Published on 12, July, 2020
https://iancommunity.org/ssc/autism-physical-fitness
Just found this article whilst researching core muscle strength in ND and thought it an interesting topic for discussion.
Do you relish sport or are you a couch potato? Does going to a gym, joining a team, coordination issues put you off? Or have you found a way to enjoy keeping fit?
I like walking in open countryside. I tried line dancing and aerobics but couldn't learn the moves or keep up. I hate chlorine and feeling of swimming pool water and our local pool is closed in and claustrophobic. I have been in open air pools which I liked. Gyms are too noisy, too busy and overwhelming. I have played badminton on a casual basis in my youth but rubbish at catching a ball. I learnt to ride a bike but my coordination and spacial awareness makes it very tricky so I thought of a tricycle or recumbent but they're expensive..
What are your experiences of sport and exercise?
I started distance running when I was 22, running every day for many years. I also began regular cycling in my early 30s. I've done swimming all of my life, but confine it now to the sea - so only in summer months, usually from late May to early September. I can't stand pools or gyms. I stopped taking any form of exercise, except a daily walk to the shops, when I took over caring for mum last October. There simply wasn't the time. I swam all through this summer and have just started running and cycling again. Of the three, I now prefer swimming first, cycling second. I don't run far or frequently any more. I guess, though - after all these years - I've got good fitness levels 'in the bank.'
Apart from with swimming, I have to have a purpose to the exercise other than just keeping fit. Running always needed to be for race-training. Cycling always needed to be - and still does - to get somewhere, like work. Otherwise, I don't have the motivation any more.
I don't like team games. I never liked football or cricket at school and really don't understand them. Same with rugby. Practically the only team game I can enjoy to watch and play is baseball (or rounders). I like things I can do on my own. My all-time favourite 'ball' game is snooker.