#exercise tips

I WAS BORN TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION. Thank you so much for asking! Unfortunately, I am a nerd about my hobbies so this got quite long.

Keep it simple ✨

Running is easy to get into; our bodies are built for it. Don’t stress over technicalities and just do what feels natural to you. My local races are full of 70-something white-haired pensioners who are kicking ass at it. Don’t let anyone tell you that running is meant to feel like dying, that’ll harm your knees, or that you absolutely need to have that specific smartwatch model to get into it. All you need is a solid pair of shoes, everything else is optional.

For those of you who don’t know me I am trans and physically disabled (also autistic and have anxiety and depression and ptsd) anyway working out has been something that was totally off the table for me for a long time but lately my energy and motivation have improved somewhat as well as my dysphoria being worse which has made me want to try to working out again.

This legitimately isn’t a post I ever thought I’d be making but being pre T and closeted it felt like the only thing I could do to have some control over my body and I really wanted to try. It took me a couple of months after first getting the idea to actually feel like I was in a place to try and as well as finding a good program. I really didn’t want to put money into this especially because I had no idea how it would go, I’m currently on my second week of working out so I thought I’d share some advice for anyone else in a similar position.

Also, as a disclaimer, not everyone with chronic pain or other disabilities can exercise and there’s definitely been times when I also couldn’t so this purely for people who are in a place where they want to and are safe to try.

- Balance is everything, I say this as a total hypocrite just to be clear but if you haven’t worked out in a long time (I would say it’s been around three years for me) you can’t expect to go super hard right away

- Don’t worry about speed or reps or anything like that, doing your best is the most important thing and trying to take that pressure off yourself helps

- Honestly do fewer reps, shorter times, modify or substitute exercises, skip certain things- none of that is a big deal even if it feels like it is and whether you can do some of it later or not it’s okay

- I don’t see physical results yet which isn’t a surprise but I can feel more muscles when I flex my stomach which is cool and even after a week and a half with a lot of rest days I can do more than I could at the beginning

- Low impact is still a hard workout and it is much easier on your body, highly recommend for people with chronic pain

- Now one of the most important things I’ve learned is that I do not have the option of not warming up and doing cool down stretches, my body cannot handle it if I skip those steps which unfortunately makes everything take so much longer but again for anyone with chronic pain it’s probably better to cut down the harder bits and do a warm up and cool down

- The one time I did skip cool down stretches because I had errands to run and thought walking around would be enough I couldn’t sit or stand up straight the next day because I was in so much pain and the muscles in my hips and legs hurt so badly I had to take a break for several days

- I’ve also found that doing full body stretches after working out significantly reduces pain the next day (at least for me) to the point where after a week of working out I feel more sore than in proper pain

- If certain exercises are too much for your body skip them or do another exercise instead, the pain really isn’t worth it and it’s way too easy to injure yourself or cause a flare up

- Sometimes you can do exercises at the beginning but can’t do multiple reps, I’m serious about listening to your body, especially if you’re disabled. I pushed myself a bit too hard today and managed to hurt my wrist and neck (wrist because I did too many workouts in a plank position and the weight on my wrists was too much, neck from crunch type exercises that strain my neck which can cause headaches/migraines the next day)

- Not related to physical disability but I have some demand avoidance tendencies and personally not telling anyone in my life I’m doing it has been one of the most helpful things in not having to deal with external pressure or expectations (I know for other people outside accountability helps so it just depends on what helps you)

- If money is a concern or you’re not sure if you’ll be able to be consistent long term just working out in underwear is a good option, also there are tons of different types of free bodyweight workouts on YouTube, the only thing I’ve bought so far has been a mat

- Onto the next point, get a mat, preferably s as thick exercise mat with a lot of cushion and not a yoga mat. I didn’t realize there was a difference but there absolutely is and for me having more cushion makes a huge difference on my joints

- I personally have been doing Chloe Ting because I’ve seen a lot of people with a lot of different body types get results after being consistent and because after trying it for a week I feel stronger. That being said they’re also not easy and I have made a lot of adjustments and had to take breaks after causing flare ups but all these tips have helped me find more sustainable ways to exercise instead of doing it once and burning out

- I don’t do explicit cardio EVER, I have tachycardia and get dizzy and lightheaded really easily so even doing bodyweight exercises and low impact my heart rate ranges from 150bpm-180bpm the entire time with breaks.

- Also, drinking lots of water is supposed to be good, I don’t track it but I try to stay hydrated and it probably helps

- Prioritize sleep if you’re able to

- Hot showers after working out also help me manage muscle pain

- Finally for food I’ve been trying not to eat unless I’m actually hungry as I have a habit of eating if I’m bored and trying to incorporate more healthy food into my life rather than cutting anything out. Also healthy being subjective, I’m trying to eat healthier than I used to but that still isn’t like tons of salad and veggies and stuff so whatever you can do is fine

Like I'm not getting a gym membership, but I have plenty of walking areas and parks nearby, I just haven't done more exercise than a sporadic long walk or intensive shift at work, in a number of years

Fitness Friday 12/6/24

Disclaimer here that not every example I give is going to apply to everyone and all that jazz, but hopefully the broad ideas are useful.

You don’t actually need to do a certain number of reps or miles or whatever - it can be helpful if you want to measure your progress, but if it’s not fun, you can just… not do it. Instead, you can do the thing until it stops being fun, and if your goal is to do the thing better or faster or more, if you keep doing it until it stops being fun, you’ll improve a tiny bit every time, and eventually, you’ll tire out a lot less quickly.

"I should exercise” feels kinda like a non-sequitur to me; there’s a ton of ways you can do that, and a lot of different things it can accomplish. Instead, ask yourself what it is you actually WANT to do (i.e., “I want to have less back pain,” “I want to be outside,” “I want to get better stamina so I can climb this mountain”). And when that’s hard because there are a lot of things you want to do at once and you’re not sure where to start, pick the easiest first, and go from there.

Sometimes you don’t want to stop the thing you’re doing to go move around and junk, and I did not realize that people actually put all their other stuff on hold to go do that? And that's why a lot of people think exercise is boring? Anyways yeah you can watch videos or listen to podcasts or audiobooks or hang out with friends while moving around. I can’t listen to or watch anything without doing something else, so this just sorta Happens for me, but yeah if the idea of exercise sounds boring to you, you can totally spice it up a bit.

Exercise doesn’t need to be rigorous daily routines. It can be (and occasionally, that's helpful if you’re trying to do a specific thing), but it can also just be doing things that involve moving around on a day-by-day basis. Like, it can be “today I want to go find cool rocks in the woods” or “today I feel sore, so I’m going to do some stretches,” or “today I’m going to go swimming because it’s hot as hell.”

Also! Walking around museums is exercise! Helping a friend move is exercise! Splashing around in the ocean is exercise! Moving your body can be the secondary goal of the activity rather than the main one!

If you’re sitting there thinking “man, I need to get out and move around, but I have no clue where to go,” may I suggest a quest? Pull up google maps or apple maps or whatever, and go looking for weird new stuff to explore. And like. You are allowed to walk three miles to an antique shop. You are allowed to bike way out on some backroads and walk into a general store all sweaty and bedraggled. You are allowed to schlep ten blocks through the snow to get to a coffee shop and spend two hours there with a hot drink and a good book.

It’s neat when exercise is the sort of good uncomfortable where it’s challenging and fun, but be aware of when it gets to the bad-uncomfortable point before it actually hurts you (I am prone to not doing this, so reminding myself to not get too wrapped up in stuff is a whole thing). Anyways yeah, make sure you’re not pushing yourself too hard, and remember that limit is different depending on the person.