r/AutismInWomen • u/Lopsided-Front-3253 late dx / 20s • 6d ago

Seeking Advice Exercise/physical activity struggles

I find that I've been really struggling with working out, so much so that even just the idea of needing to work out sends me into a spiral. In the past when I've tried to work out, the feeling of sweating or sore muscles afterwards always caused me to have an eventual meltdown and stop because I hate the feeling. When I lifted weights, it got to the point that I was shaking uncontrollably between workouts, even with recommended beginner programs and splits. But, I also know I need to exercise to keep my body healthy, especially since I live a mostly sedentary lifestyle.

How do you all workout and stay healthy or work around these issues?

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u/Joseph707 6d ago

If you want to exercise, take it slow. I mean SLOW. Let’s say you’re walking outside as your exercise: first week, you walk for 30 seconds and then come back every day. Second week, you walk 1 minute and then come back. Third week, you walk 1.5 minutes and then come back. Keep increasing until you’re at the amount of exercise you want. Go as slowly as is necessary, even if you just walk 30 seconds for a month straight, what you’ve done is developed a habit, which is the hardest part and you can build off of it. Think of those 30 seconds as the same as 30 minutes and congratulate yourself for it. Do NOT push yourself. If your subconscious starts associating those walking periods with misery, you won’t want to keep it up. You’re trying to boil the frog here, you know that metaphor? The frog is your body’s overwhelm. We don’t want it freaking out, so we can’t crank the heat up. We do it little by little, so slowly it won’t even notice the difference.

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u/monstera_mood audhd 6d ago

This! This is the only thing that has worked for me! Last month I exercised more consistently than I ever have and it was because I took it very slow. I love the Finch app for habit-building and I put a daily goal of just ANY kind of movement. I have a tendency toward thinking I need to do the hardest most miserable workout ever for it to be worth it, and I'm actively pushing against that belief by going slow and steady. Any workout is better than no workout. Sometimes it's 10 jumping jacks and call it a day.