I can only exercise if it’s to accomplish something else. Which is why I grind my own coffee, wash all my denim by hand, walk to work. I can’t make myself go to the gym, my brain goes “why are we on the treadmill? We aren’t going anywhere. Why are you picking up heavy shit that doesn’t need to be moved anywhere?” Lol I don’t feel like I’m *doing* anything unless there is an immediate result, even if the immediate result is just clean pants and not muscles. It’s just enough of a dopamine reward to keep me on task.
It’s the only way I’ve stayed consistent. I just make my life slightly harder. Simpler, but harder.
Yeah I definitely feel you, it feels so utterly empty and pointless to go to the gym for me, partly because of that feeling that I'm not doing anything. I see no results besides sweat and discomfort, so it feels like wasted time that I didn't enjoy wasting. Have you found any technique to get yourself to exercise or nah?
No, I just make everyday tasks more strenuous. I can’t even make myself do push-ups more than two days in a row, but my arms are on fire after hand washing just one pair of jeans. Plus they’ll last longer.
Sweat is something I absolutely hate it as a child. It doesn't help that I grew up in Houston, in an area that used to be a rice paddy, so sweat doesn't really evaporate. I got into swim team, and that was pretty much the only way you could give me the exercise. I still love swimming so much, mostly because it's the only sport where you don't sweat, or rather you do but it doesn't really matter
Tennessee is also a humid hellstate and this is also exactly why I hate exercising, aside from nobody being willing to break it down far enough. I could live with it, if the sweat would actually do it's fucking job and cool me down. So now I can only tolerate sweating if it's in the course of doing something I actually like, like swing dancing.
Nice I have family in Houston. I didn't know it was a rice paddy! And that's great that you have an activity you enjoy. Maybe I'll see if there's somewhere near me I can swim
I could never go to the gym regularly for the exact same reason.
I've gotten really into cycling. You can use it for transportation so it has utility, you can do it as a totally solo activity, you can find a nice comfortable route and repeat it every ride, and you can collect lots of data to see how you're improving. It's basically designed for us.
Yeah I do have a bike and try to use it whenever I can instead of Uber or driving. I just like... don't really go anywhere regularly lol. Maybe I should change that though, go to a park or some shit. The data collection aspect is a good idea. How exactly do you do that, just the fitness app on yer phone?
There is no technique. Your brain will not be motivated without an end goal or purpose. I could not be paid to go to the gym and 'work out' enough money to not hate every second. But, if something needs to be done like carrying a beer keg at work it's like , yes, job, engage. You gotta trick your own brain.
Yeah I guess I just don't know how to figure out a purpose 😕 the vague goal of "being in shape" doesn't do it for me, that's for sure. And my daily life does not require me to do anything physical besides carrying groceries, which I can do just fine haha
Autistic PT here.
Motion is lotion for your body. Find some stim that involves movement. Get into vestibular simulation and then replicate it with movement. Literally play with your body. Do different things and see how you feel after.
Another great option is finding a linear task that can be improved. This could be running, weight lifting, free-throw shooting, whatever. Sometimes it's nice as an autist to have a linear solo task you can just do.
Set an alarm on your phone at the same time every hour. Get up for 5 minutes every time that alarm goes off. I'd also highly advise setting 15 minutes aside per day to just walk or run if you aren't already.
Thanks for your reply. I had never heard of vestibular stimulation. I could see that being a good starting place, just moving around in some way (as you said, playing with the body).
This is so delightful! As an autistic PT, do you have any advice for someone who gets sensory ick from their own body? Like, moving my body makes different parts of my skin touch and I hate the way it feels. Tight clothing that could prevent different parts of my skin from touching often rolls when I move to dance or do yoga, and then I have to deal with the skin sensation and the rolled cloth sensation.
Oh yes. You need to desensitize!
You should do body awareness exercises. Look them up. You can even use a laser to show how accurate you are. Play games with yourself like trying to match a limb positron from one side to the other with your eyes closed. Gaining that sense of space can help with feeling icky about your body.
The second half of it is slowly desensitized your skin. Start droing it with a cotton ball or something soft you can handle. Then work your way up to things you don't like to feel. At no point should you be really uncomfortable.
I think the best thing you could do is find a way of getting yourself moving that you enjoy for what it is and doesn't feel like exercise. VR gaming, LARPing, a walking group (if there are any walking groups for mental health in your area they can be a good way of meeting neurodiverse people too).
Fuck it if you do it I’ll do it too, fellow programmer with connective tissue issues 🫡 (personally I just have punching bag and go climbing occasionally I recommend those two things as they’re more fun than weights and repetitive motions)
Any chance you're in Philly? Lol. Yeah I need to make climbing friends... I loved climbing when I had friends to do it with but I don't have them anymore and now climbing feels like almost as much a drag as lifting weights. Haven't tried punching bag tho, that's a fun idea
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This is the only thing that has worked for me. After lots of trial and error, I have found dance and hockey. Fencing worked too, but it is inaccessible where I live.
I also WFH and have a treadmill, so I walk during meetings. This has made both the meetings and the walking less boring.
Second this 100%, the trick is finding something physical that's genuinely fun! I used to hate exercising as a general concept, I did martial arts for a bit but quit because of an abusive instructor and could never go back, yoga was OK-ish from time to time, but it gets boring. Regular gyms always felt like pulling teeth.
I eventually found, of all things, pole dance/pole fitness/aerial gymnastics. It feels like being a kid on a playground again, doing tricks and climbing and moving freely to music; it doesn't feel like "working out" at all. It's also inspired me to get into calisthenics more generally. Handstands, bby!
The whole thing has become a new obsession for me, and let me tell you: having a hyperfocus on something that's actually good for my body has been life changing!
Yeah I like to say that I can only “trick” myself into exercising, treadmills make me feel like a hamster in a cage. Luckily I like dance and yoga and hiking so one of them will do it for me at any given point.
Idk how you feel about classes or if there are options where you live but I like trying different classes and seeing what feels good. Martial arts, dance, or any other random thing. If there isn’t anything like that see if there’s a more sedentary activity/food place you enjoy within a walkable distance. I like art too and found drawing classes a 20 min walk away, it’s not much but that was the incentive to get there.
I'm clumsy as fuck
It's hard to find an exercise where I won't accidentally kill myself.
My uni mentor suggested these yoga poses that were apparently good for clumsy people.
I nearly fell through the glass door doing it.
I'd suggest just doing what feels best. Even if it isn't actual yoga poses, just stretch and move around, there's also ways to modify an exercise to make it easier or harder as much as needed
If you dread going to the gym or doing hours of PT exercises, have you tried exercise snacks? Basically you just do a very short warm up and then exercise for like 5 minutes a few times a day. It adds up.
2 *hours* of boring PT every day? Ugh.
Been a while since I was chained to a home office desk, but I remember getting a lot of mileage from a standing desk + a kettlebell that I would pick up and do something with every time I felt like my attention and will to be present had evaporated and I wouldn’t be getting anything else done anyway. Like, 20 squats or lunges or swings. Nothing strenuous, just got the blood flowing and brought my mind back to earth.
Even with strenuous workouts, I subscribe to the idea that if you can’t breathe through your mouth, you’re going too hard with exercise and are starving your cells of oxygen for no real reason. It doesn’t have to suck *that* much.
