appreciate you read this far. If you were like me and fell into a rut of doing the same thing everyday, with nothing to look forward to, try moving your body. Like I say, it does wonders for you mind too.

[PizzaMondo]

Hi @4Wheels 🙂

Thank you for sharing with us your journey to turning your physical health around - I can imagine the huuugeeee impacts this has also had on your mental health and wellbeing as they are all connected!

I love that you're also doing ice baths - I have had experiences with cold plunge pools, but not yet ice - I know it is super beneficial to let the nape of your neck dip in the ice too in order to reset your vagus nerve naturally to ease anxieties!

Thanks for the Monday motivation, reminds me to go for a walk and bask in the sunlight before it disappears this dreary upcoming winter.

Finally, welcome to the SANE Forums 🙂 We're glad that you have reached out for support through here and I hope you feel supported by the community on your journey!

- PizzaMondo 🙂

[SkySeeker22]

Hi @4Wheels 

Welcome to the SANE forums and thank you for sharing your recent journey.  Its so true that when we are children we have so many things in our life to look forward to and then as we grow older and priorities change that these moments seems to become further and further apart in life.

It's so refreshing to hear that you have found something to look forward to on a regular basis that is so good for your body that is also helping your mind and mental health.  and well done on loosing 12kgs! That is no easy feat!

Good luck on the next part of your journey towards marathon running.  I've heard it take a lot of discipline, but it sounds like you have a great mindset to be able to achieve what you set out to do.

Thanks again for sharing

Warm regards

SkySeeker22

[4Wheels]

Really appreciate the reply. I look forward to updating my progress 🙂

[4Wheels]

Appreciate your reply 🙂 I'll be taking your cold plunge tip on board when I go the wellness club tonight. Enjoy your sunny walk!

[Jynx]

Hey @4Wheels just a lil tip, if you want other members to be notified that you've responded, you can tag them - use the @ symbol and a drop down will appear, and you can choose their name. If their name isn't there, you can type it out and it should then appear for you to select, and it will show up in blue, like this: @SkySeeker22 @PizzaMondo 

😉💜

[Hope2Recovery]

Hi @4Wheels 

Thank you for sharing your journey, that is an excellent achievement well done! 👏 After reading your post you have given me great motivation to take action on my physical health! There is nothing more important than prioritising and taking care of our mental and physical health, both go hand and hand. All the best and keep moving forward! take care 😊

[Gwynn]

How do you make your body feel like it’s your home? Exercise just feels stretchy and sore and weird and I typically feel very sad afterwards.

[4Wheels]

@Hope2Recovery awesome to hear!

[4Wheels]

@Gwynn it's definitely about finding the right exercise for you! Walking might be a good step, getting in the 10,000 steps a day. I even find light swimming to not be too taxing on the body 🙂