Thriving Autisticly: Movement and Exercise

This post about autism and exercise/movement is part of a series on thriving as an autistic person. We live in a world that is not always kind or accommodating for people who are different. Not only that, but autistic and other neurodiverse people can have very fragile health and specific medical needs. Finding out what works for you is a significant endeavor. This week I’ll be focusing on movement and exercise so you (or your loved one) can live your best life. The first post, which prompted this series, is here. The second post, on food and supplementation, is here.

As you read this series, please remember autistic people can have very different experiences. I’ll tell you what works for me, and do my best to explain other things I’ve heard of. But in the end, you are your own best resource. Try things. Find what works for you. Find doctors and specialists that will help you explore your options intelligently and safely. How good or bad you feel every day is, in some very important ways, up to you.

Why Movement?

I’ve talked about this before, but movement is incredibly important. Chief among the reasons for me is that movement seems to burn off excess energy. If I don’t take time to move my body, the energy turns into anxiety and nervous habits. My depression gets worse. It’s harder for me to focus. And my thoughts feel murkier. It’s kind of like I’m missing every other frame in a movie. Things just slip by me.

Physically, this means I stim more and don’t handle social situations as gracefully. So when I don’t exercise, my autism sticks out more. Then I have to juggle more neurotypical unease, and the whole thing becomes a downward spiral of anxiety. Keeping movement in my life stops that downward spiral before it can begin.

Another thing I notice is that my physical body seems happier when I have movement in my life. Bodies are made to move. In the past, my lifestyle (both work and leisure) mainly involved sitting at a computer all day, which kind of isn’t great. My past hobbies were all indoors, sedentary ones (reading and video games).

Now, this may be an artifact of my age (I haven’t been in my 20s for years now…), but I notice my back, neck, and legs work and feel better when I move. I’m prone to having tension build up in my shoulders and neck, which can result in some truly horrific tension headaches. Chiropractic work helped change that, but movement in the form of yoga is what made it stick. I used to get tension headaches 2-4 times a month. Now it’s maybe once or twice a year.

Finally, I’m (paradoxically) less tired when I have movement in my life. Because of that energy burnoff, I sleep better. Which means my body repairs itself, stores memories, detoxifies itself, and recuperates better. Basically, I function much better on pretty much every facet when I have movement in my life.

Movement (not Exercise)

When I talk about movement, by the way, I don’t mean exercise.

Exercise as we typically understand it- lifting weights, jogging, using various gym machines- can fill this need. But a lot of people find running on a treadmill excruciatingly boring and unfun. The idea of dragging yourself or your child on the autism spectrum to exercise at the gym might seem impossible. If any of this describes you, that’s normal.

Don’t push yourself to do something you find boring or frustrating. It’s self-defeating and will most likely only make you miserable.

Consider how many people say, “I’m going to get in shape” for their New Year’s resolution. And maybe for a month or so, they’re very good about going to the gym. But then the monotony gets to them or other things in life happen, and they start missing days. Then they stop going at all. This happens over and over, to people who otherwise show no signs of being “lazy” or whatever.

The gym, while a fine institution for some folks, is not really what people are designed for. We’re made to be outside, running or walking or hiking or exploring. But if “going for a jog” in your neighborhood doesn’t sound like fun, take heart. That isn’t your only option either.

Choosing What You Love

Instead, think about the things you like to do. People with autism often have a few hobbies (“special interests”) we’re quite fond of. Are there things you can do with those hobbies that can include movement?

If you like video games, for example, you might consider trying Ring Fit Adventure, Dance Dance Revolution (or any of its clones), or Beat Saber. All of these games will get you moving, either to various kinds of music or to progress in an RPG world. The movement is part of the game, but the game itself is the focus.

If you like eating food or cooking, consider learning how to forage for wild food, or gardening. There’s some really tasty delicacies that might be growing in your own back yard, or just around the corner. The care for your own plants, too, can be surprisingly rewarding. Having fresh herbs available, or growing your own zucchini or tomatoes, can be a really wonderful addition to any meal. The search for hidden wild food gems can build in hiking trips and time spent outdoors into your life. No expensive trips to the gym required!

Perhaps you enjoy birdsong, exploring, or taking walks. Geocaching might be something to try, and it can be done anywhere: city, country, or suburbia, no problem. If you love stories or music, consider trying Zombies, Run! You become the main character is a post-zombie-apocalypse world, where all is not as it seems… The story unfolds while you listen to your favorite music. (Also you can use the app while biking or walking the dog, you don’t have to run. I personally verified this.)

