A Healthy Aspie is a Happy Aspie

[Sportster]

. . .

 

[Kisa the tea]

But no I'm healthy from just regular walking/running and being vegan and eating plenty of veggies.

 

[mw2530]

I enjoy running and typically do like 20 to 40 miles per week. I occasionally do some pushups - usually 3 sets of 15-20.

 

[8398]

I put workout weekly but I want to do it daily. It makes a big difference for me mentally. Our puppy needs shots so that I can go for long walks with her on the weekend when my parents are home but when they aren't home, I do weights and various other things for my core. I'm kinda embarrassed to do exercise when they are home. I eat vegan too.

 

[WereBear]

I eat Primal, do Egoscue, and go walking/hiking.

Just got a mini trampoline, will be setting that up for winter, especially.

 

[WildCat]

I do plenty of walking, standing and lifting at work, nothing too strenuous or extreme but it's still working the body. I think that's more than enough exercise when compared to the average American

 

[Keigan]

I eat Primal

Primal is so good for me, my intake is 80% good fats and 20% proteins.

 

[FreeDiver]

I don't think this just holds true for aspies. but for NT's as well.

 

[JamesBon92007]

Well, as you may have guessed, I like to scuba dive and free-dive. BTW FreeDiver, how long can you hold your breath? I've never timed myself but I start my swimming by diving into the pool and do five times across the pool without surfacing (35 foot pool). Then I do about 40 or so times across freestyle. I do this about every other day. I also walk my neighbor's dogs every evening and ride my bicycle a few times a week, usually for about 25-30 minutes in a hilly area. I love coasting down the hills but first I have to ride up the hill. When I go on dive trips it's usually a small town in Mexico or someplace and I usually don't rent a car and do a lot of walking. This is also very helpful in those towns that are filled with great restaurants. Lately I have not been riding my bicycle very much because of the weather. Right now my thermometer says 114.8 and it's in the shade. It's a good day to swim I also do situps when my back is feeling up to it and pushups two or three times a week. The swimming and bicycling keep the ol' heart pumping and the blood circulating. Both help me keep in shape for diving.

As for my diet, I eat food. I have no idea what "primal" or "Egoscue" is nor can I comprehend eating 80% fat. Of any kind. I thought body-builders ate only a few per cent. Mainly I eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables (or steamed vegetables), some lean meat, seafood, lots of beans, brown rice, whole wheat, sweet potatoes, etc. I eat an avocado almost every day. I avoid white bread and Russet potatoes and things like that. I try to eat only a couple of cookies a day but about once a week I go nuts and eat six or seven. The next day I ride my bike and swim extra laps. I try to limit my intake of spice drops and orange slices to "occasionally."

 

[Aeolienne]

I went from 67kg to 59kg between July 2016 and February 2017 - the lightest I'd ever been for over a decade - through a combination of a one-weekly gym visit, a routine focusing on my core muscles, a modified LCHF diet and a Fitbit. As with the last time I lost a lot of weight (when I shed 11kg in my early 30s) I was (and am) rather underwhelmed by the effect of these endorphin thingies in other areas of my life. I was informed that my contract would not be extended beyond mid-March - so much for "mens sana in corpore sana". I'd had four colds since October

Two years since my last relationship ended I'm not aware of any increased interest from men, but that could be because I've been too overdrawn to splash out on new clothes.

The gym in question was a free one at my workplace. Once I knew my employment contract was coming to an end, I sought out another one. Unfortunately both the council-run sports centres nearest to me were closed for refurbishment, but via their website I was recommended a branch of Fitness First. I went for that because it was reasonably accessible (on a bus route) and affordable - £160 upfront cost gives me unlimited access for six months. The gym is situated on a nondescript industrial estate but subsequently I discovered a footpath leading from its car park to a canal towpath (the Grand Union Canal for any waterway enthusiasts here). So every time I go for a workout I always walk along a stretch of the towpath before and after.

 

[Warmheart]

 

[Bolletje]

I don't work out. I want to, but I don't have the resources. Running is not an option because my Achilles' tendons are a scarred mess, which is really frustrating.
So for now I'm just out of shape until I graduate, find a job and am available to afford a gym membership.