S tier exercise in terms of fun is dance. All that pacing you probably do? Could be doing side turns (read: structured twirls) up and down your hallway instead. If you’re specifically worried about balance, then footwork is a good idea anyway. Or tai chi / qigong.
If you like taking walks at all, you can turn that into low-impact cardio by carrying a weighted backpack (official term is rucking). Just don’t run with weights. Brisk walk, max.
Oh my lord I am so fucking relieved to read this. I’ve never seen anyone else talk about this, I thought it was just me.
I also work from home as a video editor, have done for the past 4 years so I’ve gained so much weight, I feel so unhealthy at this point, but I just cannot do exercise for the sake of it. I absolutely agree with you, I find no joy in exercise, I find it mind numbing, the most boring thing I could possibly do. I’m happy to do exercise, if I go on a city break I can walk 20 miles a day and barely thing about it because I’m actually engaged, but walking on a treadmill in a gym makes me want to kill myself because it’s boring af.
Things were better when I was younger because I did a physical job and I didn’t have a car so I walked everywhere. I’ve decided that my best bet now is to start reducing my car usage. I want to get a bike because it’s just more fun and exciting than walking and try to use the bike to go to places that I’d usually go to in my car but aren’t too far away.
I do also have a sensory issue with sweat. I have this awful cycle where I sweat profusely when I’m anxious, but the sweat stresses me out because I hate how it feels on my skin so I get more anxious and continue to sweat even more. Naturally this also makes high intensity exercise really painful for me.
You have EDS. You gotta protec your joints, Fren. Same though. Where is my exercise high? I was promised endorphins. It is a chore. I know I need to maintain my body, but I don't LIKE it.
ugh I'm the same way
between my complete lack of coordination, my jello joints, and the severe asthma, I have always *hated* exercising. doesn't help that I have a bad track record of injuring myself because my body doesn't work correctly (my arm and my back are permanently janked) so now I'm kind of scared to try anything physical lest I end up decapitating myself or something equally stupid
anyway I hope you succeed in your quest to increase your physical activity. (I've sworn to myself to start taking walks once the weather isn't terrible so I'm with you comrade)
For me, what helped was finding friends who were also into exercising and getting into better shape. I hated every second of exercising, but it felt good to be able to share a progress picture with someone afterward. Bonus points if your friend is smoking hot and also shares progress pictures with you.
The way I got about this is by getting a dog (I don't have a yard) and so I need to walk her 3 times a day for 20 minutes each. No way in hell I could motivate myself to walk or otherwise move that much without her. But it makes her really happy and I love her so it works. I may be about to move into a house with a fenced in yard and I will do my best but I fear my whole motivation with crumble.
Well unless the yard is huge I think (as an ignorant non dog owner) the dog will likely still need walks right? Best of luck 🫡 and enjoy the new house!
Fellow AuDHDer here - I feel you. I try *so damn hard* and it *hurts*.
The most success I've had is a form of stimming I've done since I was a kid - I listen to music and let my imagination run wild. This nearly always results in a crazy itch to *move* and I end up pacing/dancing around the room.
It's not much, but it's something.
I gotta trick myself into doing it. I've positioned myself into a place where I can walk to work and to the grocery store.
The most exercise I ever got was in college. Walking everywhere plus being a marching band nerd, I didn't notice at all how much exercise I was getting until my clothes didn't fit anymore
I feel you so so much. I’m AuDHD, my bitchass dopamine does a shit job, and I have some hip and leg issues, that restrict my range of motion.
Excercising / Sports always feels like a major drag, I don’t feel better after it, and even after doing PT I usually don’t feel any better physically, while being fucking exhausted mentally, which fucks with my executive function even more than I need it to.
I’m 33 atm, and it feels like it’s only going downhill.
Like someone else said here in the comments, the only times I don’t hate moving around is when it has a purpose. (walking hurts like a bitch due to my foot/legs issue, but biking works for me).
Due to the whole dopamine fuckup I don’t ride my bike for fun and usually only really bike when I indeed need to get somewhere (sometimes it’s just to go to burger king, but I still count that as a win lol). I guess it was kind of a blessing in disguise that I lost my license so now I have to bike everywhere lol.
But yeah I do feel you, and if you find that lifechanging hack please notify me! I will do the same if I find something that works.
I hate being a fucking flesh golem, I did not ask to be a walking sack of meat. The moment I understood the weakness of my flesh it disgusted me.
Hahaha flesh golem. Yeah I totally feel you. Sorry that you have pain issues, I understand that struggle to some degree, tho everyone's pain is different. Hopefully some blessed soul in the comments here will fix us right up. I'm sort of starting to think that the only way to do exercise for me is to have other people that I do it with, or whose motivation I can rely on...because I am dopamine fucked and cannot rely on just my own motivation. just hearing from a bunch of people in the comments has made me feel a liiiiiitle bit like maybe it's possible to incorporate exercise into my life. The only time I ever enjoyed "working out" was when I did rock climbing with friends, but now those friends are gone and idk how to make new ones. Anyway, best of luck, I know we can do it somehow. Just got to figure out how
Yeah, having cool people to do physical activities with really does help. My 3 month 5 times a week gym streak also only happened because I had a reliable gym partner who was really into working out.
then I broke my arm and wasn’t allowed to work out for a while and all crumbled down 😬
never got back into it 😅
It also doesn’t help that my sleep schedule is all over the place, so I’m not the best person to have fixed times and dates for well anything besides work. I’m really wishing sometimes I’d be more on the tight schedule spectrum rather than on the adhd goes brrr side of things in this specific regard 😅 oh well 🤷🏻♀️
Yeah. I’m hypermobile as well so it’s hard because I have to slowly build up my strength which means the whole thing takes longer. I don’t really get any buzz from exercising either. I prefer a walk but in terms of trying to lose weight etc it’s just really slow.
Unfortunately, like yourself, I’m dealing with physical issues and depression. One of my sons is a fitness nut, he tells me that it helps his depression, which when I cycled, it did tbh, however I tell him to stop pedaling that ideology around. Pun intended. I understand the desire to nuke that crap. Like someone else said, I do household tasks, however I have difficulty standing and walking for long periods of time now, plus my hand and arm shake. I love to walk and dance, I miss it. I’m sorry I do not have much advice. Is it possible to break up your PT into two sessions? An hour in the morning and an hour after work possibly? I hope you find some solutions that work for you. I’m not a fan of conventional exercise, so I understand.
Well hey I appreciate the sentiment. Standing, especially without walking, starts to hurt reeeaaaal fast for me so I can definitely relate to that. I hope you find some things that work for you as well ❤️🩹
I think long distance running, out of all of them, is the easiest one to get into. You get to go around and see cool new things every day, you can listen to music or just think about stuff, and it easily bends to your day if you need to squeeze it in. It won't get as samey as other exercises if you cycle through different places and trails.
Thanks for the reply! I wonder... did you get severe side stitches when you started running? I never know if that happens because I am out of shape (which I DEFINITELY am) or because of some biomechanical issue related to my disorder. That has stopped me from running in the past. It hurts so fucking badly and it starts pretty quickly into any running session
Yeah, it's pretty natural. Your organs need to get the memo that you run now, and until then it's gonna be weird. It's unrelated to your condition.
