My problem is that I just want to BE there already and I get frustrated that I can’t do what I want right away. I realize that’s probably a result of low self esteem, etc (if I don’t try I can’t fail right….and if I try once and it didn’t work then that must mean I can’t do it so might as well move on…) but it is incredibly frustrating when I want to be more flexible, strong, etc. Thanks for the video! Very inspirational!
Yeah it's tough with that, I want to be able to do a handstand I'm not strong enough and I'm not sure how to get from where I am, barely exercising at all to having that upper body strength, it would certainly take time and persistence
You sound a lot like me. I have been housebound for three years due to health issues. I am finally a bit better and need to try getting back to my old self,not as easy as I thought. Good luck to you. Take care. 😊
I've recently adopted a similar mindset about exercise for the first time in my life. Instead of going all out for a week or two for all the wrong reasons then burning out, I've been doing smaller exercises every day (or close to it). It started with a 5-10 minute walk every day, then I added 10-30 minutes of yoga, then I started doing bellydance again and added a few sessions of at home practice during the week. I was getting 30 minutes to 1 hour of calm, enjoyable exercise every day and improving my mental and physical health for the first time in my life. Then, a month ago, I experienced a pretty big mentally and emotionally traumatic event. The longer and diversified routine went out the window, as it needed to, but by then I already knew how important at least getting some type of exercise in was to my overall mental health and I knew that despite having to take my time to work through the trauma I didn't want to slip too far down the spiralling depression rabbit hole. I managed to keep going for a short walk every day and I found that despite how bad everything was it always helped lift the fog of grief and depression for a while, even if it was just a tiny bit. A month later I've still been walking almost every day and I've incorporated some short simple yoga practice in a few times a week to help me ground and regulate. I'm actually looking forward to reestablishing my routines and feeling confident I can do it. And for a fellow AuDHD person, that's a really big deal.
That analogy about putting exercise coins into the progress bank just changed my life Sam! I've got an autoimmune demyelinating condition (my immune system attacks the insulation around my nerves, and my nerves end up getting injured or destroyed). I've had it since 2011, only got diagnosed in 2019, and I still haven't found a way to treat it. Over the last year, my pain, weakness, and numbness have left me to be almost bedbound. I can get up and go to my medical appointments, but even that leaves me in extreme pain for days! My mum got me a fish tank a couple of months ago after my cat died, because I was so depressed, and she thought it would be easy to look after. But me being me, it became my new special interest, and I started researching every tiny thing about how to keep my guppies happy and healthy. Turns out though, that if you want them to be the happiest and the healthiest you have to do a lot of work. I got a set of water tests, and there was SO MUCH ammonia in the tank, which burns the fish's gills, so I spent WEEKS carrying 11L buckets of water around to help my fish survive until I fixed the aquarium to the point where everything is basically stable, with only a small water change needed every week or so (for anyone who knows, I cycled my tank in two weeks! And the fish were in there right up until the last 3-4 days, when the nitrites were too high). And I'm just going to brag here, I haven't lost a fish yet, even though there's so much I don't know! Anyway, the reason I'm talking about the fish tank is to say that carrying such heavy buckets, after having done nothing for YEARS, taught me a lot. I've had really severe muscle wasting, my shoulders were skin and bone (and I'm very large, I just don't usually have much fat on my shoulders, so it was easier to see there). After just over 2 weeks of that movement, my shoulder muscles are completely back to normal! It made me so happy to have that little bit of strength come back! However (big however here), it also left me in agony. My pain has been so bad that my doctor had to increase my pain meds and everything because I was just rolling around in bed crying all day. So that had made me say "look, you can't do exercise, even if you build that muscle - it's not worth the pain". So I was just going to go back to resting all day so I don't have so much increased pain. So finally, I'm going back to the start of this absurdly long comment (sorry about that, I've been doing this a lot and I need to work on keeping comments shorter). Putting exercise coins into the progress bank - I don't have to go as far as lift 11L buckets of water every day for exercise! I could even do very careful stretching, or body weight exercises in bed! Little one cent coins of exercise, until I can deposit 5 cent coins of exercise, and so on. Thank you for giving me this different way of looking at exercise Sam. I feel a bit more confident that I'll be able to make a start now, and I really do need to make a start. Much love, Jess 💜
I've got a bit of a weird way to 'keep fit', and it hardly takes any effort at all. 'In the wild', we generally only need our fitness and strength in small bursts because our big brains have allowed us the ability to make weapons for defense or finding food. If we transpose to the modern world, instead of going out to forage and hunt, instead just do a burst of exercise in-between the relative inactivity of whatever else you were doing. i.e. during any break in normal routine, going to make a cuppa or a trip to the loo? that'll be 20 dip's/leg raises. (they are the two most important exercises for building all-round fitness/strength) Only ever do as many as can be achieved in about 30 seconds, even if that's only one, you'll be surprised how quickly you can transition in speed and strength of repetitions.
And the space between meals is as important as the meals themselves. Think of the guts as a motorway, which can get polluted by the toxins released during a traffic jam. When **it has the freedom to move without obstruction, those toxins don't get the chance to seep into the greater system.
This was extremely motivating and inspiring! I was feeling quite frustrated and overwhelmed with the idea of starting over but focusing more on habit building that results shifts those blocks around exercise and caring for my body! Thank you!!! 💜 and very proud of your achievements!
So happy for you that you've been able to get to this point, mentally and physically 😊 I'm definitely not there yet but I have started regularly exercising again after a long break.
