What kind of exercise do you do?

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Hi everyone,

I was just curious about what people on this forum like to do for exercise. I do a fair bit of walking during the academic semester (about an hour on a day that I have classes) but other than that, I don't do much. Lately, I've been on a self-improvement kick and I would like to start doing a bit of light to medium exercise on a regular basis.

I definitely have a motivation issue as I've never been in the habit of exercising for a long list of reasons - I am not interested in most sports or physical activities, I don't care for competition or being hot, sweaty, short of breath and in desperate need of water, I find gyms to be awkward places, I wasn't raised to be physically active, I had a hard time of it in gym class at school, I am unfit and uncoordinated as well as a bit overweight and most of my interests and hobbies involve sitting down.

I'm not interested in becoming a competitive athlete or anything of the sort but I would welcome suggestions on how my fellow Aspies approach the issues of health and fitness.

I walk at least 4-5 days a week, but out in the countryside, with my dogs. I'm fortunate to live a few blocks from a wilderness area; I understand that many people live in cities, but I think it's good to find a large park or trail and find out when it's not being used much by other people. It's not just about the walking: the sights, sounds and smells of the countryside distract my overactive brain and after a few minutes I feel very relaxed.

I think an important point for Aspies is that you have to put up with some negative physical symptoms until your body gets up to speed; exercise is good for humans, but if you're out of shape, somewhat passive and couch-hugging, you just have to make yourself get physical! Don't overdue it - make walking, or whatever you choose, a daily habit.

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1 hour of walking on dreadmill and 100 sit ups daily

I used to be just like that. I didn't start exercising regularly until the age of 32 and then did so out of vanity to get my weight under control. Once I did it for a couple of weeks and saw the immediate changes, however, I was hooked. Been doing it for over 20 years now, every day: ab crunches (alternate between 2 different prerecorded routines), weight training with a bench and barbells and 2 miles a day on the treadmill.

No competition involved, I can do in the privacy of my own home and even watch TV while I do it. As far as motivation is concerned, once you make it a daily routine, you'll feel "off" if you don't do it. As far as getting sweaty, that only lasts while you're doing it. Unless you live outdoors, there's always a shower afterward.

You won't get out of breath once you're in shape and you won't ever be in desperate need of water if you drink enough water over the rest of your day, which you ought to be doing anyway, just for your general health. If you don't like the taste of your tap water, get a screw-on water filter for the faucet or one of those plastic pitchers with a built-in filter that you can keep in your fridge.

If you really commit to it for one month, you'll never want to stop. But that's the trick - you have to MAKE yourself do it at first, without allowing any excuses. Once you begin to SEE the physical changes in your body, motivation will no longer be a problem. You will not want to go back to what you were ever again.

Running is a great way to get into a fitness regimen. Pick a short distance, like a mile and a half, and walk/run it several times a week until you can run the whole way, then walk/run 2 miles, etc...

Adamautistic, it's a Treadmill, with a T. Not a D, a T. You can call it a 'dreadmill' if you're making a joke about dreading using it. Once. In your life.

I used to ride bike a lot, but now that it's cold I've kind of stopped... I've also looked up exercise programs online that don't require a gym or equipment other than a place to do pull/chin ups, though I've been struggling to make it a regular thing.

I ride my bike both for recreation and as my primary means of transport. I also swim, but I haven't done that for a while. Going to get back into it next week as I have more time now. I've got a set of dumbbells, too. Sometimes I go for walks, but I find that bike rides are more fun.

High Intensity Interval Training on the bike and Long Slow Distance Cycling makes for the majority of my cardio training. When I am on the bike I tend to have the tablet out and listen to music, audiobooks, or watch videos in front of me, its easier that way. I also enjoy jogging quite a bit, and music helps, but I usually do not need it to focus most of the time. My favorite cardio activities are shadow boxing and hitting the bag though, striking takes a lot of energy in a very short amount of time and has a great effect on stress levels.

Resistance training mostly consists of bodyweight exercises, sometimes with added weight. My favorite workout equipment for BW exercise is the pull up bar and the ab wheel. What motivates me to lift the most is the relaxed feeling I get in my body and my mind after being done with all of my sets. The added muscle and that pump right after a workout is great too. Walking around with my veins popping out because I just had a good workout session just feels bad ass...

Every Sunday I do a 14.5km walk.

Every weekday morning I do 4kms to the trainstation. Then, every afternoon, I walk 4.8kms home past the Gabba (because I'm obsessive like that).

Over the week off over Christmas I might do the 14.5km walk twice a day (Christmas Eve, Christmas and Boxing Day excluded, as I will be at my parents place). I am so overweight it's not funny.

I work out 4-5 times a week on average. I have access to an exercise bike that converts into a rowing machine which is very convenient. I normally row for 10 minutes and then cycle for another 10. I do bodyweight exercises as well like push-ups, squat thrusts and crunches. I also have a workout bench where I use a barbell and dumb-bells for various moves. I haven't actually used it for months so that's something I need to get back into. I'm lucky to have a large park a few minutes walk from my home which as well as having plenty of space to go running also has an outdoor gym where you can do chin-ups, dips, sit-ups and other exercises. Best of all, it's completely free to use. With all that my disposal, I have no need to join a gym or health club!

running,swimming,wieghtlifting

I'm glad someone else calls it the dreadmill. Why choose to go on it though?

Thanks for the replies. I can definitely relate to the ones about motivation and struggle. I think it'd best if I started with walking and went from there.

I have a fantasy when things go bad: Put on my coat, cash out at the bank and start walking and don't look back!