Thread: Does Working out make you zone out?

Originally Posted by Lady Grimbones

I ask this because I got a treadmill to help me loose some belly fat and I enjoyed working out on it, but it made me feel very blank like an emotionless robot just doing the very basics of daily life.

Recall was nill and inspiration for art or for staying alive was nil and I am trying to still be able to work on it but maintain my normal daily brain activity only in a more positive way.

Does anyone else notice that working out does this to them?

I have to loose weight and the treadmill is the only thing that I can actually get feedback from on how much I am losing and such. Maybe not stay on it so long? I try to go for 300 calories which is almost 2 hours.

At first I was excited about the machine and the clear-headed ness that I felt. But, it is an extreeeeeem form of lack of interest. Is this what Buddhists feel when they meditate? I've meditated before but not felt quite so empty of everything.

:-)

So you think the treadmill causes this feeling that you feel (or lack of one) CONSTANTLY? working out usually makes people happy and makes them less depressed. Have you started anything else around the time you started the treadmill? Maybe it's something else. Have you started the birth control pill (or a new form of birth controlpill) within the past year or two? BC pills make you feellike that...and it can take a whole year or so for it to kick in to your emotions so much.

Nope. It is just the treadmill. I haven't done anything different except eat better.

I don't think about anything on the treadmill, I just listen to a song and let it fill my head or count my steps. It is like my whole brain calms down to a dull state. It isn't painful except when I can't drream, recall, or have no feeling to do anything.

I feel like my imagination has been turned off.

Originally Posted by Lady Grimbones

Nope. It is just the treadmill. I haven't done anything different except eat better.

I don't think about anything on the treadmill, I just listen to a song and let it fill my head or count my steps. It is like my whole brain calms down to a dull state. It isn't painful except when I can't drream, recall, or have no feeling to do anything.

I feel like my imagination has been turned off.

Wow this is really weird. Maybe it's worth stopping for a few weeks to see if u feel better maybe?

I'll have to eat less and work on the treadmill less. When I do yoga or weights or anything else it doesn't effect me like that hour or two on the treadmill. I've worked out regularly before and nothing else does this. But it is hard to do the other work out stuff because my brain tries to get me to do other things or whines because I HATE WORKING OUT.

The treadmill was calming, but I think it is too calming :-)

You know its fine to feel like that, right? I have the same thing too. trust me, it's not anything to worry about... Working out kinda clears my head and I always feel better afterwards. seeing as it's in general dream discussion im guessing you are worried about your recall? It should be fine? personally, i think my recall improves when i work out earlier that day.

the thing about loss of recall stumps me... it might be all in your head? no?

I don't like feeling like that. It, like most of my emotions, are extreem and yes it means:

When I feel like this I don't recall dreams, I don't care if I do or not, I don't care if I paint, I don't care if anything happens. I am not happy or sad I just am and when I reflect on it it irritates me because it seems as if everything that I care about has gone and I am stuck with just reality and the daily piss, shit, eat, work, roboticness.

alright then ive got nothin.

When i was out of shape and started to run i felt light headed and dizzy after the run. Could not consentrate at all. Now that im in shape i run about 4 miles in 30 mins i feel more focused. After the run my body and mind are alot more relaxed and i feel great! When you run your body releases endorphins which create a natural high and help with pain and stress.

It could be a simple case of fatigue. Try slowing down your routine or breaking it into smaller, spaced out segments.
When I'm fatigued, I zone out to an extreme that sounds a lot like what you described.

Originally Posted by Zhaylin

It could be a simple case of fatigue. Try slowing down your routine or breaking it into smaller, spaced out segments.
When I'm fatigued, I zone out to an extreme that sounds a lot like what you described.

Yeah, I think it is that and something like a deep meditation effect.

Originally Posted by Lady Grimbones

Yeah, I think it is that and something like a deep meditation effect.

ahh... ignorant bliss

I know the feeling you get. It's only when I'm actually doing the exercise (I run) and a little afterwards, though.
My mind goes blank, and I don't think about anything, as it disrupts me in my exercise. I prestate much better when I zone out like that during the exercise. I generally focus on one thing, my breathing.