Sam... I've been overweight my entire life till 2018... It was a spiritual experience that caused me to lose the weight... But the sad part is, it didn't matter how thin I had gotten, I still wasn't ok with the body!!!😕😕😕
for real, i recently gained 30lbs from needing to go on oral steroids multiple times, while also having pcos, because i kept getting lung infections. I always thought id be 140lbs my whole life, so its been a mindfuck :') i dont feel like myself. however it is sad that i had that unhealthy thought, that id be the same weight FOREVER even through growing into an adult, etc. I hate this shallow society that pretends that 0 fat = healthy. people are so fast to make fat people feel disgusting and terrible, but they dont ahve the same energy for the other side of the spectrum. even when i was 140, i always always always felt fat. i remember when i turned 80lbs i was horrified lmao... stupid world
I would really love to get more into exercising, I will defenitely come back to this video, when I have enough brain space to figure out how to make exercise a more consistent part of my life!
The timing of this video is absolutely perfect as I've been trying to figure out how to best get off my tush and start moving my body and building strength. The fact that you said she did mindset work with you has me sold.
yeah. Coincidentally I've started doing some resistance training (app 4 wks in) & surprised I've stuck with it. Of note - really needed to get my head in serviceable state before doing this which is the hardest part tbh. (Inc diet which I did before starting). Then started with just one exercise (push ups) at some point during the day (even if it was only a few). So, yes, getting the habbit was the most important. Had to start at an angle (on the stairs). Checked with a good YT trainer (AthleanX) what 'good form' for that was before starting. Once I'd got that going have slowly added more exercises. Done this off my own bat - can't cope with apps (tech + PDA). Great video, agree with everything you said - very encouraging.
Hey Sam, another video I relate to so much. As a kid I was pretty sporty but since puberty I've become a total couch potato. I have some health issues as well, but recently I have more time and energy (because I am not working full time anymore) and starting a somewhat regular routine doing sports I like has really lowered my anxiety and just made me feel better. For example I always loved swimming, but body image issues kept me out of the pool too long. Now it's part of my routine and since I love being in water it's really not like exercising. I also quite like certain bodyweight exercises because I can just do them at home without having to deal with a stressful environment like a fitness studio.
I love swimming too, it doesn't feel like exercise because it's so fun. It does tire you out. I'm good at treading water, it feels so free being in the water, it's amazing
I want to get to where you are. I have always struggled with constantly being exhausted, I'm always tired and I've had blood tests and stuff but everything shows up fine... fast forward many many years later and now I'm getting an autism assessment this monday. Which I'm extremely nervous about... if all goes well though, I have a bigger understanding of myself and can start taking steps to getting help. I'm proud that you have come so far and are doing so good. I hope it continues to work great for you.
Oh no! This video might have made me realise that fake counting is a thing in exercise. I was always confused when people do this to me, while they are counting my iterations of an exercise. Makes me feel like they try to gaslight me, that I have a problem with counting. Of cause I silently count the iterations in my head, but often got a different number, then someone who was counting with me. Now this makes finally sense. Feels really mean, if someone is doing this and not explaining that they are doing "false counting" as a motivational trick.
I my last 2 prenancies (2019 and 2020) were rough. With my 3 year old I had pulled both pelvic muscles and couldn't walk till she was almost 2 months old. My last I had and still have post partum depfession. My youngest has autism as well and my other 2 odd and add with undiagnosed autism hard. I am in the process of getting my official disgnosis for my autism. I am trying g to be healthy. I am so happy for your channel. I need distractions and someone to keep me motivated. ❤
I have felt so stuck in just about every area of my life but this resonated. I've written done some small habits I can manage and feel encouraged to begin. Thanks for sharing your journey.
Amazing job, and keep it up. My whole exercise routine has been to get a labor-intensive job and then regret my life because I feel my muscles twitch after until I go for a job or find a cool down stretch video.
Exercising has always been a tough one for me as well. I work out regularly and do pretty well in terms of discipline. However when it comes to the anxiety side to it, I don't handle it so well. I'm trying to stay in the present moment as a way to cope with anxiety because I believe most (if not all) suffering comes from fearing the future. When I feel like I need to excersize, it kind of trips me up because when I exersize, I feel like I'm doing it to avoid the negative consequences of not exersizing, which is technically worrying about the future.
This was a really helpful video! I really struggle with motivation and enjoyment when it comes to exercise, so it's inspiring to hear your success story.
I love u sam!! Great video. Not like other sponsored exercise vids I have seen. Yours really feel authentic and I love that. Watched the whole vid with ease ❤
This was really inspiring to see! I struggle so badly with keeping routines (all routines, basically). Only thing I really really love is walking. I love to be outside, so I suppose I'll try to figure out something clever.
my health app helps me a lot. it motivates me. I don´t really do workouts because of my physically disabilty. I can´t do a lot. But I walk more as I did before.
Thank you so much for sharing this, I've always thought that adrenaline rush was either just a myth or something I just won't be able to experience so hearing your story gives me hope never expected to have. I've had this video open in a tab in the background for almost 2 weeks now, thinking it might be helpful but not feeling ready to think about exercise but I had no idea how much it would help with my mindset
Thank you so much for making this video. It was so well done and I found myself resonating with so many different points you made. Ive always struggled with staying committed to my fitness, I just find gyms so over stimulating, it's hard to find the joy in it. I thought I found my people with a gym called Orange Theory Fitness because they cut the lights and blast stim music for a 1hr HITT class. I found my rhythm & joy there but there was also too much pressure to over perform, I burnt myself out after two years of being a committed member and didn't know how I'd ever find my way back to working out again. Your video has made me so excited to get back to it and to remember that the habit is so much more important than the quality of the work out. Thank you Sam. You are changing lives.
Hi Sam! I just want to thank you for your content and the community you've built up around it. I discovered your channel 1 year ago, it's helped me a ton, and I just got diagnosed with ASD myself this week at age 34. 🙂 Cheers!
