New Newbie

[happycori]

Age: 31

Height: 5'2"

Weight: 105

Hi there!

I'm a stay at home mom to three kiddos and although lightly active (how can you not be with little ones?), my body is fried. I'm tired all the time from poor nutrition and extreme anxiety and stress (oh and getting up with kids all night!). I'm currently in the middle of my worst nightmare- literally. I'm hoping that getting my buns moving again will help me cope better with some yucky personal stuff I'm going through and reduce my anxiety. I have PTSD, by the way. It is like having the gas pedal to the floor and the breaks on at the same time. My entire nervous system is messed up. Did I mention that I'm tired? Um yeah.

I've had many very active years in my teens and 20's but the last few years have been pretty sedentary and slow. Ironically I weighed much more before I had babies. Nursing rocks!! I'm not here to lose weight but get a good kick in the pants! In Steve's words "I want to be happy, healthy, and look good naked". Seriously though, I want to get stronger- physically and emotionally. It is time.

Some goals for the next 6 months....eat more veggies, beat my sugar addition, get my anxiety under control, and train for a half marathon in June..

Please Help!

Happy Cori

[jediknightingale]

Yay for motivated moms! It sounds like you juggle a lot but you will do great! Welcome

PS I have been on anxiety medicines for years and am 100% free since I started my quest of losing weight last summer. My doctor said as long as I was on medication I would expect myself to have anxiety attacks which made the triggers much more powerful. Just Focus your anxiety or stress into workouts and you'll be a champ in no time :)

[scott82962]

Hey and welcome! I lived through my worst nightmare and the related PTSD (Married 20 years with 2 kids. Found out wife was having an affair. Still married. Things are better. But hard.) I tried to forge my way through it, made the personal mistake of trying Zoloft to get through it and then finally last summer found a therapist who applied "Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing" (EMDR). I highly, highly recommend you find a therapist certified in this method for the PTSD and related anxiety.

Maybe consider trying out a little free weight work too. The results come faster than they do with running and the training actually takes less time!

[Book]

Well... My issues are not the same as yours, but hopefully we can drag each other to our goals. It's great to have you here!

[happycori]

I've heard a lot about EMDR. My therapist is really great but right now we are trying something else and it is working so far. I'll def give EMDR a chance by this summer if I haven't made a lot of head way. So far- taking L-theanine doing great things for me. I have a long way to go but I am on the path.

I'm a little scared of free weights right now....baby steps. Any advice?

[happycori]

Thank you for the welcomes! I feel the nerd love already.

[Tired Victorian]

Hi happycori,

I like your manatee. Are you a Florida woman?

I'm looking to re-do my nutrition profile too, both for fatigue and mental health reasons. In addition to trying to up my veggie intake like crazy (or at least what feels like crazy compared to my previous way of eating), I've also started supplementing my Vitamin D and Vitamin B, both good for depression and anxiety. And to ditch my oral contraceptive, as it can suppress Vitamin D activity in the body. Although I realize that's not an option for everyone.

I'm cheering for your efforts. Having small children is probably the hardest job in the world. You are a super-hero for committing to your own health too!

[Book]

What is scaring you about free weights? I only ask because there are a wide variety of things people stress about when it comes to free weights, most of them unfounded. Help us focus in a little?

The main key is to make sure you have good form, of course, and it's by far the easiest to learn if you have someone to show you in person.

[happycori]

I'm cheering for your efforts. Having small children is probably the hardest job in the world. You are a super-hero for committing to your own health too!

Thanks! You are thoughtful!

[happycori]

What is scaring you about free weights? I only ask because there are a wide variety of things people stress about when it comes to free weights, most of them unfounded. Help us focus in a little?

What scares me is the form....I guess I should watch some you tube videos? First I need to get some heavier weights.....my 3 and 8 pounders aren't going to do much after long...hopefully!

[Book]

Um, I've heard mixed reviews about the YouTube videos. Unfortunately I'm not the best person to ask about this. I learned my form long before YouTube existed. I'm sure the people here can point you in the right direction. If you don't get a good answer in this thread, post a specific question over in Barbarian Strength Guild.

[scott82962]

Krista Scott-Dixon has really good info on her website. Here's a link to her "getting started" page. She's also a hilarious writer!

http://www.stumptuous.com/category/starting/starting_weight_training

[SueK]

Hi Cori, I am also new here, a work-from home mom of two, very tired all the time, and some mental/anxiety issues of my own, so I hear you there! I am looking forward to leveling up here and becoming the best me I can be. Good luck!