After I've caught my breath and have stretched a little bit, I return back to normal, generally feeling better than before the exercise. I can still recall dreams the next day and whatnot.

I think exercising (and zoning out) is good for your mental health, too. It helps you take a step back and look at your troubles with an objective perspective.

My advice is: don't worry about it too much. Your love for things just comes back, doesn't it? It's a temporary state, that can be really useful too!

Originally Posted by Desert Claw

ahh... ignorant bliss

middlefinger

I have felt it before in some forms of exericise and it feels pretty good feeling that emptiness in the head.

This is why I can't use machines at the gym, they are so incredibly boring that I zone out, get bored, and pissed off. I've never noticed that this has done anything to my dreaming, though.

Even if it's not the treadmill, you might wanna take a week or two off and just see how you feel. I'd recommend just consuming less food if it's fat you want to get rid of, and maybe finding some other means of working out.

Personally, I started lifting weights. This is more exciting to me because it's a challenge to see if I can lift more and do better every day I go in. Combine that with eating less and you will burn some of that fat and get stronger and feel great. If you want to keep it up though, maybe switch around what you're doing. Do it for shorter periods of time with breaks or other activities in between? Listen to an audio book? Watch a movie?

If the treadmill is making you feel this way and harming your dreaming, and you're wasting two hours to burn 300 calories... I'd find something else to do.

Thank you for saying this I'm glad I'm not alone. I get so incredibly bored at the gym, it drives me crazy. You are doing just enough so you have to pay attention, but not enough to really engage your mind. I feel like excercise machines are specially designed to be mind numbing.

I hate them all equally. The weight training machines drive me crazy too. They are like psychological torture. Here is a huge complicated machine with a lever. Pull the lever 100 times. What happens when you pull the lever? Absolutely nothing! Pull it again... Can't we get a balloon to inflate? Or a bell to ring, or something?

Lifting freeweights is not much better. I'm reminded of Sisyphus, forced to toil for an eternity pushing a boulder up a hill, just to have it roll back down again. I don't think this myth was ever about self-improvement or achieving goals.

Lately I've been listening to audio books, which helps a lot on the cardio machines. I've been trying to train on the cycle so I can go on some fun summer bike rides around the wine country, or over the Golden Gate Bridge. There is no way I would survive without something to entertain me. Check out:
http://librivox.org/
for some free audiobooks in the public domain. I'm currently enjoying some 19th century adventure literature, like H. Rider Haggard. You could also get some Sherlock Holmes books, or Through The Looking Glass. Lots of classics to chose from.

Yeah, I get this a fair bit.
By the way, isn't this kind of in the wrong section?

Originally Posted by Apopholis

By the way, isn't this kind of in the wrong section?

Good point. I'll move it. I was so caught up in my rant, I didn't even notice

Thanks for moving it. I guess I should have formed my question better but described the situation instead.

I was wanting to know what to do about this emptiness and if anyone else was able to cope with it or use it in a positive way in regards to dreaming since it does affect my dreams.

I am better now, but still have trouble recalling but I am getting some recall so I guess that is something. I am trying to relax and write down whatever I recall even if it is just a feeling or something vauge. If I relax too much then I don't get anything :-)

Yeah, I got to stop eating. I thought I was doing better but then I started feeling sick and the only thing that made me feel better was eating some sugary thing. I probly got some sort of backwards diabetes :-)

Plus I got it into my head to eat a piece of candy before bed so the sugar can stimulate my brain, but this isn't good. I don't like the idea of working so hard and then ruining it with junk food.

I ate a whole package of peppermint patties yesterday.

Sigh.

I'll be fat forever.