I'm on a 362 streak on Sweepy based on your recommendation so I am very interested to look at this. I really like the humanity of it and the "everything counts" mentality. I also found your remarks about vulnerability really inspiring so thank you for those too.
Omg this was such a lovely video to watch! Generally love all your videos and I went through a similar process (except for I'm not a mom) in my early 20s. I used to hate exercise and my body confidence sucked and I was always clumsy, and team sports overwhelmed me. But then I discovered yoga and later on calisthenics and handstands and these "solitary" disciplines that couple flexibility and strength (and also breath and mindfulness in yoga) really made me fall in love with exercise! I'm basically almost 12 years into enjoying exercise now, so crazy. I've also become a trainer and am currently a degree as a physiotherapist, so my whole life has been changed by exercise. Thank you for sharing your journey, it's really helpful to be reminded of the 70% and consistency stuff, because I'm going through an Autie-ADHD burn out since a few days and have barely managed to feed myself and do dishes and my amount of working out and moving my body have reduced drastically. I felt pretty sad about it before watching this video but now I look at the fact that I still managed to train 2 out of the past 6 days despite being in a burn out and so proud the habit still lingers around. Can't wait to feel more energetic again and work on my goals (btw one goal is also a press to handstand like you!)
Wow! That’s an amazing thing you’ve achieved so far. I can imagine the coaching/help being very helpful, you’re also giving away some very good advice on top of that which I will try to incorporate to my work-out routine (sadly as a person with hypermobility issues exercise is a life long “joy”). Last year I got out of my exercise routine at some point due to having just moved and being too exhausted. That got me in pretty bad shape and also to a point where starting again seemed impossible, since it would mean having to start with way easier stuff again (but I couldn’t on my own figure out how much, or if those would still be the best idea in that situation..) when eventually my back also started joining in on hurting my doctor (huisarts) decided that physical therapy was needed. I’m glad with that support I did manage to get back to a baseline of exercise and routine again… somewhat confident I know myself how to keep building up more core stability. I think it would have helped me to have kept on doing something those 3 times a week, just to keep that routine going. I’ll for sure think about that if something like that happens again. Thanks!
Sam, thank you for this video, i have always exercised but always in a manic, dopamine junkie way. This made me question this. As always, thank you so much for your openness about yourself - that's what makes your channel an experience of communication. Thanks so much again, very best with all, j 😊
Great vid, Sam! I started exercising at the start of this year and found myself nodding to all that you were saying. I had to dig deep (into my wallet) and get a personal trainer - ASD doesn't want me going outside and ADHD would always miss an exercise class. Accountability to someone has been everything. And don't worry about not starting exercise earlier. Things come into our lives, or return to our lives, at just the right time. ♥
Loved this video. Thanks for showing not being able to do a push up there, I feel seen lol. I should work toward that too. I really am hoping to one day do a handstand, I have never done it before. Before getting pregnant for the second time I was working toward that goal with yoga, just trying to slowly work my way up to a forearm stand. I always knew I would love yoga and when I finally started doing it it was so great, loved it. I can't believe the bridge u did there, that's another move I'd like to be able to do
THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO! Since childhood the only time I've felt at ease in my body, was when I was running. Due to injuries I had to stop and it has been a difficult journey to discover my body and to learn to appreciate being embodied. This is so much more relatable than most of the content on the video. Appreciate the vulnerability and openness. Just out of curiosity, did you disclose to your trainer? It would be an interesting topic to cover at some point - disclosing in situations and to service providers where it is not really necessary, as a sort of societal sensitation exercise.
Hey Sam, I recently got diagnosed with ASD. But yes I can relate to finding it hard and sometimes boring to do workouts or exercise. I think what helped me was doing sports that have a cognitive aspect to them. I currently do climbing in the gym and white water kayaking. Both of them require a lot of thinking and problem solving which I think keeps it interesting for me. Plus it helps me socialize in a structured environment. I hope this helps.
Oh please do if you can afford it! It is much better than trying to force yourself to the gym and even more so than doing nothing. I would try myself but I am from country with a little bit smaller buying power, broke and so it is just too expensive for me.
Thank you for this video. I was wondering, as an autistic person, isn't it stressful in the beginning to have a video interaction with your coach? Like any social interaction when we are tired or anxious it can impact our ability to socially interact I feel. And just because of bei g autistic and having a different style of interaction actually it creates a stress and challenge for every new interactions. Has it been a difficulty for you? If so, i would love to know how you dealt with it! Cos if I were to use copilot which sounds really interesting, what makes me doubt is the face to face exchange especially when i dont know the person. Once trust is established things are different I feel. Thanks for your response
You can do a handstand and push up. As someone who had back problems, this has always been impressive to me. If you can have body image issues then anyone can.
Both you and another ND person/content creator use copilot. I want to try its alot, I am ND and have chronic conditions. I have been waiting for the moment I am "feeling well" to do this. So I do not "waste" my money. Hearing your video on how your coach worked around the not as great days so you can keep up the habit. I am really nervous to try it. I also don't know why I am commenting here my pity party story. Sorry for that. but thank you so much for your content. It has helped me so much since I was late diagnosed Audhd.
I just want to let you know that starting to move, however little, and with the habit forming mindset, will help you start feeling better, so I'm really happy to read that you are thinking about just starting out now after watching this video. I'm currently getting my physiotherapy degree and what is taught over and over again is that the one best thing to you can do to improve how you feel, both physically and mentally, and help heal or manage health conditions, is movement/exercise. I'm also Audhd and have hypermobility and some autonomic issues I haven't had the energy to investigate fully with a doctor, but the one thing that has kept me together and helps me deal with chronic pain from hypermobility is exercise
I was looking at the app, and I think specific to your topic, while not universal, poor body awareness is also very common with neurodivergent folks, as is hypermobility. We are also, anecdotaly, more prone to disordered eating beyond the known ARFID risk. It would be nice is the "pick a coach" with being able to flag those details, or even centring living in a body with a physical disability beyond stuff like post partum.