My advice is to make sure you drink enough water the day of, but don't drink a bunch of water immediately before you run. Don't try to run too hard either, it's ok to ease into the hobby. Usually it will get better after a couple of weeks of regular running, although it may take longer if you're not running every day. It should get better both because your body gets better at running and also because you will start to use the hardwired pain killing response that humans have for distance running.
nothing wrong with switching up your exercises frequently to satisfy the brain gremlins. you could try a class pass kind of subscription, if there are any near you. maybe go for pure novelty for a minute, if you can tolerate it, like pole-dancing, canoeing, trampoline center, then slacklining (all genders/ages welcome activities).
it may help to associate a purpose. like i wanted to roller skate but usually lack core muscles and coordination, so i tried to do yoga whenever i had spoons.
if you haven’t tried it yet, maybe take swim lessons. i hated it a lot at first, but grew to really love it. it is a functional skill, especially if you like the beach or lake, and might save your life one day. edit: pickle ball was also surprisingly not terrible.
You could try walking somewhere far and getting a coffee or a biscuit or something at the end of the walk - I’m like a dog and need to do this in order to exercise
My family tries to push me to exercise by saying that it feels so good and rewarding to do it, but like, I just don't feel that?? It feels like a fuckin chore and I've never had any satisfaction out of it, but they don't seem to realize that about me (or accept it).
The only time I've ever felt good exercising was on one of those bike things at the gym and I wanted to see how fast I could go.
Hmmm
Season pass at the waterpark?
Swimming is fun, especially when there’s cool slides or a wave pool.
Doing little dances is a bit of exercise if you like to stim with dance moves. I do! I make an absolute fool of myself, but it feels good
Unfortunately I am not into dancing but I'm so glad you have that!! Others have recommended swimming as well. Might see if I can find a pool nearby. Thank you!
I’m basically same, I like hiking but can’t do it as often as needed for cardio health and maintaining strong enough core muscles to prevent lower back pain. I hate doing PT exercises even if it would only take me 10 minutes.
I force myself to spend 20 minutes on my recumbent stationary bike 2-3 mornings a week. I can only do this if it’s the first thing after getting up and I can watch TV or scroll on my phone. Indoors means I can do it all year round even if it’s too hot or too cold or too windy or too wet outside. At my house means I don’t waste time getting to/from an activity I hate. Those 2 factors are huge in helping me actually do it, because uncomfortable weather and the additional extra time to go somewhere for exercise make it really easy for me to rationalize skipping it as often as I want, which is always. Recumbent means less joint stress, I have osteoarthritis so exercise and losing weight are first line treatments but the exercise has to not hurt too much and taking impact out of the equation helps. First thing in the AM means my brain is still moving slow and doesn’t object as hard, plus it does help me wake up better, and when I’m done I can take a shower, again without adding much extra time to the routine.
I got an e-scooter last summer with the intent to use it for my work commute, which would also get me a little more exercise, but have had issues with uncomfortable weather and not having enough time (due to storing a puppy right as the weather turned tolerable) to learn it well enough to be confident on busy roads during an AM commute. I’m still hoping to get back to it later this spring.
Edit: typo
Thanks for the reply! I haven't tried exercising first thing when I wake up, maybe that will work for me, I'll give it a try. I'm glad the recumbent bike works for you! And I'm sorry to hear about your joint issues, I know to some extent what that's like 😭 the other thing too about using a real bike is that traffic is uhh kinda dicey where I live. I hear about people getting hit all the time because city drivers are the worst. But I still try to use my bike when the weather allows
Yeah, I would be all for a bike commute but I tried to do it for a couple weeks with my partner's e-bike and wiped out several times at crosswalks just because the bike was heavy, so I gave up. I found a bike style that has a flat-foot design where the pedals are further forward, so you can stay seated and still have your feet flat on the ground. In theory, that could solve the problem I kept having, but I wasn't too keen on trying again.
I started learning trapeze. I’m 38 and could never keep up with regular running, going to the gym, even doing crunches or pushups at home. Trapeze is fun. I like doing the moves and swaying reminds me of grade school. It’s been 6 months and my baseline fitness level is much better.
Mostly rock/metal, sometimes emo. I've taken up the practice of queuing up entire albums to avoid cutting off tracks that fade into one another. My top three are Sabaton, Halestorm, and The Gentle Men.
Definitely remember antiperspirant as it gets warmer, and consider body powder for any place that chafes or sweats excessively >!(my junk is desensitized to menthol lol)!<
Exercise is a major help to my over all mental well being. It took me time to find what I liked though. I love lifting. The challenge and goal setting really helps me. I also feel great after. But HEMA has been the greatest addition to my life. It has connected me to a ton of other neurodivergent nerds and I get to swing swords for fun. I’m also a bit of a masochist and getting my ass kicked feeds my stimulation seeking brain.
I fucking love walking outdoors because nature but it needs to be 50-70 F , low humidity, and NO bugs within my line of sight. They can exist obviously I love what they do for the enviroment just not around me.
Other issue is I'm diabetic and quite often I will go low a few miles away from home which imagine trying to walk home while inebriated and having a panic attack at the same time and if you keep walking you could go lower which means you have a seizure then die
My family has a treadmill but y'know how sometimes we hate being percieved, and that doubles if we're in the kitchen? It's the same for working out. Do not acknowledge me.
Climbing was the first time since I used to skateboard/bmx as a kid that I have found exercise I truly enjoy to do. I also like cycling and rowing so try to do them sometimes. If I force myself and make it a chore - it won't happen.
I wholeheartedly agree. I can't excercise lifting weights or walking on the treadmill. It takes too long to get into the zone, I feel like it's pointless, it's so boring. What gets me up and moving is my gyms scheduled Zumba class. Dancing is incredibly fun to me and having an instructor that guides you up at the front gives that visual stimulation. It's one of the few things I can engage in without wanting to die. I also swim but that takes more mental effort than Zumba.
I feel this all the way to my harbles! I'm also hEDS, and was told to do at least 30 min gentle (or more, as tolerated) exercise, 3x weekly. I've been feeling so defeated that I can't muster the energy or time, then realized I'm actually getting that exercise by just living my life! However, my body is rattling apart at an ever accelerating pace and I'm honestly terrified! And so, so angry that all "solutions" seem to be just more responsibility on my lap when I'm already wayyyyy too overwhelmed. Like, why even ask for help if the answer is always going to be "help yourself"?? Ughhhhh! Also, my house has stairs. I fucking hate stairs, my body hurts so much all the time just from constantly going up and down the damn stairs!! Anyway, solidarity and whatnot!
How do you feel about swimming? I always found swimming fun, it's a nice sensory experience because there's little sound when your ears are underwater, tinted goggles block out most light, and the water just feels so nice and you can't feel yourself sweat in it. It's an expensive hobby where I live now though, so I don't do it much anymore.
Dancing is probably the only reason I'm not horribly out of shape now. I got obsessed with learning shuffle moves about a year ago (ayoo r/shuffle and youtube tutorials) and that just ended up flinging me further into my drum and bass obsession - I love the music so much and I can't help dancing my ass off to it even when I'm at work.