 

[Jet Weiss]

I am very active. I walk and hike with my dogs, I also swim and ride a BMX bike and a mountain bike.
I tried going to the gym before and tried the treadmill, I just found it frustrating and I prefer to get my exercise outdoors.

 

[Warmheart]

Actually, I am an intuitive eater, mainly nomming fresh, Whole Foods like fish, dark greens, fruit, bone broth, nuts, seeds, some red meat and some dairy. My diet is gluten-free, because that eases my meltdowns and helps with emotional stability.

I absolutely do allow myself occasional (gluten-free) pizza, burgers, fries, cookies, chocolate, potato chips. I just buy occasional individual-sized on the go packages of such snacks rather than anything larger to keep in the pantry. Life is good when I allow such treats.

Note: Annoying grocery store ingredient reader here! If an ingredient *can't* ever be on my pantry shelf, then I won't buy the packaged product. Cocoa, sugar, canola oil? OK. A fancy chemical i can't pronounce? Nope! I wanna be migraine-free, and any protein isolates, MSG, yeast extract, etc. doesn't belong in my body, or I'll be arm-biting, head-clobbering in a meltdown due to migraines.

My activity is regular, but gentle:
T'ai chi for 20 minutes each morning
Core strengthening and stretching twice per week
15-20 push-ups (the man kind!) twice per week
Resistance band with my arms, 50 times, three times per week.
Walking now and then, helps with fluidity of thought.
Swim at the Y once per week.
Mostly, I'm low key.
Or, I thought I was low key.... until a temporary knee injury and brief heart issue made it obvious I need activity to self-regulate and feel well.

 

[FreeDiver]

Well, as you may have guessed, I like to scuba dive and free-dive. BTW FreeDiver, how long can you hold your breath? I've never timed myself but I start my swimming by diving into the pool and do five times across the pool without surfacing (35 foot pool).

My record breath hold time is 5:30, and that was while sitting upside down on a tube in the lazy river. I could've gone longer but the lifegaurds at the club told me to never do that again. It took me about 2 weeks of training at 3 hours a day everyday to get to that point.

The longest distance I've ever swam underwater was about 75 meters in a pool that is 25 meter long. If I can go in a straight line, like in a river or lake, I can get to about 125 meters. This is of course using flippers and a mask.

The deepest dive I've done is about 120 feet and that was done by carrying two cinder blocks on the way down and just swimming on the way back up. That dive really hurt my ears badly. I normally don't do more then 50 feet and I just stay within that limit for safty reasons.

I should point out that I don't do freediving for sport or recreation reasons. I do it mostly for stimming reasons. I normally dive down to around 35-40 feet and once I am at that depth. I just stim like crazy. If you saw me, you might think I was doing underwater ballet, but iI am not. I just bend and flex my torso, spin around and after about 2-3 minutes. I come back up to the surface and take a 10-minute break while repairing for the next dive. As you are aware, the deeper you dive, the greater the pressure is, and it's that pressure and creates a hugging effect much like a weighted blanket does. Think of it like my version of the Temple Grandin squeezebox.

 

[JamesBon92007]

Actually, I am an intuitive eater, mainly nomming fresh, Whole Foods like fish, dark greens, fruit, bone broth, nuts, seeds, some red meat and some dairy. My diet is gluten-free, because that eases my meltdowns and helps with emotional stability.



Note: Annoying grocery store ingredient reader here! If an ingredient *can't* ever be on my pantry shelf, then I won't buy the packaged product. Cocoa, sugar, canola oil? OK. A fancy chemical i can't pronounce? Nope! I wanna be migraine-free, and any protein isolates, MSG, yeast extract, etc. doesn't belong in my body, .

Me too. No GMOS, no high fructose corn syrup, no substitute high fructose corn syrup (they lie so they can say it on the package), no MSG, and, like you, nothing I can't pronounce unless I'm sure it's a vitamin. I shop in Mexico occasionally so I had to learn the names in Spanish too. The more I learn about what they do to food the less there is to eat.

 

[JamesBon92007]

My record breath hold time is 5:30, and that was while sitting upside down on a tube in the lazy river. I could've gone longer but the lifegaurds at the club told me to never do that again. It took me about 2 weeks of training at 3 hours a day everyday to get to that point.

