Powerlifting.

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Ok with a 1:1 support worker and a 1:1 trainer I have been going to the gym (obviously with earplugs and sunglasses, otherwise I'd be ripping up the place). It was seriously hard at the beginning, having meltdowns in the changing rooms and being too freaked out to focus on the exercise or communicate. But now, almost a month on, I have been making progress. I have taken up powerlifting. I am pretty good at it considering its only been a month.

Powerlifting has helped my mental health, and also I've noticed my challenging behaviour has reduced a bit. I am also less depressed.

Has anyone else found exercise helpful?

yes, definitely. check out the exercise and health forum. lots of stuff there.

Yep, but swimming. I like swimming as my gym pool has no time tabling so there is always at least 2 lanes available and it's always really quiet when I go (between 9am and 3pm). Plus you can't really hear anyone else once your swimming. And anything land based is off limits as I have Tourettes and keep ticcing and either falling of things or almost falling off things. I have choked on water in the pool quite a few times when I've ticced but I'm used to that by now so it's not much of an issue.

Sounds like a great discovery, Steel Maiden!

Do you use free weights, or Nautilus-type weights?

I was into gym stuff when I was in High School. I should really get back into it.

Certainly beats kicking a ball around a field.

I've been starting to work out recently because I'm hoping that it will help me sleep better and make me feel less stressed.

You should enter the weightlifting competition in the Special Olympics.

I used to do free weights, but definitely lost the knack for it when I was ill and just now starting to get back into trying. It seems to me to be about 10 times more exhausting than it used to be.
I can't do gyms, I'm much too self conscious and the environment is just hostile to me, so I prefer to do it solo.
There is a weight lifting idea which just utilises the weight of your body which I can't recall the name of, but parts of that seem to be useful too.
I'd definitely like to see some results from it! They say autistics are often low on muscle mass and I'd say that's true of me.

i hate gyms too. i always have my earplugs in and am listening to music or a podcast, and the earplugs seal out all noise. and then i have to really avoid eye contact too and walking around is a little stressful. But it works, and i can handle it fortunately. it's gotten a bit easier with time, and it certainly makes me feel better.

lifting is one of my main things and i found what works best with my brain is alot of reps to cement it in my brain and not "changing it up" since we are repetitive people. I overhead press every day in fact haha and its been helping. I love it with a passion though. i started because i got sick of how people treated me so i needed a protective shell, but then over the course of time when i grew to love the pain and constant progression it has helped me release alot of anger haha.

I love going to the gym. It makes me feel really refreshed and, as some mentioned, sleep better and be less stressed. I feel I do much better at work when I go, too.

Strength training is one of my favourite hobbies in my life. Unfortunately ive been too sick for the past year due to severe bowel issues to keep lifting weights =/

When you feel a meltdown coming, get your spotter, and do bench presses

(Never do bench presses without a spotter).