I have never gotten that endorphin rush either, like I physically can't get to that point, I fall apart first. I've been walking 2- 3x a week now since January for PT and it's been crazy to see my progress.
I did Gymnastics when I was a kid, as did my sister & brother before me. Looking back, I wasn't really that enthusiastic about it ( or always that great at ) then eventually I just jacked in mainly cos I was also getting bullied on & off there. The one sport I always excelled at was Swimming but as an adult on the spectrum, I haven't always taken exercise seriously either. When it comes to the gym, part of me is like " Fine I'll go despite my lack of enthusiasm for it today lol " . Incidentally, I could only ever do handstands in the swimming pool.
this is very cool and i'm proud of you but ooouuugh wish that were me!!! I apologize for the rant in advance. I can never keep at it and I never feel good about exercising even tho i know this is what I have to do.. it's not only the pain of the least favourite part of the exercise that's "really important and if you dont like it that means you NEED to do it!", but also I think the worst thing is other people knowing that I do it, not because I'm embarrassed about looking stupid but because they'll all be like "see? :) i told you" "look who FINALLY got his wake-up call 🤪🤪🤪" "look at you being all healthy and active wow doesnt it just feel so much better than sitting around? 😊😊" just thinking about this fills me with so much rage it's unreal. i know feeling belittled for 'giving into the great awesome exercise life' is a really weird part reason to not wanna do it but even if.... i don't know what a cardio is or what i even want out of exercise?? like... fitness i guess but do i only do the ones that feel good? how do i know i'm doing it correctly and for how long???? no one every specifies that and it bothers me so much. additionally there is no space to comfortably exercise in our flat in the first place, maybe one day i can relate...
I feel like I'm just coming out of survival mode. My babies are very close together and my body has paid a serious toll. I've struggled to find some sort of exercise routine that will stick
Start any exercise program by keeping a log of your morning pulse before putting your feet down for another day. If your pulse rate is becoming higher, you are begging to stress and a pulled muscle or flu can usually follow. The first minutes of an exercise period can be a dialogue of your past habitual feeling facing the novelty of new ones. Obviously this calls for our executive function to take charge. ☀
In my own experience, I have discovered that the more I loose weight, and the fitter I become, the more my body becomes not just physically able to exercise, but that propensity and energy to want to work out then increases. It doesn't seem like creating a habit is the primarily important thing, although it is important. It seems to me like becoming a fit person makes your body want to exercise. Conversely, loosing your fitness makes your body less want to exercise. It is a subtle difference, but I honestly think that fit people are physically inclined to want to excedrcise from a biological perspective, and unfit people are physically uninclined to exercise from a biological perspective. I think unfit people find it hard to exercise for biological reasons.
Hej Sam and Thank you so much for your beautiful, colorful work here on RUclips :) I follow your chanel for quite some time now and I have a question that I find it really hard to answer. Also its a big question probably.. Its about Autism, Adhd and so on 'never going to go away' and that some brains are wired like this... I don't really understand why that is.. In one of your Videos you say that you really struggled to accept it, so you probably have thought a lot about it. How did you do that and can you reccomend sources that explain the 'why'? I think I also struggle to understand the difference between very very early trauma (even prenatal) and Autism & Co. and why it cant be seen as a trauma response.. I hope its not a discriminating question. I truly wonder how this all works and I want to understand it better :) I wish you all the Best! Charleen (watching you from Germany!!) 🌱✨☀️
In my own experience, I have discovered that the more I loose weight, and the fitter I become, the more my body becomes not just physically able to exercise, but that propensity and energy to want to work out then increases. It doesn't seem like creating a habit is the primarily important thing, although it is important. I am not saying that psychology dissent play a factor. It seems to me primarily, becoming a fit person makes your body want to exercise. Conversely, loosing your fitness makes your body less want to exercise. It is a subtle difference, but I honestly think that fit people are physically inclined to want to excedrcise from a biological perspective, and unfit people are physically uninclined to exercise from a biological perspective. I think unfit people find it hard to exercise for biological reasons.
KETO, stop drinking alcohol, no need for exercise. I've went from 240 to 190 by eating less and KETO. I no longer eat a whole can of chili. I eat half a can and save the rest for tomorrow. Eat in proportions. Eat FAT and not sugar. FAT keeps you full. Just eat a table spoon of real butter. Butter is my go to if I want to fill full fast.
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My problem is that I just want to BE there already and I get frustrated that I can’t do what I want right away. I realize that’s probably a result of low self esteem, etc (if I don’t try I can’t fail right….and if I try once and it didn’t work then that must mean I can’t do it so might as well move on…) but it is incredibly frustrating when I want to be more flexible, strong, etc. Thanks for the video! Very inspirational!
Yeah it's tough with that, I want to be able to do a handstand I'm not strong enough and I'm not sure how to get from where I am, barely exercising at all to having that upper body strength, it would certainly take time and persistence
You sound a lot like me. I have been housebound for three years due to health issues. I am finally a bit better and need to try getting back to my old self,not as easy as I thought. Good luck to you. Take care. 😊
I've recently adopted a similar mindset about exercise for the first time in my life. Instead of going all out for a week or two for all the wrong reasons then burning out, I've been doing smaller exercises every day (or close to it). It started with a 5-10 minute walk every day, then I added 10-30 minutes of yoga, then I started doing bellydance again and added a few sessions of at home practice during the week. I was getting 30 minutes to 1 hour of calm, enjoyable exercise every day and improving my mental and physical health for the first time in my life.
