Just dropping in to say that I really recommend staying on top of your own physical health, as part of your own mental health management.
There’s just something about seeing yourself getting strong over time, feeling muscle pains (in the good way!), the routine, discipline, giving your mind something to focus on.
In October I started swimming 3 times a week for 20 minutes, mostly breast stroke which is the easy one. I used to do a fair bit of swimming in my school days and I was shocked how hard I found front crawl, just a couple of lengths a session which then required getting my breath back.
I’m now busting out 40min sessions four times a week doing front crawl in the fast lane. Definitely still getting stronger - not stopping for any rests now and really focussing on my breathing to make sure I don’t run out of air. Inhaling too much and then having lungs full of deoxygenated air is the biggest issue for me and I presume most people. Supplementing with weights at home plus a couple of hours of walking a week. Watching what I eat too.
T shirts are fitting better, feeling stronger, just getting on with it and feeling like I have a duty to myself and my wife to be the best I can be. It’s hard work but… bring it on.
There are huge mental health benefits to it which are really hard to quantify… but it’s a ‘you won’t notice the improvement’ sort of thing - you just end up feeling more at peace with yourself. All the exertion and physical ‘feeling’ of the exercise is really helpful for ‘grounding the mind’ too.
It’s a long game thing - it’s taken almost a year for me to really say that it’s obviously improved my morale etc but it definitely has. Well worth it!
