Pain and exercise

[Guest guest]

> Eyre wrote:

> > My own perhaps somewhat eccentric view about workouts is that they are a

> > waste of time and energy, and that there are much better ways of getting

> > healthy excercise, like walking or cycling instead of driving, rushing ..

<snipped>

>

CJ says in response that those things in and of themselves won't make you lose

weight or work all the necessary systems in the body. True, but it will firm up

what's there Some of us folks are getting up there in years. For folks my age

(55+) and especially for our septuagenarian members (sorry and Ron) 's

recommendations are do-able, enjoyable, gets us moving and puts a smile on our

faces.

I don't know if this is an AS thing or if some NT are like this as well, but, I

can't just exercise for its own sake. (I think may have been alluding to

that as well, correct me if I'm wrong, ) If I'm walking, I have to be

walking with a purpose, like going to a store, not just to raise my heart rate.

For anything more strenuous than that, I want to fun while I am moving my ever

increasing mass. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but I like skiing and I am

learning to curl. Some ladies my age have taken up salsa dancing and some

couples my age know are into ballroom and square dancing. I even know a woman

who likes 1st Nations dancing. I would learn hip-hop dancing if it didn't make

me look so ridiculous

Regarding pain, there may be a few members here who will recall that about 9

years ago, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. This is a non degenerative

disorder with no known cause, but, no surprise here, it seems to strike people

who are already dealing with other challenges, especially of the mental and

emotional kind.

My son, who was 12 at the time of my fibromyalgia diagnosis, took on a flyer

route to earn some cash. He kept this job for 3-1/2 years, until he was old

enough to gain regular part time employment. It was a huge route that depending

on the volume of paper to delivered, could take up to 2-1/2 hours if done alone,

so I would help him him every day. Gradually my fibromyalgia symptoms eased

until they were no more. I felt so much better in other ways, too!

I also found that greatly reducing my junk carbohydrate intake and increasing

fresh fruit and veggies and healthy protein helped. If I eat too many refined

grain products, not only does my stomach ache, but, so do my joints.

Folks on the spectrum can lack balance in our lives, which translates to lack of

proper exercise. Due to focus on a special interest, overwork, maybe a fear of

learning something new when some of us (me for sure) are slow learners when it

comes to following instructions and coordinating our bodies to do that whatever

it is, and also a fear of socializing with a new group, and looking like a klutz

in more ways than one, all these things lead to under-use of some body parts,

and overuse in others. Some AS (though not me) have more rigid eating habits.

All those things can contribute to fibromyalgia and other kinds of pain .. um

not to mention high cholesterol, diabetes, etc. etc. etc.

When trying to overcome any type of pain that is not caused by a degenerative

condition, building up fitness slowly is the key. With fibromyalgia, overdoing

it will cause a flare-up of symptoms and a setback, which may discourage anyone,

especially AS, from trying again. The gym sure wouldn't cut it for me, LOL. Some

AS may also prefer solitary activities such as cycling or swimming laps. Many

civic (meaning taxpayer funded) neighbourhood recreation centers do offer

personal fitness coaching for adults and the rates are reasonable. They can help

you assess your fitness and design a program suited to your needs.

- Helen