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Public Commitment to Exercise

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I went to a yoga class for probably 4 years and was pretty on top of it. I am super-flexible, so I was also really encouraged by the instructor and other students. Then, I found out that because my flexibility is actually hyper-mobility I probably did more harm than good in that class, deliberately pushing past the joint safety zone in every class and at home. No more yoga for me. DANG IT!!! I miss it, though.

Still haven't tried Pilates.
I got corrected re the hypermobility by a couple of good teachers, so I make sure not to over extend any more. I keep my legs softened when I do forward folds and such.

Yeah, definitely over extending is no good. My online teacher now, is good, always reminding us to bend the legs and I know now, NEVER lock them back.
I guess if hypermobility is too much of an issue, doing yoga could really exacerbate it. Bummer for you @RusselSue.

For me, I use it to help regulate my nervous system as I've never been a fan of the pharmy approach, too much.

Pilates is fun. "Body sculpting". I'm only, just now, committing to it. I used to do classes, but the instructor was a bit of a slightly creepy dude, which put me off for some time. Now, my daughter's enthusiasm is infecting me, so I'm gonna let that wave pick me up and carry me, coz I notice my self esteem and self confidence really pick up, since I started. I'm looking forward to more effects, as I think it's one of those practises where the proofs add incentive over time, coz it's a bit of an intense, cathartic practise, but well worth the effort, in terms of results.

Being able to practise in my home, suits me, as my people shyness and all round body anxiety when in public is very high, these days. I'm hoping doing the "body sculpting" helps, with that, over time.
 
I liked working out at home but found it impossible due mostly to issues around having a gym in the house which stinks. I suppose if you were able to completely close it off it would be ok. I don’t have any trouble doing it because I get addicted to it like everything I like. There is also the shame thing I noticed at home I’d get really mad when people came in on me and broke my concentration or just “invaded or violated” my thing I was doing. There was just no easy way and almost no way at all to do it for me which is another way of saying I don’t let myself succeed at things relating to the self sabotage thread I saw.

But I did succeed at it more or less, as much as I ever have at anything because I went quite far with jiu- jitsu when my kids were young. That requires a fair degree of athleticism. That I wish I could do still, in spite of the injuries I sustained which I still have, and my age, but my arthritis just won’t allow it.
 
I got corrected re the hypermobility by a couple of good teachers

I really wish anyone had realized that I needed to be corrected but I don't think my yoga teacher was familiar with the issue. I imagine if I knew where normal range of motion stopped, I might still be able to do it but as of yet, I haven't had much for help with that. I am looking at another round of PT, so maybe I can get some help with that still. I really did enjoy it and because I am really bad about doing meditation, it was definitely helpful with relaxation.

As I have exercised pretty consistently over the last few years, I finally have a reasonable amount of muscle on my body that I really need to manage my issues with hyper-mobility which I guess turned significant with the development of hip arthritis when I was in probably my mid-30s. It's had an interesting affect on my self-esteem and whatnot because of being a teenager with an uncorrected cleft lip. I was pretty curvy pretty young and this was obvious from across a street but the condition of my face was not. This caused a number of men and teenagers to make a journey to come "talk" and then think better of it at the last moment. I did my best to hide my body for a lot of years. Rather than being happy to see ab muscle showing through, I initially started to panic. I am over that now, thank God.

Yeah, creepy dude exercise instructors can be a problem. I had a ballet teacher like that.

It's great that you are able to work out with your daughter. That must be fun.
 
There is also the shame thing I noticed at home I’d get really mad when people came in on me and broke my concentration or just “invaded or violated” my thing I was doing

I have noticed that my husband does not look at me when I am exercising. I have never asked why but I imagine it is because he would feel uncomfortable if I watched him exercise. This has really helped me because initially I thought when he came in the room I definitely needed to stop. Mostly, I don't do much that requires concentration, so there is no issue there.

Good for you on the jiu- jitsu. I have always wanted to learn some martial arts.
 
I imagine if I knew where normal range of motion stopped, I might still be able to do it but as of yet, I haven't had much for help with that.
It’s incrediably common for both people who are genetically hypermobile, and people who’ve trained hypermobility (think gymnasts & dancers) not to be able to do yoga without dislocating ribs from their spines, femurs from their hips, and other joints most people break the bone before the joint even shifts much less full on dislocates.

