What exercise do you do?

[MyNameIsIDontKnow]

Was just reading the thread about how much exercise people 'realistically' do and everyone apparently does absolutely masses. It got me thinking that I do need to do more. Audhd-er so can get a bit (a lot!) stuck when I get home from work and just want to lie in a silent room with no demands.

I do yoga at home. Would love to do more and properly get into it (it is definitely one of my interests) and there seems to be a lovely local place but the thought of going to a class gives me the chills, I can feel the awkwardness and implicit rejection as a pain in my chest just thinking about going and know that I would come away feeling way worse (and way poorer). Gyms are too noisy and bustly and quiet nicer ones too expensive. I did run for a bit but struggle to get motivated and started.

Getting older (early 50s) and that thread frightened me into thinking I need to do much more for physical health plus having a very hard time at home as single parent to pda son so feel like it would really help my mental health too.

What do others do that works for them please?

I mean, exercise is good for you, you know that. There are NHS recommendations on how much you should do. Follow that.

On the other hand, the MN thread on any topic will be HUGELY self selective. People who try to do 2-3 h a week and realistically manage 1-2 will just not respond, so you get this hugely skewed data. It’s the same in “how much do you earn” threads, which piss me off so much: there is good national
level data on this, but the only people who respond to these stupid threads are the ones in the top 10%, so someone on the 89th percentile will look like the poorest person in the country on that thread.

Ha ha, I definitely think the top 10% of exercisers are the ones that responded on that thread! I felt for the OP who wanted reassurance and advice and was just (probably) left feeling inadequate.

Also, I am more interested in what people do that works for them than knowing how much to do, which as you say, is easy to look up.

I like walking, I also like doing the Joe Wicks HIIT workouts. I prefer walking though, but my ancient MP3 player broke last week and I have no idea what to do now.

Thanks @WeirdPookah. Joe Wicks is a good shout. In fact reminds me that during first lockdown home schooling would alternate Joe Wicks/going for a walk/doing half an hour of Just Dance songs on YouTube.

Hope you got your mp3 situation sorted out.

There's quite a lot you can do at home. I have ADHD and I do have a gym membership which I got into but also have home weights (I can't recommend strength training enough). I'm also thinking of getting a peleton, there is a whole community around this online and they have all kinds of classes etc.

@2024horizons would love to have the room/money for a pelaton! Ideal way to engage with the class experience without the social pressure. Go for it!

Agree about weights- I have found kettlebell makes me feel really good but never found a workout online that suits enough to make it a habit. However, just found a short Joe Wicks one that I will try. Maybe that is the one.

Someone irl recommended Grow with Jo on YouTube and they seem good so will try and get my cardio hit from that if I don't get a vigorous walk in the day.

I like pole dance. A good studio will make you feel welcome and you will come to respect your body for what it can do instead of what it looks like.

If you aren't comfortable in crop top and shorts, aerial circus skills (e.g. trapeze) will build strength in the same way.

I've been physically not up to classes for a while because of illness and it's annoying me.

I am autistic and I powerlift twice a week with my PT, who has ADHD and is also a competitive Olympic lifter (her ADHD was one of the reasons she became a PT!).

Both the owner of the (small, private) gym that she works out of and the other PT based there are also ND and we affectionately laugh at our little ND enclave, but it's just wonderful - however, I appreciate this is rare and I'm very lucky.

I really enjoy feeling strong and able: I like the way that lifting heavy weights quietens my mental chatter, because if you are picking up a thing that weighs 150% of your own bodyweight, you have to concentrate!

I've also found that lifting has increased my tolerance of failure, because progress isn't always linear and sometimes you have to shift your thought process, which, for me, is a challenge in itself.

Outside of the gym, I do some S&C workouts at home, run occasionally and I love to walk.

Classes are not for me and I LOATHE yoga - it's all a bit too feathery-stroky for me (although I know other people love it).

My sport is like a home for adhd / autistic adults and kids

Highly physical and highly skilled - Brazilian juijitsu

It's like chess of the body, addictive and competitive

Thanks @VitoCorleoneOfMNMafia @AffIt @hendoop all of those sound really interesting and all so different. Sounds like you need to put yourself out there to try things and also really importantly find a place where you feel comfortable - I tend to assume I won't feel comfortable anywhere (and therefore not try anymore) so heartening to know it is possible.

For now I am going to monitor the amount I do better on my fitbit and just try and hit that minimum 75/150 minutes at least but will definitely have all your things in my head if I see any opportunities (especially like the idea of Brazilian ju-jitsu - the cerebral element appeals!)

