Does anyone here not feel a rush from exercising?

Post Reply New Topic

I've been told for years that when most people exercise for long enough, they get a dopamine rush and it's supposed to feel good. However, I have never experienced this in my life, no matter how hard I exercise. Do any other autistics here have the same experience? I was wondering if my lack of a dopamine rush has something to do with the different brain chemistry autistics have.

no, i do. feels great.

but i really wanted to point out how awesome your username is.

I used to get a dopamine rush from exercising when I was a teenager, but I don't have it anymore. Glad to know someone else feels this way. Where I live, sports is practically a religion, so admitting you don't get the rush is like saying you eat babies for breakfast.

Edit: Btw if I exercise too long I get depressive, which can last for a week, and I sleep badly. Do you have that too? I've been googling like crazy to find out what the reason is, but there are no explanations that make sense, like low blood sugar or smth. The only thing that might be relevant is low muscle mass.

What kind of exercise do you mean? Have you tried a lot of different things? I assume because everyone is so different you might get one person who gets a rush off steady state cardio, one who gets a rush from high intensity interval training, and another who prefers weight training or circuit training. Different people might experience the "dopamine high" from different training methods.

Personally I hate steady state cardio. It makes me annoyed and uncomfortable as I get hotter and hotter, and I generally find it boring. Not to mention I always start to feel sick after half an hour or so. Any potential dopamine rush is maybe overpowered by stress/ frustration from not enjoying the workout itself? Just a suggestion, I'm certainly no expert.

Weight training for me is the most rewarding experience in general. Walking out of the gym stronger than I was 6 days a week is a great, confidence-boosting feeling for me. Even if it's a bit of a grind at first and I have to drag myself to the gym, once I'm into the workout I get a real buzz.

Also getting a decent pump and looking at your future self in the mirror is always a great motivator.

I'm with you, MetroidSocrates, I have always hated everything to do with exercise. As a kid I did have a go at several ball sports like Australian football and basketball, but all I did was run away from the ball, I absolutely hated it. When the ball hit me on the head (which was often) I would immediately tantrum and run away to the car and wait for Mum. School PE lessons were torture for me, thanks to non-understanding teachers who just couldn't believe how bad I was and thought I just wasn't trying (although by the time I got to high school I probably wasn't, I had just given up).

Exercise has always been a horrible experience for me, I hate feeling sweaty, I hate that burning feeling in my legs after running for while, I hate feeling my heart beating really fast, I hate the feelings of inadequacy and hopelessness, I even don't like simply being outdoors.

I have never understood for the life of me how on earth people willingly exercise and actually seem to enjoy it. I don't care what anyone says, all exercise does is make me depressed. I got through PE class by telling myself that once I was out of school I would never have to exercise again, and I will most probably keep that promise. If that means I get fat and die a few years sooner, then so be it as far as I'm concerned.

Yeah, never got any sort of rush from it at all. Though I have found some moderate walking/hiking to be very helpful for my mood stabilization. I just hate the feeling of physical exertion for any significant length of time that isn;t directly attached to some competition of some kind, like a sport. Exercise is overrated to me.

I just feel worn out, sore & hot after exercising for a while