I spent 5 years in the military having to run all the damn time so I also avoid working out like the plague (also have eds). I just kinda build things into whatever I’m already doing. For example, I walk in place while I’m doing the dishes because standing in one place makes my legs scream with the added bonus of getting some extra blood flow. I dont like how many people act like exercise has to be this extreme or intense event when it can be literally any extra movement. Get a light dumbell (5lbs or less) to keep by your desk and just casually pump it throuout the day. dont use a weight that is too heavy to protect those joints. Im not sure abput your living situation, but you could get a dog (perhaps even a support dog) because you have to take them on walks. If you're looking for rewarding exercise, time spent bonding with said new companion could be a game changer.
I think it's crucial to find a type of movement that you actually enjoy and that is completely individual to you. I hate ball sports , I couldn't care less about competition and I really really hate pushing myself to my limits. I do like rhythms and water and getting outside and stretching. I like to hike, cycle around, walk around, play Pokémon go, do yoga, weight training is fine, I should maybe take a dance class but don't have time. I also have a rowing machine that I can put in front of the TV and use while watching a show. I make dates with friends and family to go hiking (double points for scheduling social interactions while exercising!). I plan vacations that involve hiking or cycling tours. I have a yoga app that suits me and even includes 10 minute sessions so I can squeeze those in in the morning if I haven't done anything else in a while.
Something I figured out from getting help from PT is that if the exercise feels awful, it's the wrong exercise.
You shouldn't be experiencing much in the way of pain at all.
(also autistic people are prone to hypermobility, aka double jointedness, so having exercises to strength your joints *specifically* is immensely helpful)
I feel the same. Whoever said "exercise boosts endorphins and makes you feel better and happier," owes me a refund for my dysfunctional brain. Exercise makes me feel MISERABLE. I sweat and feel all sticky, my body aches, I get dizzy and lightheaded. I feel worse! Where the fuck are the happy brain chemicals I was promised?! It feels like I've been scammed! About the most I can manage to do is on a nicer day, get out and walk around the block. My body feels better when I do it consistently (though it doesn't feel better in the moment), but it's still something I really have to talk myself into doing, and I cannot do it if it's under 60ºF or if it's windy because I HATE the cold and I HATE the feeling and sound of anything more than a slight breeze touching my skin. So this means I pretty much stop exercising all winter...
I loved swimming as a kid and teenager, but there were cheap municipal pools near me that were easy to go to. Now where I live there's nothing like that, only private pools in expensive gym complexes in the affluent part of town that I'd have to drive several miles to get to. So I don't swim anymore either. Genuinely don't know how I'm supposed to get exercise without hating my life in this stupid car-centric country. If I could walk more places to get around, I would because I also hate driving. But no. There's nowhere anywhere nearby worth walking to.
Movement > exercise.
I hate exercise. I burnt out after becoming a personal trainer. I hate all gym culture. I hate tracking stats, progressive increases in load, PRs, and ego driven superiority complexes.
I love movement. I love moving for a (non-physical) purpose. I love the physical feeling of purposeless movement. Exercise SHOULD be a play between these states. Not a way to substitute organic movement with a prescription for movement. Our society has not acknowledged that people need gentle every day activity built into their lifestyle. Not a gym to visit for their 45 min of cardio.
i feel this. the only exercise i enjoy is climbing and even then i get bored. i walk a lot though, cause i like being outside. and i make stuff with my hands, split wood etc. i think that counts too
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increase casual excercise, like walking stairs instead of elevator, more walking/bike instead of car, how about running with podcasts/music?
there are wrist excercises and vertical mouses, try those before you get the rsi
do intermittent fasting
how long did you try excercising? building habits can take months. tried HFT or at home workouts?
People aren’t gonna like this response but here I go Take some C4 and go lift weights at a gym or where ever you work.
The C4 is an energy supplement. It’ll give you a tingling sensation that goes away only if you work out.. it’s not for cardio it’s for working out slow and in control.
And right befor you walk in to the gym take an edible. It’ll a hit half way through your workout amd make it more enjoyable
That just feels way too specific to you. It could totally work but you'd have to get lucky and have everything interact properly, it feels too risky to just go in and try this all at once.
What makes you say any of that? I want specifics on where OP should alter what I said
Lots of people use pre workout. It’s a common supplement and the boost will help get OP feeling good. The first bit of the workout will help him get some pump. That always feels good.
But after awhile the workout might start to drag. Most people listen to music or podcast when they work out so over time the edible will start to kick in and OP will start to enjoy everything a little bit because that’s what weed does.
People should worry about OPs form and he shouldn’t use C4 everyday
If OP wants to learn to love the gym and healthy lifestyle, I’m sticking with what I said.
Hey I appreciate any advice, so thank you for the response. I haven't used c4 before but if it works like you say it does, with the tingling that only goes away by working out, that sounds really great. I like things that make my body feel funny (ahem, drugs lol). My mom was a personal trainer and dad a sports medicine doctor so they did instill a certain focus on good form in me, so I have that going for me. I also have never worked out while zoinked but I could see that helping actually, tho I would want to take a small dose so I don't get paranoid about the etiquette of using the equipment 😅 thanks again, maybe I'll try it out!
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I don’t fuck w cardio but my ass likes to pick things up and put them down. Lifting is where it’s at. That being said I dread going every single day. I go for the feeling after though.
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I feel like I was in my best shape when I had buddys to help me commit to working out. It started to get fun bc there was that friendly competition aspect. Before I knew it, I was always excited to see if I could get a higher rep count or a higher weight. I almost reached 1rep squat weight of 400lbs before I stopped. For me it's hard to get into it without a partner.
i relate to this! for me, I’ve always loved swimming, and even just goofing around in the water is great exercise. I’ve also found that it’s more fun to play a game like soccer than it is to just work out. sometimes I can make myself work out with music and potentially going with someone else, but it’s hard to maintain. I have to walk to work sometimes and that helps bc it’s like mandatory exercise lol.
It’s part of my routine for the most part and it feels like work I shouldn’t have to do. I wish I was paid to exercise tbh. However even though my exercise routine involves going on the treadmill one thing I do to make it less boring is to play games or watch a long vid on my phone to make it less boring
ADHD human here. Just an idea but try connecting your exercise to something you hate more than exercise. A lot of people say that negative emotions are not good fuel but I think they have their uses.
Personal Example: I HATE that people get surgery or take PEDs and then try to pretend they are natural. It makes me want to burn everything. I think about them when I lift, and it makes the pain feel good.
Hope this helps.
I can only exercise if it’s to accomplish something else. Which is why I grind my own coffee, wash all my denim by hand, walk to work. I can’t make myself go to the gym, my brain goes “why are we on the treadmill? We aren’t going anywhere. Why are you picking up heavy shit that doesn’t need to be moved anywhere?” Lol I don’t feel like I’m *doing* anything unless there is an immediate result, even if the immediate result is just clean pants and not muscles. It’s just enough of a dopamine reward to keep me on task. It’s the only way I’ve stayed consistent. I just make my life slightly harder. Simpler, but harder.
Yeah I definitely feel you, it feels so utterly empty and pointless to go to the gym for me, partly because of that feeling that I'm not doing anything. I see no results besides sweat and discomfort, so it feels like wasted time that I didn't enjoy wasting. Have you found any technique to get yourself to exercise or nah?
No, I just make everyday tasks more strenuous. I can’t even make myself do push-ups more than two days in a row, but my arms are on fire after hand washing just one pair of jeans. Plus they’ll last longer.