I pole dance too! The vast majority of instructors and students I’ve encountered in my classes are also neurodiverse. I also have a pole at home so I dance every day and do weights.

I am in a massive slump at the moment and haven't exercised properly (besides usual walking) for ages.
When I did have time/motivation I also enjoyed the Joe Wicks HIIT and warmup/cool downs, twice or three times a week (if I was really feeling it!).
My absolute favourite was to do two 30-60 minute gym sessions a week - with headphones playing my own playlist. I managed to actually run (well, run and walk) 5k on the treadmill listening to my favourite tunes... then lockdown happened and I couldn't afford to go back afterwards. It did wonders for my migraines as well 😭
My very first workouts were using the Wii fit! Not sure how effective they were but it was fun!

@QuickFetchTheCoffee also in even more of a slump than when I originally posted. Life stress makes me so stuck even though I know exercise would help in every way. I love the idea of going to a gym with headphones on and going for it a couple of times a week but the blockage there is 'I can't really afford it and could do youtube workouts or run on the streets for free' - but I don't!

Don't disregard the WiiFit! I think anything that involves moving and raised heart rate is good.

I haven't got the Wii Fit any more 😭
All I manage to muster is doing 40-50 squats twice a week in my PJs first thing (after changing my HRT patch - I put the patch on my glasses case so I notice it first thing and a little note under it saying "squats!" so I remember).
And quite a bit of walking.

If you are confident enough to run the streets and have some good trainers you could combine Joe Wicks stretches with a shortish run a couple of times a week (nobody needs to run every day). Combine with quiet time in a hot bath or shower afterwards and that sounds fab.
Disclaimer: I don't run outdoors as I have a tendency to fall off kerbs 🤣

I can't even manage 20 squats. I plank for a full 60 seconds every day though.

If you enjoy it, swimming is great. I love it so don’t need to make an effort to go. It helps that I have a nice small pool nearby, with the same friendly staff on the front desk. But I just love being in the water, and I can exercise and think at the same time - it is like meditation for me! There are also private shower cubicles so I can wash properly and, because I go almost every day, I basically don’t shower at home. So it ticks lots of boxes for me.

I do 30-40 minutes of Ashtanga most days from book by David Swenson(?). I prefer to do the same routine so that I’m not constantly thinking about the next move. I watch either Detectorists, Pride and Prejudice or Emma at the same time🙂.

There’s not way I could do that if I worked though…if I could work…which I can’t!

I've done various things at different times.

An approach which can help a lot with the ADHD tendency to drop habits :D is where you tie it to something that you have to do anyway. For example if you have a dog, then the dog must be walked. But I did things like choosing to walk instead of take a tram/bus for certain journeys (or walk to/from a further-away stop) because then I can tick that off as an exercise goal for the week but it's also just getting somewhere, which is useful in another way.

I am totally useless at spatial awareness so don't trust myself to cycle on roads, but if you can do this then you could also cycle. Some of my friends do this as their "exercise that fulfils another purpose" and cycling is of course faster than walking, so could fit in more distance that way which would be more exercise. A problem with walking is that it is so slow compared to public transport.

Another technique which works well for me in various areas is to pick something which can be done with no preparation and takes a very short, set amount of time. For this, some of the high-intensity but short-duration workouts can work very well. I used to do Gillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred but I now mostly do stuff from Darebee because it's literally just a few minutes, and I try to do one a day.

BTW, my gynaecologist said to me that yoga is not especially good for this, yoga is very gentle to start and doesn't require equipment so it ticks one box. But the problem with yoga is that it does not have the intensity until you get to an extremely high level, so yoga is good for relaxation and flexibility, but it won't actually help with fitness for a very long time. She recommended Pilates for me instead.

Yes, yes to linking things and making it have a purpose! Pre child I used to cycle to work for this reason (not really do-able atm) and I loved it as kept me fit, saved money, good for the environment so felt positive - it just ticked so many boxes!

Interesting about yoga as I tend to only really do that but yes it very rarely gets me 'zone' minutes on my fitbit.

Also used to love Jillian Michael's shred until it went off YouTube- was hard though!

Definitely thinking of going down the gym route - there is a tiny one near me that I haven't done before because of cost but you can't really put a price on health can you and as things are really tough with DS could be brilliant for the mental health.

Oh, also definitely not a swimmer although can see it would be really calming. Terrified of deep water - and changing rooms 😂