Not "exercise" as in "shape your body to match the expectation that you must look a certain way."

[artemis@dice.camp]

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".

[artemis@dice.camp]

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.

[luce@eldritch.cafe]

@artemis @afewbugs I got recently asked „are you a movement or a sports type of person?“ by a medical professional and really loved it. That phrasing really took away the judgemental tone for me

[artemis@dice.camp]

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?

[urbanfoxe@mastodon.ie]

@artemis have you tried a foam roller? I bought one for $7 the other day and I am absolutely in love with how it stretches me out because I've been having a lot of cramping post surgery. But I also just hang out on it and it feels so good on my back.

[lj@zirk.us]

@artemis Yes! This! I was a PT for decades. Exercise and activity is what is meaningful and useful for YOU. And ALL activity counts. Exercise as a separate thing is kind of weird, tbh.

[artemis@dice.camp]

"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.

[dave@alvarado.social]

@artemis are you asking or venting?

[artemis@dice.camp]

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.

[linza@kamu.social]

@artemis because it squeezes the acid byproducts of oxygen delivery out of your muscle tissue

[linza@kamu.social]

@artemis I wish my Mastodon app showed me if a post were part of a thread XD

[lj@zirk.us]

@artemis I actually *loathe* exercise. But we have a very large garden. Once the weather gets amenable, I'll be spending time walking, bending, digging, reaching etc all in service to planting & caring for fruit & veggies. By the end of summer, I'll be buff. ;) And well fed.

[artemis@dice.camp]

@dave
But if you do have an answer you want to give, I'd be happy to hear it

[artemis@dice.camp]

@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@dice.camp]

@Linza
I hate that too! "Oh, there was a context to this? Sure would have been nice if the app would *show* that to me."

But actually also, your response is helpful. I don't think it is at all in conflict with what I am talking about.

I am the only one who knows MY body, but I also know there is a lot of wisdom out there that can help me.

[dave@alvarado.social]

@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.

[linza@kamu.social]

@artemis https://youtu.be/lYFhP4lemTU?is=qL1of2MRkWunZTed

Please enjoy this video by the only human I will take fitness advice from.

A lot of what you're talking about, he also talks about. But cheerfully!

[dave@alvarado.social]

@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.

[sinvega@mas.to]

@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

[dave@alvarado.social]

@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.