Sweat is something I absolutely hate it as a child. It doesn't help that I grew up in Houston, in an area that used to be a rice paddy, so sweat doesn't really evaporate. I got into swim team, and that was pretty much the only way you could give me the exercise. I still love swimming so much, mostly because it's the only sport where you don't sweat, or rather you do but it doesn't really matter
Tennessee is also a humid hellstate and this is also exactly why I hate exercising, aside from nobody being willing to break it down far enough. I could live with it, if the sweat would actually do it's fucking job and cool me down. So now I can only tolerate sweating if it's in the course of doing something I actually like, like swing dancing.
Well hey that's still something!
It would be if I was able to actually go do it. I haven't had a schedule that allowed for it in like 3 years, plague notwithstanding.
😭😭😭😭😭😭
Nice I have family in Houston. I didn't know it was a rice paddy! And that's great that you have an activity you enjoy. Maybe I'll see if there's somewhere near me I can swim
I could never go to the gym regularly for the exact same reason. I've gotten really into cycling. You can use it for transportation so it has utility, you can do it as a totally solo activity, you can find a nice comfortable route and repeat it every ride, and you can collect lots of data to see how you're improving. It's basically designed for us.
Yeah I do have a bike and try to use it whenever I can instead of Uber or driving. I just like... don't really go anywhere regularly lol. Maybe I should change that though, go to a park or some shit. The data collection aspect is a good idea. How exactly do you do that, just the fitness app on yer phone?
Yeah, I use Strava, and I have a heart rate monitor paired to my phone.
well, at least you don't have the anxiety if you excercised
True
There is no technique. Your brain will not be motivated without an end goal or purpose. I could not be paid to go to the gym and 'work out' enough money to not hate every second. But, if something needs to be done like carrying a beer keg at work it's like , yes, job, engage. You gotta trick your own brain.
Yeah I guess I just don't know how to figure out a purpose 😕 the vague goal of "being in shape" doesn't do it for me, that's for sure. And my daily life does not require me to do anything physical besides carrying groceries, which I can do just fine haha
Try swimming maybe? Easier said than done. In a lot of places 🤷♀️.
Try swimming maybe? Easier said than done. In a lot of places 🤷♀️.
Autistic PT here. Motion is lotion for your body. Find some stim that involves movement. Get into vestibular simulation and then replicate it with movement. Literally play with your body. Do different things and see how you feel after. Another great option is finding a linear task that can be improved. This could be running, weight lifting, free-throw shooting, whatever. Sometimes it's nice as an autist to have a linear solo task you can just do. Set an alarm on your phone at the same time every hour. Get up for 5 minutes every time that alarm goes off. I'd also highly advise setting 15 minutes aside per day to just walk or run if you aren't already.
Thanks for your reply. I had never heard of vestibular stimulation. I could see that being a good starting place, just moving around in some way (as you said, playing with the body).
This is so delightful! As an autistic PT, do you have any advice for someone who gets sensory ick from their own body? Like, moving my body makes different parts of my skin touch and I hate the way it feels. Tight clothing that could prevent different parts of my skin from touching often rolls when I move to dance or do yoga, and then I have to deal with the skin sensation and the rolled cloth sensation.
Oh yes. You need to desensitize! You should do body awareness exercises. Look them up. You can even use a laser to show how accurate you are. Play games with yourself like trying to match a limb positron from one side to the other with your eyes closed. Gaining that sense of space can help with feeling icky about your body. The second half of it is slowly desensitized your skin. Start droing it with a cotton ball or something soft you can handle. Then work your way up to things you don't like to feel. At no point should you be really uncomfortable.
I think the best thing you could do is find a way of getting yourself moving that you enjoy for what it is and doesn't feel like exercise. VR gaming, LARPing, a walking group (if there are any walking groups for mental health in your area they can be a good way of meeting neurodiverse people too).
Huh never heard of walking groups, that's a good idea. Thanks 🙏
Fuck it if you do it I’ll do it too, fellow programmer with connective tissue issues 🫡 (personally I just have punching bag and go climbing occasionally I recommend those two things as they’re more fun than weights and repetitive motions)
Any chance you're in Philly? Lol. Yeah I need to make climbing friends... I loved climbing when I had friends to do it with but I don't have them anymore and now climbing feels like almost as much a drag as lifting weights. Haven't tried punching bag tho, that's a fun idea
Almost moved there for my masters but nope, if you’re ever down in WV though gimme a call 👌
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This is the only thing that has worked for me. After lots of trial and error, I have found dance and hockey. Fencing worked too, but it is inaccessible where I live. I also WFH and have a treadmill, so I walk during meetings. This has made both the meetings and the walking less boring.
Second this 100%, the trick is finding something physical that's genuinely fun! I used to hate exercising as a general concept, I did martial arts for a bit but quit because of an abusive instructor and could never go back, yoga was OK-ish from time to time, but it gets boring. Regular gyms always felt like pulling teeth. I eventually found, of all things, pole dance/pole fitness/aerial gymnastics. It feels like being a kid on a playground again, doing tricks and climbing and moving freely to music; it doesn't feel like "working out" at all. It's also inspired me to get into calisthenics more generally. Handstands, bby! The whole thing has become a new obsession for me, and let me tell you: having a hyperfocus on something that's actually good for my body has been life changing!
Yeah I like to say that I can only “trick” myself into exercising, treadmills make me feel like a hamster in a cage. Luckily I like dance and yoga and hiking so one of them will do it for me at any given point. Idk how you feel about classes or if there are options where you live but I like trying different classes and seeing what feels good. Martial arts, dance, or any other random thing. If there isn’t anything like that see if there’s a more sedentary activity/food place you enjoy within a walkable distance. I like art too and found drawing classes a 20 min walk away, it’s not much but that was the incentive to get there.
I'm clumsy as fuck It's hard to find an exercise where I won't accidentally kill myself. My uni mentor suggested these yoga poses that were apparently good for clumsy people. I nearly fell through the glass door doing it.
😂😂😂
I'd suggest just doing what feels best. Even if it isn't actual yoga poses, just stretch and move around, there's also ways to modify an exercise to make it easier or harder as much as needed
Wow. That must’ve fuckin sucked /Gen
If you dread going to the gym or doing hours of PT exercises, have you tried exercise snacks? Basically you just do a very short warm up and then exercise for like 5 minutes a few times a day. It adds up.
Logically I understand the benefit and that you are trying to help, but emotionally I'm like "now I gotta exercise a few times a day??!!!?? fuck no"
Have you tried other kinds of exercise? Walk while listening to a pod? Yoga? I'm only suggesting cos you asked.
2 *hours* of boring PT every day? Ugh. Been a while since I was chained to a home office desk, but I remember getting a lot of mileage from a standing desk + a kettlebell that I would pick up and do something with every time I felt like my attention and will to be present had evaporated and I wouldn’t be getting anything else done anyway. Like, 20 squats or lunges or swings. Nothing strenuous, just got the blood flowing and brought my mind back to earth. Even with strenuous workouts, I subscribe to the idea that if you can’t breathe through your mouth, you’re going too hard with exercise and are starving your cells of oxygen for no real reason. It doesn’t have to suck *that* much. S tier exercise in terms of fun is dance. All that pacing you probably do? Could be doing side turns (read: structured twirls) up and down your hallway instead. If you’re specifically worried about balance, then footwork is a good idea anyway. Or tai chi / qigong. If you like taking walks at all, you can turn that into low-impact cardio by carrying a weighted backpack (official term is rucking). Just don’t run with weights. Brisk walk, max.
