Health and Fitness Poll

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This poll is intended for those with Asperger's Syndrome and High Functioning Autism who follow a consistent regimen of physical activity and healthy eating.

I exercise and try to avoid trans fat and keep my saturated fat intake within sight of the recommended daily allowances. Sometimes I pig out and eat a pizza or something that I don't usually eat and it's OK because I quickly burn off excess calories. However, if I stop exercising for a week, then I start to feel bad, and I might feel bloated or even get headaches, and this prompts me to start back up again. I know my health would become poor if I stopped exercising altogether.

It hasn't helped my social skills. If anything, it's made them worse and it has taken me a long time to get accustomed to the difference in how I look. I get a lot of stares and I'm not sure how to interpret this and it makes me feel weird even though it's probably a good thing. I don't care. I will still keep doing it.

But for some, it's possible that a difficulty with reading people might originate from receiving mostly negative cues and having to tune them out to stay sane, rather than an intrinsic inability to read people. People may treat you badly if you can't read their cues. Then again, you may be bad at reading cues if there's nothing good or pleasurable to interpret. In that case, if exercise makes you look better, then you may start getting positive cues and your social skills may improve when it becomes pleasurable to read other peoples' nonverbal signals.

No, it hasn't. But I didn't start exercising with the intention of improving social skills.

Which is too bad...that very cute receptionist keeps blushing and smiling every time I talk to her. I wish I knew her outside my gymnasium life.

I don't think it has improved my social skills, but I do feel better about myself and I think that shows. Exercise seems to help me with depressive moods more than anything. I don't follow a strict diet or anything.

I don't think that physical fitness and social skills are related. The only benefit which I can see, to being (and looking) in shape, is that self confidence would seem stronger than, say if you're ashamed of your body for one reason or another.

I've been out of shape at times, and I definitely tended to avoid situations where that would be noticed. I'm in the best shape anyone could want now, and have been for several years, and I do enjoy the confidence of being able to attend situations where I might take my shirt off, etc. Just a little ego booster I guess, which might come across as overall improved self-confidence.

But actual social skills; no change. I'm a nerd whether I'm a couch potato, or as I am now, which as some people might call really cut & in shape

Charles

My confidence improved amasingly wich inturn helped me out socialy, I think this was mainly because of my confidence in being able to handle myself better. So in effect this helped me socialy without getting into trouble by thinking I was a target etc. But I think this is down to years of bullying.

Being fit gives me something I'm not deficient in, and even something to talk about. Maybe even something to brag about.