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Writer's pictureEdan Lloyd

Gym and the Tourette

Updated: Aug 4

In this post, I want to discuss a gym and its relationship with the Tourette.


Living with Tourette's is like living with a demon in your body that is always hungry for attention and to show you that it exists. You are always at war with the demon and can never be sure where it will strike. It is known, and I have experienced it myself, that there is a close connection between stress and severe attacks.


I've always been told that doing sports is an effective way to release energy and escape from the pressures to be released in a controlled and reasonable way. I tried all kinds of sports, but some of them even made my syndrome worse. Except for a bicycle, I didn't find anything that gave me an outlet and a refuge for all the pressures and stress until I saw the gym in the kibbutz.


I started going to the gym about months ago to move my body, get in shape, and also try to lose weight, and I didn't think at all about Tourette's and what the consequences of that are for Tourette. Surprisingly, I found that going to the gym almost every day helped me cope with Tourette syndrome. The gym gives me a refuge to release and channel the energies and stresses of the day. After an hour and sometimes an hour and a half of training, I feel drained and exhausted in a good way, and it gives me a great feeling.


I work in the gym each time on a different body part under the guidance of Amir Sampson, the gym operator and fitness trainer. He gives me exercises and watches over me. I feel that in these two months, I have improved in terms of body weight, physical fitness and coping with Tourette's. By actually going to the gym, I know I have a refuge for Tourette syndrome, and the attacks are also decreasing. I feel happy, calm, and satisfied that I am finally doing something for my body and its maintenance.


I am a sociable person, and another virtue of a gym is that it allows me to meet people and make friends. Exercising in a gym is important for physical health and dealing with Tourette's, but it is also extremely important from a social point of view because there, I meet, talk, and exercise with friends and acquaintances in a positive and supportive environment.


I know that the syndrome and the attacks will always be a part of me, but I also discovered that the gym is a place to release the energies and stresses that accumulate in me during the day—pressures that would have aggravated the symptoms of Tourette's. I feel better that I am doing something for myself and my body. I am calmer and can better deal with the syndrome.

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