Then, a month ago, I experienced a pretty big mentally and emotionally traumatic event. The longer and diversified routine went out the window, as it needed to, but by then I already knew how important at least getting some type of exercise in was to my overall mental health and I knew that despite having to take my time to work through the trauma I didn't want to slip too far down the spiralling depression rabbit hole. I managed to keep going for a short walk every day and I found that despite how bad everything was it always helped lift the fog of grief and depression for a while, even if it was just a tiny bit.
A month later I've still been walking almost every day and I've incorporated some short simple yoga practice in a few times a week to help me ground and regulate. I'm actually looking forward to reestablishing my routines and feeling confident I can do it. And for a fellow AuDHD person, that's a really big deal.
That's so great
Fellow neurodivergent Bellydancer here. Sending much love to you ❤
That analogy about putting exercise coins into the progress bank just changed my life Sam!
I've got an autoimmune demyelinating condition (my immune system attacks the insulation around my nerves, and my nerves end up getting injured or destroyed). I've had it since 2011, only got diagnosed in 2019, and I still haven't found a way to treat it. Over the last year, my pain, weakness, and numbness have left me to be almost bedbound. I can get up and go to my medical appointments, but even that leaves me in extreme pain for days!
My mum got me a fish tank a couple of months ago after my cat died, because I was so depressed, and she thought it would be easy to look after. But me being me, it became my new special interest, and I started researching every tiny thing about how to keep my guppies happy and healthy. Turns out though, that if you want them to be the happiest and the healthiest you have to do a lot of work.
I got a set of water tests, and there was SO MUCH ammonia in the tank, which burns the fish's gills, so I spent WEEKS carrying 11L buckets of water around to help my fish survive until I fixed the aquarium to the point where everything is basically stable, with only a small water change needed every week or so (for anyone who knows, I cycled my tank in two weeks! And the fish were in there right up until the last 3-4 days, when the nitrites were too high). And I'm just going to brag here, I haven't lost a fish yet, even though there's so much I don't know!
Anyway, the reason I'm talking about the fish tank is to say that carrying such heavy buckets, after having done nothing for YEARS, taught me a lot. I've had really severe muscle wasting, my shoulders were skin and bone (and I'm very large, I just don't usually have much fat on my shoulders, so it was easier to see there). After just over 2 weeks of that movement, my shoulder muscles are completely back to normal! It made me so happy to have that little bit of strength come back!
However (big however here), it also left me in agony. My pain has been so bad that my doctor had to increase my pain meds and everything because I was just rolling around in bed crying all day. So that had made me say "look, you can't do exercise, even if you build that muscle - it's not worth the pain". So I was just going to go back to resting all day so I don't have so much increased pain.
So finally, I'm going back to the start of this absurdly long comment (sorry about that, I've been doing this a lot and I need to work on keeping comments shorter). Putting exercise coins into the progress bank - I don't have to go as far as lift 11L buckets of water every day for exercise! I could even do very careful stretching, or body weight exercises in bed! Little one cent coins of exercise, until I can deposit 5 cent coins of exercise, and so on.
Thank you for giving me this different way of looking at exercise Sam. I feel a bit more confident that I'll be able to make a start now, and I really do need to make a start.
Much love, Jess 💜
I've got a bit of a weird way to 'keep fit', and it hardly takes any effort at all.
'In the wild', we generally only need our fitness and strength in small bursts because our big brains have allowed us the ability to make weapons for defense or finding food.
If we transpose to the modern world, instead of going out to forage and hunt, instead just do a burst of exercise in-between the relative inactivity of whatever else you were doing.
i.e. during any break in normal routine, going to make a cuppa or a trip to the loo? that'll be 20 dip's/leg raises.
(they are the two most important exercises for building all-round fitness/strength)
Only ever do as many as can be achieved in about 30 seconds, even if that's only one, you'll be surprised how quickly you can transition in speed and strength of repetitions.
And the space between meals is as important as the meals themselves.
Think of the guts as a motorway, which can get polluted by the toxins released during a traffic jam.
When **it has the freedom to move without obstruction, those toxins don't get the chance to seep into the greater system.
Sounds rather like a version of HIIT (high intensity interval training).
This was extremely motivating and inspiring! I was feeling quite frustrated and overwhelmed with the idea of starting over but focusing more on habit building that results shifts those blocks around exercise and caring for my body! Thank you!!! 💜 and very proud of your achievements!
So happy for you that you've been able to get to this point, mentally and physically 😊 I'm definitely not there yet but I have started regularly exercising again after a long break.
"Exercising in me" - The outtakes are adorable, omg.
Sam... I've been overweight my entire life till 2018... It was a spiritual experience that caused me to lose the weight... But the sad part is, it didn't matter how thin I had gotten, I still wasn't ok with the body!!!😕😕😕
"The habit is way more important than the exercise"... I'm noticing exactly how true that is🤔🤔🤔
for real, i recently gained 30lbs from needing to go on oral steroids multiple times, while also having pcos, because i kept getting lung infections. I always thought id be 140lbs my whole life, so its been a mindfuck :') i dont feel like myself. however it is sad that i had that unhealthy thought, that id be the same weight FOREVER even through growing into an adult, etc. I hate this shallow society that pretends that 0 fat = healthy. people are so fast to make fat people feel disgusting and terrible, but they dont ahve the same energy for the other side of the spectrum. even when i was 140, i always always always felt fat. i remember when i turned 80lbs i was horrified lmao... stupid world
I would really love to get more into exercising, I will defenitely come back to this video, when I have enough brain space to figure out how to make exercise a more consistent part of my life!
