I'm the opposite. NEVER exercised till anxiety was taking control of my life and needed something to do. As one lady put it, the hour was the only time she got rid of the 'gloomy doomies'.

In the spring I had knee surgery and that was the end of the exercise for a few months. I am soo cranky and miserable and am trying walking or swimming instead.

try a new exercise? If you were a gym rat, you must be in good shape and you don't want to lose that, so use that as a reason/goal. try a less intense class or one where it's a group and you aren't on your own. good luck!

aaaahhh it's awful, but yes I was in shape. I gained 10 lbs already and well i do go and do group exercises its like a crossfit gym. I will try and go for walks its baby steps for me now.

Try the snowball writing exercise to find out what happens to your pattern of thought with exercise.

I know that it took me a long time to reenter a building where I had had a negative experience (didn't notice it when it happened), and finally, one day, I took my steps inside, with all the shaking, sweaty all over, and was able to move through the process of healing.

Best wishes. You are not alone in this.

What is the snowball writing exercise?

Yes I often worry that I might experience heat stroke or a blood clot. I also worry about dying from a random heart attack. But I still exercise. I guess I get more anxiety from imagining having a disproportionately large ass.

Well I've gained some weight and it sucks! I can't seem to get back to my routine and eat healthy. The more I try it seems I fail. I just really overwhelmed by this. Plus I head get a weird pain in my head and asks me think i might faint.

What's the snowball writing exercise?

At your age , 25 according to your profile , a heart attack would be extremely unlikely. Your more likely to die in a car accident on the way to the gym. I had a heart attack at age 52 even though I worked out regularly , never smoked, was not overweight. Genetics are usually a big part of the problem. By far the most common heart attack is a blot clot that occurs in the coronary artery because plaque that has built up in the blood vessels breaks loose . Everyone starts to build some plaque around age 14 , but in most people it will build so gradually it never becomes a problem. By age 25 its very difficult to build enough plaque to be a problem. My cardiologist says you're 8 times more likely to have a HA if you dont workout , so staying away from the gym is actually making it more likely ...but still not for decades in your case because of age.

I have this exact problem. I used to hike a lot but now any increase in my heart rate sends me into a panic attack. The only exercise I can do is yoga. I have slowly been able to add some walking. I'm hoping to get back to hiking. The last time I walked I experienced a lot of anxiety towards the end but was able to finish without the full blown panic. I think starting slow helps.

I'm just in constant fear about the "what if" you know what i mean? Although i have heard it a lot of times before about how unlikely it is to happen for me to have a heart attack it is always in the back of my head. I think you are right, and i have gone to the cardiologist myself. My exams came out normal, not even like that i can have some peace, because anxiety is tricky. The chest tightening is the worse for me it triggers my anxiety a lot. Well i just hope i can get passed this and move on.

Check out adventure guides post of the week. It's on "what ifs"