Yoga is actually designed to looooooosen joints. If you want something meditative that trains strength to joints (by using muscles in place of tendons/ligaments); think ballet & horseback riding. Ballet, in particular, is incrediably useful / part of PT for a lot of EDS & strength training for football players... because it strengthens 360degrees of movement. Not just forward/back, or laterally... but 1 o’clock, 2 o’clock, 3’clock, etc. Full circles of strength training, for each joint, IN movement AND held. It’s really an invaluable physical therapy tool.
 
There is a thread I have posted in it occasionally. I never can find them again if I let time pass and idk what the last system upgrade did if anything to the older content.
It seemed like there should have been one or maybe I even vaguely remember something from a couple of years ago. Oh well, there's another one, I guess.
Yep, that sounds familiar. I searched exercise but I guess I didn't go through enough of the results. Oops. Well, if it's inappropriately redundant, I guess someone can delete this one.
Putting on my Mod-Hat for a moment
If you ever have this problem again, simply hit us up over in Staff-land via Contact Us. We can help you find a thread, or suggest you start a new one. No fuss, no muss.

There IS a very long running / active thread Log Your Daily Exercise, if you’re interested.
 
Your idea is synchronized with my acknowledging that I need to exercise regularly again in order to care for my physical and mental health. Every day feels like to much of a commitment right now but I will join you, accountability partner. I will do yoga tomorrow.
 
I did some pretty gentle yoga today. I felt twingey with some sciatica and a bulging disc slash arthritis I have in my back so I did some "yoga for sciatica" and some breath and movement yoga which was tre relaxing!
Yeah I had a ypga teacher who used to be a ballet dancer who was the one who pulled me up for hyper extending and she told me I needed to strengthen and not over stretch.

Yoga, taught well, doesn't encourage hyper extension, and IS strengthening but there are other modalities that focus on strengthening without stretching that probably benefit people who are too bendy and not strong enough to protect their bendy ligaments.

Yoga is about body mindfulness so over stretching isn't what one is after with yoga, but yeah, lots of people think it's about stretching and it's actually about breath~mind~body harmony, and whole body strengthening and keeping things from getting stiff and rigid thus preventing damaging over time.

NEVER push yourself into positions, instead breath and feel into it and EASE into movements.

You have to find what works, though, hatha yogic practice isn't everyone's bag.
 
Ballet, in particular, is incrediably useful / part of PT for a lot of EDS & strength training for football players

Agreed. I incorporate some ballet into my exercise routines now. I have considered that having been in ballet when I was younger may have been part of how I managed to have the level of hypermobility that I have without taking serious injuries at a much younger age. We also had horses when I was a kid.

That was just luck. Being poor white trash, no one in my family knew hypermobility caused problems or that building strength was good for it. Actually, I had zero clue until my early thirties.

I think we talked about this b4 (probably in the Log Your Exercise thread). You have hymobility, too @Friday no?
 
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NEVER push yourself into positions

I've never come close to needing to push myself into a position. That's the crux of the problem for me. My favorite circus trick was to put both my feet behind my head at the same time. I could also turn my feet backwards. Neither of these required pushing and so, as a kid, and even into my 20s, I thought these positions were OK to be in. No pain - no problem.

My sister is mildly hypermobile and encourages me to go to yoga often. I think I am officially scared off from it for the time being. I got more flexible and that was not helpful at all.

My next relaxation trick is going to be to buy a sauna blanket. While I am stuck inside, I might learn to meditate.
 
After I did my exercise yesterday, my husband decided he wanted to go for a walk. So I got extra exercise.

Now I am sore, tired and grouchy BUT I remain aware that I must do my hip and shoulder exercises or it will be worse tomorrow.

So, here I go.
 
Every day feels like to much of a commitment right now

That's how I feel, too. And I must do my life one single day at a time because forever is too much for my brain to manage.

Persuasive writing was probably my most favorite subject in college and I remember that at least in one of Robert Cialdini's persuasion/influence books, it talked about the power of public commitment - about how when we say we're gonna to other people, we usually do.

The cool thing is that it's a lot easier to say I am going to do my hip exercises today than it is to actually do them but if I tell you I will, I've suddenly got a lot more incentive than if I just tell myself. I've just increased my chances of actually doing them. That's awesome because I REALLY DO need to do them.

Thanks for being my accountability partner @fern !
 
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