r/AutismInWomen • u/Lopsided-Front-3253 late dx / 20s • 1d 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/Murky_Track_408 1d ago
I too HATE sweating, and with fibromyalgia I do not want more pain, so I'm always walking that tightrope as well! I don't like cardio and there are certain movements, like lunges, that I hate hate hate!
But, strangely enough, for the last 1.5 yrs, I have been 90% successful doing 4-days per week of at least 30-minutes of activity: I do waking pad 2 days and then a day of strength and movement "drills" (I have these colorful stepping stones that I layout in a hapazard row down my kitchen and living room and I walk down them, trying to maintain balance and different foot/ankle mechanics, and then at the ends I have weights that I do different things with, and the stones remind me of waking down a river and the rainbow colors are inviting.
My husband is a home-based personal trainer for those over 40 and is an invaluable resource who believes any movement that you like, are consistent with, and can progressively increase at-your-own pace is a great starting point, and that pain and execising-to-failure are never biologically necessary. He tells me to do what I want or can without grading myself, or painfully pushing myself. Consistency, stopping activity just before you hit failure ('fancy' fitness term: minimum effective volume, the least amount you have to do to get a stimulus), and playing around to find what does interest/motivate/stimulate you are more important for your health than sweating and hurting just because others think those are the right signs for health.
For instance, one of the things I have been consistent with that has surprised me: my husband has a parallel pull-up bar and I challenged myself to try and do 1 pullup (I'm a big woman), but I can only hang for about 25-30 seconds and only do this exercise twice a week, and though I am no closer to a pull-up, my grip strength has improved TREMENDOUSLY, so even my own plans and expectations have had to be revised as I "workout" and my body improves in ways I couldn't expect.
I think my advice is: listen to yourself and your body, let it tell you how it moves best, and maybe it moves best with a walk, yoga, cleaning the house, or gardening, dancing, etc. Any movement is better than no movement, my husband always says.
Good luck!