The timing of this video is absolutely perfect as I've been trying to figure out how to best get off my tush and start moving my body and building strength. The fact that you said she did mindset work with you has me sold.
I love your screen name
@@heedmydemands Thank you!
yeah.
Coincidentally I've started doing some resistance training (app 4 wks in) & surprised I've stuck with it. Of note - really needed to get my head in serviceable state before doing this which is the hardest part tbh. (Inc diet which I did before starting). Then started with just one exercise (push ups) at some point during the day (even if it was only a few). So, yes, getting the habbit was the most important.
Had to start at an angle (on the stairs). Checked with a good YT trainer (AthleanX) what 'good form' for that was before starting. Once I'd got that going have slowly added more exercises.
Done this off my own bat - can't cope with apps (tech + PDA).
Great video, agree with everything you said - very encouraging.
Hey Sam, another video I relate to so much. As a kid I was pretty sporty but since puberty I've become a total couch potato. I have some health issues as well, but recently I have more time and energy (because I am not working full time anymore) and starting a somewhat regular routine doing sports I like has really lowered my anxiety and just made me feel better. For example I always loved swimming, but body image issues kept me out of the pool too long. Now it's part of my routine and since I love being in water it's really not like exercising. I also quite like certain bodyweight exercises because I can just do them at home without having to deal with a stressful environment like a fitness studio.
I love swimming too, it doesn't feel like exercise because it's so fun. It does tire you out. I'm good at treading water, it feels so free being in the water, it's amazing
I want to get to where you are. I have always struggled with constantly being exhausted, I'm always tired and I've had blood tests and stuff but everything shows up fine... fast forward many many years later and now I'm getting an autism assessment this monday. Which I'm extremely nervous about... if all goes well though, I have a bigger understanding of myself and can start taking steps to getting help.
I'm proud that you have come so far and are doing so good. I hope it continues to work great for you.
Oh no! This video might have made me realise that fake counting is a thing in exercise. I was always confused when people do this to me, while they are counting my iterations of an exercise. Makes me feel like they try to gaslight me, that I have a problem with counting. Of cause I silently count the iterations in my head, but often got a different number, then someone who was counting with me. Now this makes finally sense.
Feels really mean, if someone is doing this and not explaining that they are doing "false counting" as a motivational trick.
I my last 2 prenancies (2019 and 2020) were rough. With my 3 year old I had pulled both pelvic muscles and couldn't walk till she was almost 2 months old. My last I had and still have post partum depfession. My youngest has autism as well and my other 2 odd and add with undiagnosed autism hard. I am in the process of getting my official disgnosis for my autism. I am trying g to be healthy. I am so happy for your channel. I need distractions and someone to keep me motivated. ❤
I have felt so stuck in just about every area of my life but this resonated. I've written done some small habits I can manage and feel encouraged to begin. Thanks for sharing your journey.
Amazing job, and keep it up.
My whole exercise routine has been to get a labor-intensive job and then regret my life because I feel my muscles twitch after until I go for a job or find a cool down stretch video.
Wow, thanks for being so honest and vulnerable!
Exercising has always been a tough one for me as well. I work out regularly and do pretty well in terms of discipline. However when it comes to the anxiety side to it, I don't handle it so well. I'm trying to stay in the present moment as a way to cope with anxiety because I believe most (if not all) suffering comes from fearing the future. When I feel like I need to excersize, it kind of trips me up because when I exersize, I feel like I'm doing it to avoid the negative consequences of not exersizing, which is technically worrying about the future.
Great video! I myself am struggling with exercise and this is a great inspiration 😉 I am impressed how you managed to stay on track 👏
This was a really helpful video! I really struggle with motivation and enjoyment when it comes to exercise, so it's inspiring to hear your success story.
I love u sam!! Great video. Not like other sponsored exercise vids I have seen. Yours really feel authentic and I love that. Watched the whole vid with ease ❤
This was really inspiring to see! I struggle so badly with keeping routines (all routines, basically). Only thing I really really love is walking. I love to be outside, so I suppose I'll try to figure out something clever.
my health app helps me a lot. it motivates me. I don´t really do workouts because of my physically disabilty. I can´t do a lot. But I walk more as I did before.
wow a video that is ACTUALLY HELPFUL. TY Sam
Thank you so much for sharing this, I've always thought that adrenaline rush was either just a myth or something I just won't be able to experience so hearing your story gives me hope never expected to have. I've had this video open in a tab in the background for almost 2 weeks now, thinking it might be helpful but not feeling ready to think about exercise but I had no idea how much it would help with my mindset
Thank you so much for making this video. It was so well done and I found myself resonating with so many different points you made. Ive always struggled with staying committed to my fitness, I just find gyms so over stimulating, it's hard to find the joy in it. I thought I found my people with a gym called Orange Theory Fitness because they cut the lights and blast stim music for a 1hr HITT class. I found my rhythm & joy there but there was also too much pressure to over perform, I burnt myself out after two years of being a committed member and didn't know how I'd ever find my way back to working out again. Your video has made me so excited to get back to it and to remember that the habit is so much more important than the quality of the work out. Thank you Sam. You are changing lives.
Very inspiring and mind shifting, thank you 💕
Hi Sam! I just want to thank you for your content and the community you've built up around it. I discovered your channel 1 year ago, it's helped me a ton, and I just got diagnosed with ASD myself this week at age 34. 🙂 Cheers!
I'm on a 362 streak on Sweepy based on your recommendation so I am very interested to look at this. I really like the humanity of it and the "everything counts" mentality. I also found your remarks about vulnerability really inspiring so thank you for those too.