:-)

I am a hypnotist, this is a form of hypnosis!
repetitive task, and a tiering felling = Hypnosis
You were just in a self hypnotic induced trance, its good for you. In fact very good for you.
It will make you less depressed.
Think of this next time your doing it.
"If someone trusted walked in the room, and just touched your shoulder and pressed down on it slightly fast, and said 'Sleep' in such a nice firm relaxing voice"
You would probably drop down, and fell so good!
My nana asked me about this also, because she has a treadmill.

Also, the felling is a little different than what you fell from normal hypnosis.
In normal hypnosis, normally the hypnotist will activate your penal glands, releasing endomorphism to relax you.
(This fells so much better then the hypnosis you experience with a treadmill)
So dont be afraid of hypnosis.
If you dont like the felling it gives you, try walking/jogging outside. Or watching teh TV or listing to teh radio, or have a conversation with someone while you do it.
These are called anchors.
the above things I mentioned are anchored to keep your mind aware.
like when talking on the TV.
(Some people fall asleep to the TV, so its anchored to them as a relaxation anchor).
Do something that keeps you aware.
(Talking to someone is the best I think.)

I don't like the feeling because it is like I could get killed and not care. It is not productive to feel like that at all. At least in my opinion.

And if hypnosis is the same as meditation then a large part of your brain is actually TURNED OFF which is not cool in my opinion. I should have mentioned this earlier, but I read a thing on meditation at National Geographic dot com and they said that researchers have learned that parts of the brain actually turn off during meditation.

I get so deep that I fear my whole brain might shut off. I once got into this state during yoga and actually everything went black and I zoned out it was only after a few minutes that something, a deeper part of myself?, said 'all right that is enough now lets wake up' and I 'came back'.

I guess I worry too much but I didn't want this state to be permanent. I get NOTHING accomplished and DON'T care. In fact, I have no feelings whatsoever. If I was just floating around like a ghost or something I wouldn't care but I DO have a life and bills to pay and things I want to do like painting and dreaming and reading and cleaning and all sorts of normal stuff.

In this state I get even less done than normal and that is unacceptable.

Plus when stuff fucks with my dreams I get pissed.

And I do listen to music through my DVD player. It is hard to work on the treadmil and stay motivated without the music.

I guess I just have to be more careful about not counting my steps or whatever. I can be calm but have to stop concentrating hard. Also, stopping and starting and doing stuff in between seems to help at least I didn't get zoned yesterday because I stopped and did some yoga to a video and then weights and abs with Gilad from that FIT TV show. I think that really does help. But at least I know that state is there if I ever have to hide.

:-)

Or, I could use the 'self hypnosis' state to actually induce a WILD?

I just thought of this, I hadn't really before until you said 'self hypnosis'. I could use it to suggest 'the next time I am dreaming I will recall my dreams and become lucid' or something like that. 'I won't crave junk food anymore' would be another good one :-)

The only thing is, when I get into this state I just don't give a hoot about anything. So, it would be hard to then have the presence of mind and the motivation to do a suggestion. My dreams and dream recall RELY VERY MUCH on motivation and how emotional I am about the subject.

:-)

Posting one of the images that I had copied to my computer from that article on meditiation and what the brain is experiencing:



Fucking scarey if you ask me.

I'll try to edit in a link to the article if still available online. EDIT: I've 'googled' at National Geographic and can't get the same link to the page of that article. I don't remember what I was 'googling' when first I read that page.

Yeah, I know meditation is supposed to be awesome and there was an article at Natgeo about how great it was for anti-aging and learning and all that. I want to read some more science based articles on it and learn more. I do appreciate it, but at the same time it is scarey to view that image of the brain practicly not working at all.

Then I started asking myself is this the same as different stages of sleep? Does the brain look like this at first and then get more 'roused' ? I am sure it is a natural state and I over react or I get deeper than most because of my 'ability' or mental illness.

If anyone has any links or knowledge on this they'd like to share please do. It is becoming very interesting to me now especially since I had that idea that I might be able to use it for preprogramming dreams or at least encouraging better recall for starters.

:-)

:-)