The longest distance I've ever swam underwater was about 75 meters in a pool that is 25 meter long. If I can go in a straight line, like in a river or lake, I can get to about 125 meters. This is of course using flippers and a mask.

The deepest dive I've done is about 120 feet and that was done by carrying two cinder blocks on the way down and just swimming on the way back up. That dive really hurt my ears badly. I normally don't do more then 50 feet and I just stay within that limit for safty reasons.

I should point out that I don't do freediving for sport or recreation reasons. I do it mostly for stimming reasons. I normally dive down to around 35-40 feet and once I am at that depth. I just stim like crazy. If you saw me, you might think I was doing underwater ballet, but iI am not. I just bend and flex my torso, spin around and after about 2-3 minutes. I come back up to the surface and take a 10-minute break while repairing for the next dive. As you are aware, the deeper you dive, the greater the pressure is, and it's that pressure and creates a hugging effect much like a weighted blanket does. Think of it like my version of the Temple Grandin squeezebox.

I am very thoroughly impressed! The longest I ever held my breath was only about 4 minutes and that was not underwater. Underwater I did it for about 3 1/2 minutes in a swimming pool. The deepest I ever free dove was about 85 feet. Shortly afterwards I bought a low-volume mask.

My pool is about 35 feet so five times works out to about 55 meters after you subtract the steps. Plus I'm diving in at the beginning and pushing off the sides so that gives me an edge.

I can't save for sure if I dive for the "hugging effect" however I do feel very comfortable in a snug wetsuit. I don't think I dive for stimming but rather to be in nature. I rarely see anything down there that is man-made. Most of it is the way God or evolution made it, your choice. Most of my free-diving was for spearfishing and is generally in the 30-40 foot range. I imagine it's difficult to equalize your ears at 120 feet when all of the air in your lungs is compressed.

Last year I could only do 4 times across the pool underwater and this year it's 5. Four is now easy. Maybe next year I will do 6. I think it's not too bad for an old guy

 

[Katleya]

Alright, I said I did some aerobics stuff daily in your survey, because it was somehow the closest option to "daily physiotherapy", but hey, I do get my exercise in, every single day, up to twice a day. I was hoping I'd be able to go back to the swimming pool now that the weather is warmer, but looks like that won't be happening this year.

As for food, well, I just try to stay away from most processed food. I'll allow myself some snacks, because if any of you have ever had rotisserie chicken-flavored chips, you will understand my reasons, and you know, chocolate and the likes, or the occasional delivery pizza, but I cook most, if not all of my meals. I prefer vegetables, I don't mind meat, but it gives me joint pain if I have too much, so it's more of an occasional treat, now. I miss homemade cheeseburgers. I like having a lot of different spices.
I am notorious in my family, however, for the meltdowns I get if I don't eat greens for more than 3 days in a row. (I do love broccoli, spinach and collard greens, what can I say? I can't help it. I'll eat them every day with rice and black beens if I can). And then fresh fruit, I'm a lot more flexible when it comes to the fruit rotation than the veggie rotation (again: broccoli, my one and true love).

 

[JamesBon92007]

Have either of you seen "The Big Blue?" It came out in 1988 and was about free diving. I've not seen it, but I recall seeing the trailers in the theaters. It looked like it might be good:

Yes, I did see it and thought it was very good but probably has limited appeal.

 

[JamesBon92007]

Me too. No GMOS, no high fructose corn syrup, no substitute high fructose corn syrup (they lie so they can say it on the package), no MSG, and, like you, nothing I can't pronounce unless I'm sure it's a vitamin. I shop in Mexico occasionally so I had to learn the names in Spanish too. The more I learn about what they do to food the less there is to eat.

I just want to make a correction here. I do not eat foods "labeled" GMO. I am probably eating other foods such as animals which were fed GMO corn etc. So far I only know of a few plants such as corn, soy and potatoes that are almost certainly genetically modified and avoid those. For all I know apples, carrots, and mangos might be too. I intend to do more research today. I'm hoping there will be something left to eat when I'm done.