All these activities can be really fun, and they all involve movement… but the movement is typically not the point. It’s simply part of the experience. Choose something you love, and find a way to do it with movement.

Movement/Exercise at Work

Finally, consider that a job can be a reliable way to put movement into your life. People with autism thrive on schedules, and jobs that incorporate exercise can be a perfect match. Whether volunteer or paid jobs, it all factors in.

I currently work at UPS as a person that unloads truck trailers. That means I pick up a lot of boxes and load them onto conveyer belts. It doesn’t sound too tiring until you realize I’m standing for the entire shift, they want us moving as fast as possible, and some of the boxes weigh upwards of 70 pounds. The weight adds up fast. Also, the workplace isn’t air conditioned, and it’s summer. My clothes are almost invariably soaked through by the time my shift is done.

It doesn’t have to be quite that exhausting. Local pet shelters often need help caring for and walking their dogs. Stocking shelves at a local retail store can have you bending high and low while carrying things- which is movement. Landscaping, factory work, construction, and other jobs can involve a decent amount of movement.

It all counts, and it’s another way you can potentially bring your hobbies or special interests into making your life better.

One Caveat: Histamines

I don’t believe this is common, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention it. Sometime autism comes with unusual biological differences that can make exercise harder. For most of my life, moderate to high intensity cardio exercise, like running, made me miserable. It still does, because while there are solutions, I haven’t figured out one that works for me yet.

Exercise makes me miserable. It’s not a laziness thing. Or a muscular malfunction. It’s not a heart problem. It doesn’t even appear to be an oxygen processing issue. I explored every one of these avenues while trying to figure out why typical exercise was such a bad experience for me.

To put it simply, exercise made me psychologically miserable. The misery would creep up on me while I was pushing myself, and nothing but stopping would make it go away. I assumed for years that I was just lazy and bad at exercise.

Apparently that was a lie. Apparently, I was experiencing an allergy attack every time I would exercise. Histamines are released when you exercise. But the misery and difficulty breathing was my only sign. My nose wouldn’t plug up, and my eyes wouldn’t water (unless I was crying because of the misery). There were no classical allergic symptoms to help me realize what was going on.

An exercise question answered

Instead, on the advice of my doctor, I took an antihistamine before doing some moderate-intensity exercise. The results were stunning. I got tired, sure. I could tell I was exerting myself and working hard. But I did not get miserable. On one of my tests, I ran a mile and a quarter with no ill effects. After years of dreading the mile run at school, it was a really strange experience.

Apparently, my body simply doesn’t flush out histamines the way it’s supposed to. Most peoples’ bodies clear out the histamines before they get to misery-inducing levels. Mine doesn’t. This hindered me for years as I tried to be more active.

There are solutions to this problem. Taking antihistamines is one, though it’s a bit overkill. Supplementing with extra vitamin C is another. There are also herbal supplements that can help, and reducing your intake of foods that are high in histamines is a good idea as well. My body doesn’t like the herbal supplements and the vitamin C doesn’t help enough, so I’m still looking for a solution that works for me.

Still, I’m glad to know what’s going on. I can declare to the world that I’m not lazy, I’m just disabled. It’s important to know what limitations your body has when considering lifestyle changes. Change is already hard for people on the autism spectrum sometimes; when adding exercise into your life, it’s best to be sure it’ll be workable for you.

TL;DR Movement/Exercise and Autism

Movement (not exercise) is a very important part of a person with autism’s life. It can help manage our moods, anxiety and stress levels, and improve our sleep and physical health. I have personally experienced all these benefits and strongly recommend having movement in your life.

When I say movement, I do not mean exercise. I do not mean going to the gym (unless you really like that). I mean doing things you already love, and having movement in them. Think about your hobbies (special interests) and how you might add movement into them.

Lovers of video games might play Ring Fit Adventure on the Nintendo Switch. You play the game by moving, but the point is the game. People who like food might try gardening or foraging for wild food, both of which involve being outside and moving your body. There are tons of ways to incorporate movement into your life, and paying for a gym membership needn’t be involved.

A job can be an easy solution, whether it’s a volunteer job or a paid one. People on the autism spectrum thrive on routines, which jobs often provide in addition to the exercise. An active job can provide the movement you need as well as time out of the house and the ability to pay your bills.

One thing to keep in mind. When it comes to exercise, autism can come with physical or biological hurdles. One of mine was that exercise made me miserable. This was because of histamines, which are released when you exercise. My body doesn’t flush them out the way everyone else’s bodies do.

Keep your specific body and its needs in mind when you plan your lifestyle changes. Movement and exercise are incredibly important, but part of autism is finding what works for you.