ArtemisNot "exercise" as in "shape your body to match the expectation that you must look a certain way."
"Exercise" as in "loving your body & being kind to it by moving in ways that will help you be healthy & feel good in the body that you have."
I'm really trying something new here. I'm not creating an "exercise routine". I'm seeing what can happen if I strengthen & care for my body on my terms.
I will look up some Yoga instruction, because guidance can be really helpful, but I'm not going to be doing a "10 minute Yoga session" or a "30 minute Yoga session" or whatever. I just want to start taking time in my day to be present in my body & move & stretch.
I have persistent back pain that I suspect could be significantly reduced by stretching & strengthening the muscles in my back & shoulders.
I tried doing an easy "stretching routine" I found on YouTube, hoping that something short like that would be sustainable. It lasted for a few days.
I'm experimenting to see what happens when I think carefully about how I move but I do it my way on my schedule & with no straining, no holding stretches any longer than feels right, & no preconceived "rules".
I don't think I discovered the panacea that will make me far more physically active all of a sudden.
But I think I may have learned something about how I can care for my body without the stress, pressure, shame, & guilt of trying to exercise in the "right" or "most effective" way.
What if the biggest barrier to me incorporating movement into my life was just the belief that I *had* to follow someone else's lead or do one of the "pre-approved" forms of exercise?
"Always try to stretch a little farther or hold the pose a little longer."
Why? Fucking why? I'm not trying to be a gymnast. I'm trying to incorporate movement into my life in a way that will help me feel physically & emotionally better.
Do I really need to strain every day? Could I just be slow & gentle & pay attention to my body's signals?
Edit: it's good to stretch further, but personally I've always felt like fitness instruction pressures me to *strain* through things.
Tell you what: if this works for me, & my ADHD ass actually can incorporate more movement into my life with this approach, in a month or so I will probably be feeling the best I have in a long time.
I probably won't be skinnier though. But I ain't trying to be.
LJ
WearyBonnie@artemis
Some of the most beneficial stuff I have heard about exercise is on podcasts about hypermobility, even though in one of them they're often talking about elite dancers. There is so much focus of strength and moving well, rather than aiming for extreme stretchy positions which look "impressive" on social media but can be very harmful. I can send a link if you're interested?
Some of the most beneficial stuff I have heard about exercise is on podcasts about hypermobility, even though in one of them they're often talking about elite dancers. There is so much focus of strength and moving well, rather than aiming for extreme stretchy positions which look "impressive" on social media but can be very harmful. I can send a link if you're interested?
Dave Alvarado@artemis are you asking or venting?
@dave
Mostly venting. I do see the value in continuing to push forward, lengthen, build up strength, but at least personally, when I follow exercise instruction, I end up straining really hard.
That may or may not be the instructor's intent—maybe I'm taking it too literally—but it certainly feels to me like I am often told to push my body beyond what feels right.
@artemis I'm working on cutting down mansplaining online by asking that first. 💜
The answer is that you signal your body that it needs to improve in something by pushing it just a little. You're shooting for beyond comfortable but before painful. Doing things in that "this is out of the norm and a bit uncomfortable" range gets your body to adapt somehow (stretching tendons, building muscle, burning fat) by making it think that whatever you're doing is the new normal and it needs to adjust.
@artemis it's important to listen to your survival traits by not pushing to the point of pain. If you do something that makes you sore for a day, it's important to not do that thing again until the soreness goes away so your body can rebuild whatever is sore more strongly.
@artemis anyway, the reason that advice of "hold a little longer" exists is the assumption that you're trying to improve on that pose or stretch or whatever. If you're not trying to improve on that thing, you can safely ignore that advice.
@dave
I really appreciate you asking. That changes the interaction from mansplaining to "hey! I know a thing you might benefit from knowing."
And that's good advice. That is the happy medium I hope I will find by doing this. I believe I have a good sense of what a good stretch feels like vs. strain, so perhaps I need to tune into myself more & tune out the external expectations that are not helping me.
Dregntael@artemis "slow and gentle and paying attention to my body signals" makes me think of Qi Gong movements. Over the past 2 years or so that's been the only kind of movement I can consistently manage even on bad days (that, and perhaps going for a walk). If you are curious, I can recommend any videos on the youtube channel by Kseny Gray: https://www.youtube.com/qigongwithkseny But I also completely understand the feeling of just moving your body in whatever way feels right without any instructions.
Qigong with Kseny
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Jenny Fx
luce
Sin Vega@artemis one effect of talking to parts/systems of my body: it reframes taking care if them as a personal relationship, of appreciation and mutual support
Knien
EF