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Autism and the gym

Billy87

I am currently training to be a personal trainer and it has really occured to me that when I start up I want to work with other autistic people like me, some of whom might by reluctant or overwhelmed about going to the gym and other similar places. 
Personally, I have always struggled with the gym, I can find it an intimidating place, loud music (usually painfully bad RnB, not like it's anything decent like a bit of punk rock), posers, guys with way better bodies than mine etc. It's often put me off getting fit. 
Fortunatley, now I have found a gym I am comfortable in and really enjoy going to but its taken me many years. 

I just wanted to know other people's experiences of gyms and fitness in general so I can have an idea how I can help other autistic people like me when I'm qualified 

Parents

  • My experience of gyms is that they can't get rid of me fast enough, as soon as they hear I have osteoarthritis they get jittery, I've been told that I can only use the exercise bike and the treadmill or that their insurance won't allow them to accept me. Sometimes they tell me I can pay extra to use thier pool, but as these are all cholrinated I can't chlorine gives me contact dermatiis in place you didn't know you had, let alone that they could itch and flake that much.

    I would love someone who could do some remedial forms of exercise with me, I have hypermobility in some joints as well as OA. I've tried physio's and have found them useless, one didn't even know what core strength was! Sports physios and the like are useless as I don't do sports so I have no sports injuries and they just dismiss me.

    I've looked for remedial yoga classes and haven't found any.

    I wouldn't like the noise, the smells and stuff like that or the posing. I don't like communal changing rooms and showers either, reminds me of school. The whole atmosphere of gyms feels very intimidating and the cost puts me off too.

  • in reply to TheCatWoman

    Do you have a program called gp referral where you are? A doctor can refer you for it for your arthritis and you’ll get plans and sessions from a trainer who is qualified in training people with conditions like yourself 

  • in reply to King94

    Not as far as I know, we don't have many gyms or anything here, I was refered to a physio by the pain clinic and they didn't know why I was there, what I wanted from them, thought exercise was boring, didn't know what core strength was or why its important and said he's never had a referal from the pain clinic and didn't seem to now what it was.

    Another I saw because of frozen shoulders couldn't see why I was there as my grip didn't need any help and was one of the strongest she'd ever felt and my range of movement was "good enough" and she seemed confused and like I was wasting her time for wanting more. The physios here have such low ambitions for thier patients, they seem satisfied if you can wipe our own bum and do the basics that will keep you off PIP. I think this is one part of the health service that seriously needs fixing and it shouldn't be down to social perscribing for people to ge the basic help they need.

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  • in reply to King94

    Not as far as I know, we don't have many gyms or anything here, I was refered to a physio by the pain clinic and they didn't know why I was there, what I wanted from them, thought exercise was boring, didn't know what core strength was or why its important and said he's never had a referal from the pain clinic and didn't seem to now what it was.

    Another I saw because of frozen shoulders couldn't see why I was there as my grip didn't need any help and was one of the strongest she'd ever felt and my range of movement was "good enough" and she seemed confused and like I was wasting her time for wanting more. The physios here have such low ambitions for thier patients, they seem satisfied if you can wipe our own bum and do the basics that will keep you off PIP. I think this is one part of the health service that seriously needs fixing and it shouldn't be down to social perscribing for people to ge the basic help they need.

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