Self-Improvement Thread

[TSTR]

Acquired iron over the holidays. Family friend had an Olympic bar with heavy duty clamps, full 300 lb plate set, and a homemade rack. $200. Just gotta get a solid bench and I'm set. When I get over this illness, gonna hit a few stores locally to maybe grab one (ain't shit on CL, already looked) or more likely, just order the damn thing.

Can't wait to get out in the TORTURE SHED to blast heavy metal and lift things, though!

[Xeogred]

I'd so love to invest in some heavy gym equipment myself. Probably can't do it in the foreseeable future until I get out of apartments and into a house... no idea when that will be though. I've had so many people from chiropractors, acupuncturist, etc that tell me I have excellent muscles apparently haha... I'd probably get into lifting if it was convenient.

[jp1]

Acquired iron over the holidays. Family friend had an Olympic bar with heavy duty clamps, full 300 lb plate set, and a homemade rack. $200. Just gotta get a solid bench and I'm set. When I get over this illness, gonna hit a few stores locally to maybe grab one (ain't shit on CL, already looked) or more likely, just order the damn thing.

Can't wait to get out in the TORTURE SHED to blast heavy metal and lift things, though!

Do you even lift bro?

By the way, don't skip leg day. You don't want to be that guy....

[TSTR]

@Xeo - I feel that. I'd suggest looking for a gym if you're amenable to that, but I can totally understand the aversion. I hate the gym atmosphere myself, and fuck trying to wait on somebody to use something or deal with dirty, unorganized equipment. Plus all I gotta do now is just go in the back and hit it, instead of driving somewhere.

@jp - Hahaha, believe me, squats are a key component of the program I'll be starting. Soon I'm gonna be able to Sonya Blade fools.

[Xeogred]

The driving is always the hardest part for me haha. But I know complaining about that is a bit counterproductive to this thread. I think if I seriously tried I could maybe get into it. Still love that DDP Yoga though, all you need is a mat... I do have a door iron gym hanging up in my closet door too so I at least have that and some dumbbells.

It's definitely something I'm considering with my apartment searching right now. Some have small gyms on campus that you can access 24/7. So if I do land somewhere with one I can maybe take advantage of it. I almost think a smaller room gym would be more awkward than a real gym though haha, maybe try to get in when nobody else is around, but guess that's beside the point.

It's probably been 5 some years since I hit up the gym. I took lifetime fitness at college so that was always easy to fit in after classes or whatever. But yeah... that drive! The hardest part.

[stickem]

Acquired iron over the holidays. Family friend had an Olympic bar with heavy duty clamps, full 300 lb plate set, and a homemade rack. $200. Just gotta get a solid bench and I'm set. When I get over this illness, gonna hit a few stores locally to maybe grab one (ain't shit on CL, already looked) or more likely, just order the damn thing.

Can't wait to get out in the TORTURE SHED to blast heavy metal and lift things, though!

Do you even lift bro?

By the way, don't skip leg day. You don't want to be that guy....

is that Jon Bones Jones lol.

[jp1]

is that Jon Bones Jones lol.

[Ack]

I actually started taking medications for my mental disorders after developing a sudden panic disorder the week before Thanksgiving which caused me to suffer recurring panic attacks and hyperventilate to the point of lightheadedness about roughly once every two hours.

I suffer from both an anxiety disorder and recurring depression. I've been on meds before during a crisis several years ago, but through a combination of medication and counseling, I was eventually able to overcome the issue. Now that a new issue has developed, I'm back on a high dosage of medications and back in counseling. I've already seen important improvements, though we'll see how things are going. Between my psychiatrist, my counselor, and my regular doctor, I'm working towards recovery. That's actually why I disappeared for December: I was trying to de-stress, relax, and return to normalcy. During this period I successfully cut out most sources of caffeine, so no more coffee or sweet tea, which has not been fun. My alcohol intake has been cut back a bit too, though I already practiced moderation. I also had to fight off a cold and a stomach virus during that time, so believe me, there were points during the month where I was absolutely miserable.

As for exercise, I have done it consistently for the last two years, and while it helps in some respects, it didn't help much with my sudden crisis and the weird combination of effects and illnesses I was suffering through. Now that I'm recovering, I'm back on my usual fitness regimen, with some added additions and improvements:

I've added a few new stretches to my morning routine to help further improve flexibility in my hips, legs, and toes. I've also added a clock which audibly counts seconds instead of trying to keep track in my head. I find I go short too often if I try to keep things going mentally.

I use one of those door frame pull-up bars for the pull ups and chin ups I do, and I finally decided to start using it for elevated push ups as well, which has been a learning experience(I now wear gloves to help protect my hands while using it). I also need to start considering the occasional small set of one-handed push ups. One-handed pull ups suck, so it'll be a while before I being making attempts at those again.

For leg and stomach day, I'm keeping the squats, but I've modified the sit ups a bit to include more lateral motion, and I'm adding more leg lifts. Planking sucks as usual but I gotta do it. I've cut back on jumping jacks but now jog in place while cooling off or switching up exercises.

In general I'm recovering, trying to relax, and getting back into reading at the end of the day for better sleep. I drink water almost exclusively at this point.

[samsonlonghair]

Glad you're taking care of yourself, Ack.
Peace and Chicken grease.

[marurun]

Hey Ack, have you considered yoga? My wife has some issues with depression that medication helps, but she finds when she's neglecting her yoga it makes it much easier for her to slip. I have anxiety/anger issues (for which I take an anti-depressant, off-label use) and I keep thinking I ought to give yoga a try, except then I don't, so I don't get any better.