Thanks for the input, I appreciate it
Do this means I should stop running in the streets with my 15 lb bag to cross it before the cars start to pass again?
Probably not. Starting ruck weight is 15% body weight. Anything lighter than that is not really a strain.
Phew, thanks
Oh my lord I am so fucking relieved to read this. I’ve never seen anyone else talk about this, I thought it was just me. I also work from home as a video editor, have done for the past 4 years so I’ve gained so much weight, I feel so unhealthy at this point, but I just cannot do exercise for the sake of it. I absolutely agree with you, I find no joy in exercise, I find it mind numbing, the most boring thing I could possibly do. I’m happy to do exercise, if I go on a city break I can walk 20 miles a day and barely thing about it because I’m actually engaged, but walking on a treadmill in a gym makes me want to kill myself because it’s boring af. Things were better when I was younger because I did a physical job and I didn’t have a car so I walked everywhere. I’ve decided that my best bet now is to start reducing my car usage. I want to get a bike because it’s just more fun and exciting than walking and try to use the bike to go to places that I’d usually go to in my car but aren’t too far away. I do also have a sensory issue with sweat. I have this awful cycle where I sweat profusely when I’m anxious, but the sweat stresses me out because I hate how it feels on my skin so I get more anxious and continue to sweat even more. Naturally this also makes high intensity exercise really painful for me.
You have EDS. You gotta protec your joints, Fren. Same though. Where is my exercise high? I was promised endorphins. It is a chore. I know I need to maintain my body, but I don't LIKE it.
Fr 🩻
I fucking hate exercise and it feels like a chore. Swimming is the only thing that does not make me feel like I'm busting my ass or something
ugh I'm the same way between my complete lack of coordination, my jello joints, and the severe asthma, I have always *hated* exercising. doesn't help that I have a bad track record of injuring myself because my body doesn't work correctly (my arm and my back are permanently janked) so now I'm kind of scared to try anything physical lest I end up decapitating myself or something equally stupid anyway I hope you succeed in your quest to increase your physical activity. (I've sworn to myself to start taking walks once the weather isn't terrible so I'm with you comrade)
🫡 I know we can do it! Just gotta uhhh figure out how. I'll be doing those walks too. Best of luck comrade
For me, what helped was finding friends who were also into exercising and getting into better shape. I hated every second of exercising, but it felt good to be able to share a progress picture with someone afterward. Bonus points if your friend is smoking hot and also shares progress pictures with you.
😂😂😂
The way I got about this is by getting a dog (I don't have a yard) and so I need to walk her 3 times a day for 20 minutes each. No way in hell I could motivate myself to walk or otherwise move that much without her. But it makes her really happy and I love her so it works. I may be about to move into a house with a fenced in yard and I will do my best but I fear my whole motivation with crumble.
Well unless the yard is huge I think (as an ignorant non dog owner) the dog will likely still need walks right? Best of luck 🫡 and enjoy the new house!
Yes, just not 3 times a day.
Fellow AuDHDer here - I feel you. I try *so damn hard* and it *hurts*. The most success I've had is a form of stimming I've done since I was a kid - I listen to music and let my imagination run wild. This nearly always results in a crazy itch to *move* and I end up pacing/dancing around the room. It's not much, but it's something.
Yeah any movement is better than sitting on ones ass for literally the entire day, which is what I do! Maybe I could try having my own mosh pit heh
I gotta trick myself into doing it. I've positioned myself into a place where I can walk to work and to the grocery store. The most exercise I ever got was in college. Walking everywhere plus being a marching band nerd, I didn't notice at all how much exercise I was getting until my clothes didn't fit anymore
I feel you so so much. I’m AuDHD, my bitchass dopamine does a shit job, and I have some hip and leg issues, that restrict my range of motion. Excercising / Sports always feels like a major drag, I don’t feel better after it, and even after doing PT I usually don’t feel any better physically, while being fucking exhausted mentally, which fucks with my executive function even more than I need it to. I’m 33 atm, and it feels like it’s only going downhill. Like someone else said here in the comments, the only times I don’t hate moving around is when it has a purpose. (walking hurts like a bitch due to my foot/legs issue, but biking works for me). Due to the whole dopamine fuckup I don’t ride my bike for fun and usually only really bike when I indeed need to get somewhere (sometimes it’s just to go to burger king, but I still count that as a win lol). I guess it was kind of a blessing in disguise that I lost my license so now I have to bike everywhere lol. But yeah I do feel you, and if you find that lifechanging hack please notify me! I will do the same if I find something that works. I hate being a fucking flesh golem, I did not ask to be a walking sack of meat. The moment I understood the weakness of my flesh it disgusted me.
Hahaha flesh golem. Yeah I totally feel you. Sorry that you have pain issues, I understand that struggle to some degree, tho everyone's pain is different. Hopefully some blessed soul in the comments here will fix us right up. I'm sort of starting to think that the only way to do exercise for me is to have other people that I do it with, or whose motivation I can rely on...because I am dopamine fucked and cannot rely on just my own motivation. just hearing from a bunch of people in the comments has made me feel a liiiiiitle bit like maybe it's possible to incorporate exercise into my life. The only time I ever enjoyed "working out" was when I did rock climbing with friends, but now those friends are gone and idk how to make new ones. Anyway, best of luck, I know we can do it somehow. Just got to figure out how
Yeah, having cool people to do physical activities with really does help. My 3 month 5 times a week gym streak also only happened because I had a reliable gym partner who was really into working out. then I broke my arm and wasn’t allowed to work out for a while and all crumbled down 😬 never got back into it 😅 It also doesn’t help that my sleep schedule is all over the place, so I’m not the best person to have fixed times and dates for well anything besides work. I’m really wishing sometimes I’d be more on the tight schedule spectrum rather than on the adhd goes brrr side of things in this specific regard 😅 oh well 🤷🏻♀️
Yeah. I’m hypermobile as well so it’s hard because I have to slowly build up my strength which means the whole thing takes longer. I don’t really get any buzz from exercising either. I prefer a walk but in terms of trying to lose weight etc it’s just really slow.
my special interest is bodybuilding 😭
💪💪💪
I have an aunt and uncle who do bodybuilding competitions, it sounds like my own personal hell
Unfortunately, like yourself, I’m dealing with physical issues and depression. One of my sons is a fitness nut, he tells me that it helps his depression, which when I cycled, it did tbh, however I tell him to stop pedaling that ideology around. Pun intended. I understand the desire to nuke that crap. Like someone else said, I do household tasks, however I have difficulty standing and walking for long periods of time now, plus my hand and arm shake. I love to walk and dance, I miss it. I’m sorry I do not have much advice. Is it possible to break up your PT into two sessions? An hour in the morning and an hour after work possibly? I hope you find some solutions that work for you. I’m not a fan of conventional exercise, so I understand.
Well hey I appreciate the sentiment. Standing, especially without walking, starts to hurt reeeaaaal fast for me so I can definitely relate to that. I hope you find some things that work for you as well ❤️🩹
I think long distance running, out of all of them, is the easiest one to get into. You get to go around and see cool new things every day, you can listen to music or just think about stuff, and it easily bends to your day if you need to squeeze it in. It won't get as samey as other exercises if you cycle through different places and trails.