Hi Sam working out and walking makes me feel so good and stress free. With my autism it works so well. Hope it works for you. Keep up the good work 👍
Wow, thank you. I wish I had the spoons to tell you exactly how this video has helped me. But it has. ❤
Omg this was such a lovely video to watch! Generally love all your videos and I went through a similar process (except for I'm not a mom) in my early 20s. I used to hate exercise and my body confidence sucked and I was always clumsy, and team sports overwhelmed me. But then I discovered yoga and later on calisthenics and handstands and these "solitary" disciplines that couple flexibility and strength (and also breath and mindfulness in yoga) really made me fall in love with exercise! I'm basically almost 12 years into enjoying exercise now, so crazy. I've also become a trainer and am currently a degree as a physiotherapist, so my whole life has been changed by exercise. Thank you for sharing your journey, it's really helpful to be reminded of the 70% and consistency stuff, because I'm going through an Autie-ADHD burn out since a few days and have barely managed to feed myself and do dishes and my amount of working out and moving my body have reduced drastically. I felt pretty sad about it before watching this video but now I look at the fact that I still managed to train 2 out of the past 6 days despite being in a burn out and so proud the habit still lingers around. Can't wait to feel more energetic again and work on my goals (btw one goal is also a press to handstand like you!)
Wow! That’s an amazing thing you’ve achieved so far. I can imagine the coaching/help being very helpful, you’re also giving away some very good advice on top of that which I will try to incorporate to my work-out routine (sadly as a person with hypermobility issues exercise is a life long “joy”). Last year I got out of my exercise routine at some point due to having just moved and being too exhausted. That got me in pretty bad shape and also to a point where starting again seemed impossible, since it would mean having to start with way easier stuff again (but I couldn’t on my own figure out how much, or if those would still be the best idea in that situation..) when eventually my back also started joining in on hurting my doctor (huisarts) decided that physical therapy was needed. I’m glad with that support I did manage to get back to a baseline of exercise and routine again… somewhat confident I know myself how to keep building up more core stability.
I think it would have helped me to have kept on doing something those 3 times a week, just to keep that routine going. I’ll for sure think about that if something like that happens again. Thanks!
Sam, thank you for this video, i have always exercised but always in a manic, dopamine junkie way. This made me question this. As always, thank you so much for your openness about yourself - that's what makes your channel an experience of communication. Thanks so much again, very best with all, j 😊
Great vid, Sam! I started exercising at the start of this year and found myself nodding to all that you were saying. I had to dig deep (into my wallet) and get a personal trainer - ASD doesn't want me going outside and ADHD would always miss an exercise class. Accountability to someone has been everything. And don't worry about not starting exercise earlier. Things come into our lives, or return to our lives, at just the right time. ♥
Loved this video. Thanks for showing not being able to do a push up there, I feel seen lol. I should work toward that too. I really am hoping to one day do a handstand, I have never done it before. Before getting pregnant for the second time I was working toward that goal with yoga, just trying to slowly work my way up to a forearm stand. I always knew I would love yoga and when I finally started doing it it was so great, loved it. I can't believe the bridge u did there, that's another move I'd like to be able to do
Good for you! Definitely agree on reducing the goal to get something done instead of feeling shit for not being 'good enough'.
I can really relate! You look healthy and beautiful! 💞
Thanks, Samdy Sam!
Developing and maintaining a routine is a HUGE problem for me!
THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO! Since childhood the only time I've felt at ease in my body, was when I was running. Due to injuries I had to stop and it has been a difficult journey to discover my body and to learn to appreciate being embodied. This is so much more relatable than most of the content on the video. Appreciate the vulnerability and openness. Just out of curiosity, did you disclose to your trainer? It would be an interesting topic to cover at some point - disclosing in situations and to service providers where it is not really necessary, as a sort of societal sensitation exercise.
Hey Sam,
I recently got diagnosed with ASD. But yes I can relate to finding it hard and sometimes boring to do workouts or exercise. I think what helped me was doing sports that have a cognitive aspect to them. I currently do climbing in the gym and white water kayaking. Both of them require a lot of thinking and problem solving which I think keeps it interesting for me. Plus it helps me socialize in a structured environment. I hope this helps.
Great video, thank you very much. I may also try copilot maybe, I was never able to build a routine. And workout was always annoying.
Oh please do if you can afford it! It is much better than trying to force yourself to the gym and even more so than doing nothing. I would try myself but I am from country with a little bit smaller buying power, broke and so it is just too expensive for me.
😱 Getting up off the couch using your core 🤯 !?! I had (or would have if I could do it myself) the exact same reaction!
Thank you!!😘
Thank you for this video. I was wondering, as an autistic person, isn't it stressful in the beginning to have a video interaction with your coach? Like any social interaction when we are tired or anxious it can impact our ability to socially interact I feel. And just because of bei g autistic and having a different style of interaction actually it creates a stress and challenge for every new interactions. Has it been a difficulty for you? If so, i would love to know how you dealt with it! Cos if I were to use copilot which sounds really interesting, what makes me doubt is the face to face exchange especially when i dont know the person. Once trust is established things are different I feel. Thanks for your response
You can do a handstand and push up. As someone who had back problems, this has always been impressive to me. If you can have body image issues then anyone can.
Both you and another ND person/content creator use copilot. I want to try its alot, I am ND and have chronic conditions. I have been waiting for the moment I am "feeling well" to do this. So I do not "waste" my money. Hearing your video on how your coach worked around the not as great days so you can keep up the habit. I am really nervous to try it. I also don't know why I am commenting here my pity party story. Sorry for that. but thank you so much for your content. It has helped me so much since I was late diagnosed Audhd.
