any type of aerobic exercise is good for the mind and body. Aerobic exercise releases natural endorphins which make the body feel o so good. So definatley do some kind of exercise guys your body will thank you and your mind will love it. Endorphins > narcotics and guess what endorphins are free :D but warning you may become addicted to exercising like i did
Thanks to all for responding to my initial post.
I'm glad I started this tread. I only wish somebody had done it when I was going C/T. Somehow, I think knowing that people are exercising after W/D and really enjoying life would have been an additional motivation for me back when. I personally know hearing about exercise is far removed from the pain and agony of W/D...but, I (can only speak for myself) would have liked to hear how others survived and thrived with exercise.
I sincerely hope others who are exercising will post as further encouragement to our friends who are going through W/D. Heck, even non-swimmers, e.g. pavement pounders, should be welcome to post on this thread. Hee ! Hee !
GEORGE
Treadmiller myself...and enjoy tremendously and feel myself in a slump when i miss more than a day or two in a row...i work full time with an active job and back also flares on me and will slow me down at times...i try very hard not to miss as it is a mind saver for me
what a great post. I am tapering down before a surgery I am having in two weeks, and it is very hard, but I like your suggestion very much. I used to swim a lot but stopped last year b/c it was actually making my hip pain worse. this is before I had the diagnosis of severe djd in that hip, and before I knew I would need a total hip replacement (what I am getting in two weeks).
I won't be able to swim until a few months after the surgery, but I may add some of that to my life before. I used to love it, and your description reawakened in me all the good things you get from swimming.
keep posting -- it gives hope! I know my problem isn't as bad as some of the ppl I see posting here, but I have had to use pain meds for the past year and I have developed tolerance, and the discomfort of wd is just as real for me as it s for anyone. I got sober in '88 but got completely fed up with AA meetings around 10 years in, and mostly found personal growth through my church. I am still sober but am looking for support just like anyone else here as I wean off pain meds. so....posts like this really offer hope.
Way to go George,
I too love swimming but my new addiction is running. I have always been a runner but not like now. I'm up to 6 miles on the treadmill and 5 miles outside increasing every few weeks, 5-6 days a week. I have been free from the pills since March 2007. Running or any good exercise is a better buzz than the pills could ever give you. Not to mention you get yourself healthy and in great shape!!!
Keep up the good work