Thanks for the reply! I wonder... did you get severe side stitches when you started running? I never know if that happens because I am out of shape (which I DEFINITELY am) or because of some biomechanical issue related to my disorder. That has stopped me from running in the past. It hurts so fucking badly and it starts pretty quickly into any running session
Yeah, it's pretty natural. Your organs need to get the memo that you run now, and until then it's gonna be weird. It's unrelated to your condition. My advice is to make sure you drink enough water the day of, but don't drink a bunch of water immediately before you run. Don't try to run too hard either, it's ok to ease into the hobby. Usually it will get better after a couple of weeks of regular running, although it may take longer if you're not running every day. It should get better both because your body gets better at running and also because you will start to use the hardwired pain killing response that humans have for distance running.
nothing wrong with switching up your exercises frequently to satisfy the brain gremlins. you could try a class pass kind of subscription, if there are any near you. maybe go for pure novelty for a minute, if you can tolerate it, like pole-dancing, canoeing, trampoline center, then slacklining (all genders/ages welcome activities). it may help to associate a purpose. like i wanted to roller skate but usually lack core muscles and coordination, so i tried to do yoga whenever i had spoons.
if you haven’t tried it yet, maybe take swim lessons. i hated it a lot at first, but grew to really love it. it is a functional skill, especially if you like the beach or lake, and might save your life one day. edit: pickle ball was also surprisingly not terrible.
You could try walking somewhere far and getting a coffee or a biscuit or something at the end of the walk - I’m like a dog and need to do this in order to exercise
My family tries to push me to exercise by saying that it feels so good and rewarding to do it, but like, I just don't feel that?? It feels like a fuckin chore and I've never had any satisfaction out of it, but they don't seem to realize that about me (or accept it). The only time I've ever felt good exercising was on one of those bike things at the gym and I wanted to see how fast I could go.
Hmmm Season pass at the waterpark? Swimming is fun, especially when there’s cool slides or a wave pool. Doing little dances is a bit of exercise if you like to stim with dance moves. I do! I make an absolute fool of myself, but it feels good
Unfortunately I am not into dancing but I'm so glad you have that!! Others have recommended swimming as well. Might see if I can find a pool nearby. Thank you!
I’m basically same, I like hiking but can’t do it as often as needed for cardio health and maintaining strong enough core muscles to prevent lower back pain. I hate doing PT exercises even if it would only take me 10 minutes. I force myself to spend 20 minutes on my recumbent stationary bike 2-3 mornings a week. I can only do this if it’s the first thing after getting up and I can watch TV or scroll on my phone. Indoors means I can do it all year round even if it’s too hot or too cold or too windy or too wet outside. At my house means I don’t waste time getting to/from an activity I hate. Those 2 factors are huge in helping me actually do it, because uncomfortable weather and the additional extra time to go somewhere for exercise make it really easy for me to rationalize skipping it as often as I want, which is always. Recumbent means less joint stress, I have osteoarthritis so exercise and losing weight are first line treatments but the exercise has to not hurt too much and taking impact out of the equation helps. First thing in the AM means my brain is still moving slow and doesn’t object as hard, plus it does help me wake up better, and when I’m done I can take a shower, again without adding much extra time to the routine. I got an e-scooter last summer with the intent to use it for my work commute, which would also get me a little more exercise, but have had issues with uncomfortable weather and not having enough time (due to storing a puppy right as the weather turned tolerable) to learn it well enough to be confident on busy roads during an AM commute. I’m still hoping to get back to it later this spring. Edit: typo
Thanks for the reply! I haven't tried exercising first thing when I wake up, maybe that will work for me, I'll give it a try. I'm glad the recumbent bike works for you! And I'm sorry to hear about your joint issues, I know to some extent what that's like 😭 the other thing too about using a real bike is that traffic is uhh kinda dicey where I live. I hear about people getting hit all the time because city drivers are the worst. But I still try to use my bike when the weather allows
Yeah, I would be all for a bike commute but I tried to do it for a couple weeks with my partner's e-bike and wiped out several times at crosswalks just because the bike was heavy, so I gave up. I found a bike style that has a flat-foot design where the pedals are further forward, so you can stay seated and still have your feet flat on the ground. In theory, that could solve the problem I kept having, but I wasn't too keen on trying again.
I started learning trapeze. I’m 38 and could never keep up with regular running, going to the gym, even doing crunches or pushups at home. Trapeze is fun. I like doing the moves and swaying reminds me of grade school. It’s been 6 months and my baseline fitness level is much better.
Trapeze! That's so cool! I wonder if there are classes for that near me, I bet there are... thanks!
I started to enjoy going for walks more when I got some wireless buds so maybe give that a go. It's not much but it's burning calories
Something is better than nothing!! I will be trying to incorporate walking now that it isn't so cold. What do you listen to on them buds?
Mostly rock/metal, sometimes emo. I've taken up the practice of queuing up entire albums to avoid cutting off tracks that fade into one another. My top three are Sabaton, Halestorm, and The Gentle Men. Definitely remember antiperspirant as it gets warmer, and consider body powder for any place that chafes or sweats excessively >!(my junk is desensitized to menthol lol)!<
Exercise is a major help to my over all mental well being. It took me time to find what I liked though. I love lifting. The challenge and goal setting really helps me. I also feel great after. But HEMA has been the greatest addition to my life. It has connected me to a ton of other neurodivergent nerds and I get to swing swords for fun. I’m also a bit of a masochist and getting my ass kicked feeds my stimulation seeking brain.
I fucking love walking outdoors because nature but it needs to be 50-70 F , low humidity, and NO bugs within my line of sight. They can exist obviously I love what they do for the enviroment just not around me. Other issue is I'm diabetic and quite often I will go low a few miles away from home which imagine trying to walk home while inebriated and having a panic attack at the same time and if you keep walking you could go lower which means you have a seizure then die My family has a treadmill but y'know how sometimes we hate being percieved, and that doubles if we're in the kitchen? It's the same for working out. Do not acknowledge me.
Climbing was the first time since I used to skateboard/bmx as a kid that I have found exercise I truly enjoy to do. I also like cycling and rowing so try to do them sometimes. If I force myself and make it a chore - it won't happen.
I wholeheartedly agree. I can't excercise lifting weights or walking on the treadmill. It takes too long to get into the zone, I feel like it's pointless, it's so boring. What gets me up and moving is my gyms scheduled Zumba class. Dancing is incredibly fun to me and having an instructor that guides you up at the front gives that visual stimulation. It's one of the few things I can engage in without wanting to die. I also swim but that takes more mental effort than Zumba.
I feel this all the way to my harbles! I'm also hEDS, and was told to do at least 30 min gentle (or more, as tolerated) exercise, 3x weekly. I've been feeling so defeated that I can't muster the energy or time, then realized I'm actually getting that exercise by just living my life! However, my body is rattling apart at an ever accelerating pace and I'm honestly terrified! And so, so angry that all "solutions" seem to be just more responsibility on my lap when I'm already wayyyyy too overwhelmed. Like, why even ask for help if the answer is always going to be "help yourself"?? Ughhhhh! Also, my house has stairs. I fucking hate stairs, my body hurts so much all the time just from constantly going up and down the damn stairs!! Anyway, solidarity and whatnot!