I just want to let you know that starting to move, however little, and with the habit forming mindset, will help you start feeling better, so I'm really happy to read that you are thinking about just starting out now after watching this video. I'm currently getting my physiotherapy degree and what is taught over and over again is that the one best thing to you can do to improve how you feel, both physically and mentally, and help heal or manage health conditions, is movement/exercise. I'm also Audhd and have hypermobility and some autonomic issues I haven't had the energy to investigate fully with a doctor, but the one thing that has kept me together and helps me deal with chronic pain from hypermobility is exercise
I was looking at the app, and I think specific to your topic, while not universal, poor body awareness is also very common with neurodivergent folks, as is hypermobility. We are also, anecdotaly, more prone to disordered eating beyond the known ARFID risk.
It would be nice is the "pick a coach" with being able to flag those details, or even centring living in a body with a physical disability beyond stuff like post partum.
I have never gotten that endorphin rush either, like I physically can't get to that point, I fall apart first. I've been walking 2- 3x a week now since January for PT and it's been crazy to see my progress.
I did Gymnastics when I was a kid, as did my sister & brother before me. Looking back, I wasn't really that enthusiastic about it ( or always that great at ) then eventually I just jacked in mainly cos I was also getting bullied on & off there. The one sport I always excelled at was Swimming but as an adult on the spectrum, I haven't always taken exercise seriously either. When it comes to the gym, part of me is like " Fine I'll go despite my lack of enthusiasm for it today lol " . Incidentally, I could only ever do handstands in the swimming pool.
this is very cool and i'm proud of you but ooouuugh wish that were me!!!
I apologize for the rant in advance. I can never keep at it and I never feel good about exercising even tho i know this is what I have to do.. it's not only the pain of the least favourite part of the exercise that's "really important and if you dont like it that means you NEED to do it!", but also I think the worst thing is other people knowing that I do it, not because I'm embarrassed about looking stupid but because they'll all be like "see? :) i told you" "look who FINALLY got his wake-up call 🤪🤪🤪" "look at you being all healthy and active wow doesnt it just feel so much better than sitting around? 😊😊" just thinking about this fills me with so much rage it's unreal. i know feeling belittled for 'giving into the great awesome exercise life' is a really weird part reason to not wanna do it but even if.... i don't know what a cardio is or what i even want out of exercise?? like... fitness i guess but do i only do the ones that feel good? how do i know i'm doing it correctly and for how long???? no one every specifies that and it bothers me so much. additionally there is no space to comfortably exercise in our flat in the first place, maybe one day i can relate...
I feel like I'm just coming out of survival mode. My babies are very close together and my body has paid a serious toll. I've struggled to find some sort of exercise routine that will stick
Start any exercise program by keeping a log of your morning pulse before putting your feet down for another day.
If your pulse rate is becoming higher, you are begging to stress and a pulled muscle or flu can usually follow.
The first minutes of an exercise period can be a dialogue of your past habitual feeling facing the novelty of new ones.
Obviously this calls for our executive function to take charge. ☀
In my own experience, I have discovered that the more I loose weight, and the fitter I become, the more my body becomes not just physically able to exercise, but that propensity and energy to want to work out then increases. It doesn't seem like creating a habit is the primarily important thing, although it is important. It seems to me like becoming a fit person makes your body want to exercise. Conversely, loosing your fitness makes your body less want to exercise. It is a subtle difference, but I honestly think that fit people are physically inclined to want to excedrcise from a biological perspective, and unfit people are physically uninclined to exercise from a biological perspective. I think unfit people find it hard to exercise for biological reasons.
I can never stick to exercise unless it's an expected part of my job.
Hej Sam and Thank you so much for your beautiful, colorful work here on RUclips :)
I follow your chanel for quite some time now and I have a question that I find it really hard to answer. Also its a big question probably.. Its about Autism, Adhd and so on 'never going to go away' and that some brains are wired like this... I don't really understand why that is.. In one of your Videos you say that you really struggled to accept it, so you probably have thought a lot about it. How did you do that and can you reccomend sources that explain the 'why'?
I think I also struggle to understand the difference between very very early trauma (even prenatal) and Autism & Co. and why it cant be seen as a trauma response..
I hope its not a discriminating question. I truly wonder how this all works and I want to understand it better :)
I wish you all the Best!
Charleen (watching you from Germany!!) 🌱✨☀️
In my own experience, I have discovered that the more I loose weight, and the fitter I become, the more my body becomes not just physically able to exercise, but that propensity and energy to want to work out then increases. It doesn't seem like creating a habit is the primarily important thing, although it is important. I am not saying that psychology dissent play a factor. It seems to me primarily, becoming a fit person makes your body want to exercise. Conversely, loosing your fitness makes your body less want to exercise. It is a subtle difference, but I honestly think that fit people are physically inclined to want to excedrcise from a biological perspective, and unfit people are physically uninclined to exercise from a biological perspective. I think unfit people find it hard to exercise for biological reasons.
Did you need to overcome PDA? Even Duolingo reminders make me yell: don't tell me what to do, chicken!
This is paid promotion, isn't it? And if so, the video title should say "AD" somewhere...
Lil squish!
KETO, stop drinking alcohol, no need for exercise. I've went from 240 to 190 by eating less and KETO. I no longer eat a whole can of chili. I eat half a can and save the rest for tomorrow. Eat in proportions. Eat FAT and not sugar. FAT keeps you full. Just eat a table spoon of real butter. Butter is my go to if I want to fill full fast.
RUclipsrs seem to be all playing the victim nowadays. It is an attempt to manipulate viewers good will and empathy.
First!!!