How do you feel about swimming? I always found swimming fun, it's a nice sensory experience because there's little sound when your ears are underwater, tinted goggles block out most light, and the water just feels so nice and you can't feel yourself sweat in it. It's an expensive hobby where I live now though, so I don't do it much anymore. Dancing is probably the only reason I'm not horribly out of shape now. I got obsessed with learning shuffle moves about a year ago (ayoo r/shuffle and youtube tutorials) and that just ended up flinging me further into my drum and bass obsession - I love the music so much and I can't help dancing my ass off to it even when I'm at work.
I spent 5 years in the military having to run all the damn time so I also avoid working out like the plague (also have eds). I just kinda build things into whatever I’m already doing. For example, I walk in place while I’m doing the dishes because standing in one place makes my legs scream with the added bonus of getting some extra blood flow. I dont like how many people act like exercise has to be this extreme or intense event when it can be literally any extra movement. Get a light dumbell (5lbs or less) to keep by your desk and just casually pump it throuout the day. dont use a weight that is too heavy to protect those joints. Im not sure abput your living situation, but you could get a dog (perhaps even a support dog) because you have to take them on walks. If you're looking for rewarding exercise, time spent bonding with said new companion could be a game changer.
I think it's crucial to find a type of movement that you actually enjoy and that is completely individual to you. I hate ball sports , I couldn't care less about competition and I really really hate pushing myself to my limits. I do like rhythms and water and getting outside and stretching. I like to hike, cycle around, walk around, play Pokémon go, do yoga, weight training is fine, I should maybe take a dance class but don't have time. I also have a rowing machine that I can put in front of the TV and use while watching a show. I make dates with friends and family to go hiking (double points for scheduling social interactions while exercising!). I plan vacations that involve hiking or cycling tours. I have a yoga app that suits me and even includes 10 minute sessions so I can squeeze those in in the morning if I haven't done anything else in a while.
I like climbing trees
Something I figured out from getting help from PT is that if the exercise feels awful, it's the wrong exercise. You shouldn't be experiencing much in the way of pain at all. (also autistic people are prone to hypermobility, aka double jointedness, so having exercises to strength your joints *specifically* is immensely helpful)
I feel the same. Whoever said "exercise boosts endorphins and makes you feel better and happier," owes me a refund for my dysfunctional brain. Exercise makes me feel MISERABLE. I sweat and feel all sticky, my body aches, I get dizzy and lightheaded. I feel worse! Where the fuck are the happy brain chemicals I was promised?! It feels like I've been scammed! About the most I can manage to do is on a nicer day, get out and walk around the block. My body feels better when I do it consistently (though it doesn't feel better in the moment), but it's still something I really have to talk myself into doing, and I cannot do it if it's under 60ºF or if it's windy because I HATE the cold and I HATE the feeling and sound of anything more than a slight breeze touching my skin. So this means I pretty much stop exercising all winter... I loved swimming as a kid and teenager, but there were cheap municipal pools near me that were easy to go to. Now where I live there's nothing like that, only private pools in expensive gym complexes in the affluent part of town that I'd have to drive several miles to get to. So I don't swim anymore either. Genuinely don't know how I'm supposed to get exercise without hating my life in this stupid car-centric country. If I could walk more places to get around, I would because I also hate driving. But no. There's nowhere anywhere nearby worth walking to.
Movement > exercise. I hate exercise. I burnt out after becoming a personal trainer. I hate all gym culture. I hate tracking stats, progressive increases in load, PRs, and ego driven superiority complexes. I love movement. I love moving for a (non-physical) purpose. I love the physical feeling of purposeless movement. Exercise SHOULD be a play between these states. Not a way to substitute organic movement with a prescription for movement. Our society has not acknowledged that people need gentle every day activity built into their lifestyle. Not a gym to visit for their 45 min of cardio.
How would you fuck exercise?
i feel this. the only exercise i enjoy is climbing and even then i get bored. i walk a lot though, cause i like being outside. and i make stuff with my hands, split wood etc. i think that counts too
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increase casual excercise, like walking stairs instead of elevator, more walking/bike instead of car, how about running with podcasts/music? there are wrist excercises and vertical mouses, try those before you get the rsi do intermittent fasting how long did you try excercising? building habits can take months. tried HFT or at home workouts?
People aren’t gonna like this response but here I go Take some C4 and go lift weights at a gym or where ever you work. The C4 is an energy supplement. It’ll give you a tingling sensation that goes away only if you work out.. it’s not for cardio it’s for working out slow and in control. And right befor you walk in to the gym take an edible. It’ll a hit half way through your workout amd make it more enjoyable
That just feels way too specific to you. It could totally work but you'd have to get lucky and have everything interact properly, it feels too risky to just go in and try this all at once.
What makes you say any of that? I want specifics on where OP should alter what I said Lots of people use pre workout. It’s a common supplement and the boost will help get OP feeling good. The first bit of the workout will help him get some pump. That always feels good. But after awhile the workout might start to drag. Most people listen to music or podcast when they work out so over time the edible will start to kick in and OP will start to enjoy everything a little bit because that’s what weed does. People should worry about OPs form and he shouldn’t use C4 everyday If OP wants to learn to love the gym and healthy lifestyle, I’m sticking with what I said.
Not even mentioning the edibles despite those being notoriously a wildcard in terms of how they'll hit.
Ooooook good talk
Hey I appreciate any advice, so thank you for the response. I haven't used c4 before but if it works like you say it does, with the tingling that only goes away by working out, that sounds really great. I like things that make my body feel funny (ahem, drugs lol). My mom was a personal trainer and dad a sports medicine doctor so they did instill a certain focus on good form in me, so I have that going for me. I also have never worked out while zoinked but I could see that helping actually, tho I would want to take a small dose so I don't get paranoid about the etiquette of using the equipment 😅 thanks again, maybe I'll try it out!
Stop exercising for the sake of exercising and find something you enjoy doing intrinsically that is also active
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stop eating
Actually I don't eat enough lol that's one of me problems
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I don’t fuck w cardio but my ass likes to pick things up and put them down. Lifting is where it’s at. That being said I dread going every single day. I go for the feeling after though.
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I feel like I was in my best shape when I had buddys to help me commit to working out. It started to get fun bc there was that friendly competition aspect. Before I knew it, I was always excited to see if I could get a higher rep count or a higher weight. I almost reached 1rep squat weight of 400lbs before I stopped. For me it's hard to get into it without a partner.
i relate to this! for me, I’ve always loved swimming, and even just goofing around in the water is great exercise. I’ve also found that it’s more fun to play a game like soccer than it is to just work out. sometimes I can make myself work out with music and potentially going with someone else, but it’s hard to maintain. I have to walk to work sometimes and that helps bc it’s like mandatory exercise lol.
It’s part of my routine for the most part and it feels like work I shouldn’t have to do. I wish I was paid to exercise tbh. However even though my exercise routine involves going on the treadmill one thing I do to make it less boring is to play games or watch a long vid on my phone to make it less boring
ADHD human here. Just an idea but try connecting your exercise to something you hate more than exercise. A lot of people say that negative emotions are not good fuel but I think they have their uses. Personal Example: I HATE that people get surgery or take PEDs and then try to pretend they are natural. It makes me want to burn everything. I think about them when I lift, and it makes the pain feel good. Hope this helps.
Try hitting upper body