All About the Autoimmune Strong Calendars
Welcome to Autoimmune Strong!
One of the first steps you must take as a new Autoimmune Strong member is to select a calendar. This can be a daunting task- so don’t worry, we have a quiz to help you find the right calendar for you.
If you are reading this, most likely you have already taken the calendar quiz and been given a recommended Autoimmune Strong calendar to follow. If not- no worries- click here to take the quiz now.
The Autoimmune Strong exercise philosophy is all about listening to your body and giving it what it needs. The program itself is designed to be a go at your own pace kind of program. But the thing is- it’s hard to go at your own pace if you don’t yet know how to listen to your body, or how to make educated decisions about what “go at your own pace” even means.
This is the purpose of the Autoimmune Strong Calendars. These calendars are here to show you the way. The calendars are designed to be a guide for you, to help you follow the program. It gives you a schedule of what exercise video to do and when.
Why does this matter?
Well, the goal of Autoimmune Strong is to get you feeling stronger, more flexible and more mobile which leads to you feeling more capable, more energetic, and more confident.
We cannot achieve this goal if we are constantly in pain or having flare-ups and setbacks.
So, as we begin, we have to do things in a very specific way in order to get our bodies moving without these flare-ups or setbacks.
We have to start with foundational exercises, like ab bracing and short foot, that begin to wake up the body and activate important muscles.
We have to begin to loosen up our body through foam rolling, so our muscles can start getting blood flow back into them.
We have to begin practicing the habit of noticing how our body feels.
We have to begin practicing the habit of showing up for ourselves in a loving way, each and every day.
AND… we have to do this without overwhelming our nervous system.
Because if you have been living with pain and flare-ups for a while now, your brain is already conditioned to fight or flight. If you have struggled to exercise before, your brain is already conditioned to be fearful of exercise, and it’s going to work hard to de-motivate you, as a method of protection and self-preservation. Your brain is going to have difficulty trusting the process.
If you are a person who is an over-exerciser? Your brain is going to tell you that this kind of exercise isn’t enough. That you should be sweating, pushing, feeling the pain. That’s old patterns of conditioning stuck in your brain, that we have to undo.
If you are a person who doesn’t exercise? Your brain is going to tell you that this is hard, that you can’t do it. Because perhaps you have gotten hurt or flare-up from exercise before.
So, we have to teach your brain and your body to trust. And that’s where the calendars come in.
By doing what’s laid out on the calendars, we make sure that you get just enough exercise to get started- without freaking your brain and body out. We pace the exercises out over a long period of time, so you get a little bit each and every day. We make sure to rotate through different areas of the body, so you don’t overwork one area or another. And we build in rest days, because rest is just as important as movement.
As you begin this practice, both your brain and your body begin to get comfortable with the process. Your muscles start adapting, and the habits start to kick in. This is what allows progression over time. Eventually, you will get through Level 1, and move onto Level 2, and so on.
Because of all this, picking a calendar that matches your body's needs is very important. And evaluating that calendar along the way is equally as important. Here are some guidelines that should help:
What are the differences between the calendars?
All the exercises follow the same workout system, and use the same exercise videos. The big difference is the pacing. There are two main differences between the three calendars are: Repetition and Rest Days.
The more we repeat an exercise, the more our body adapts to it. Neuromuscular patterns are created, muscles are strengthened and postural changes occur. The more we repeat an exercise, the more effective it is.
Rest days are important for exercise recovery, building strength and flare-up management. So, our rest days are actually an important component of the workout program. We always need to balance out our workouts with rest.
Folks who are experiencing chronic stress and chronic flare-ups require more rest and repetition to get their bodies acclimated to the workouts in a way that minimizes flare-up. This is the philosophy behind the 3 different calendars.
Calendar A is the most advanced calendar of the calendar options, but it is still gentle enough to help you pace yourself and not trigger a flare-up. By “advanced” I mean that it goes at the fastest pace, with fewer repetitive days and fewer rest days.
Calendar A is designed for people who have experience with exercise in the past and who aren’t experiencing a ton of flare-up symptoms or living with large amounts of stress. These kinds of people are a good fit for calendar A because they don’t need as much repetition of the same exercises over and over again because of their previous history of exercise. And, because of their lower overall stress levels, they won’t need as much rest time to recover without kicking off a flare.
Calendar B is designed for people who have some exercise background, and are experiencing some flares and stress, but are not in a chronic flare state. This calendar does repeat exercises more often than calendar A and takes more rest and recovery days.
Calendar C is the most popular calendar. It is designed for people who are living with flares, chronic stress, as well as pain, exhaustion, and limited mobility. Calendar C relies heavily on the modification videos, and uses the most amount of repetition and rest days. The pace is very easy and gentle, which is perfect for flare recovery.
There is no “good” or “bad” calendar. Traditional exercise programs have made us feel shame if we can’t do the harder, more aggressive kinds of exercises. They have taught us to aim for the toughest thing and push through the pain to accomplish it. This leads us either to constant pain, or giving up entirely.
I encourage you to throw that “achieving” attitude out the window. You are not a better athlete or person if you can do Calendar A, and you are not lazy if you choose Calendar C. The only “right” calendar is the one that is right for you. If you are Calendar C, that’s great! And If you are Calendar A- that’s great too! All that matters is how you feel. If you are able to do the exercises, feel good in your body, and do them consistently with limited flare-ups, that’s what matters.
How to pick a calendar that’s right for you
Our Autoimmune Strong quiz is here to help you select the right calendar for you. However- only you can determine if it is indeed the right match for you- based on how it feels to your body. So… here’s the process to follow to help you determine if the calendar you are using is right for you.
Start with the calendar we assigned to you. Give it a try. Do it for a few weeks.
During those few weeks pay attention to how your body feels when doing it.
Evaluate how you feel. Over time, do you consistently feel like the exercises leave you feeling accomplished but not exhausted? Great, that means you have a good calendar match. If you are finding it hard to motivate, experiencing resistance within yourself, experiencing exhaustion, soreness, or any kind of flare-up symptom, then maybe the calendar is going too quickly for you and you need more repetition and rest days.
How to listen to your body and give it what it needs
Some people find it easy to “pay attention” to their body’s signals, and other people don’t find it as accessible. Watch this flare-up masterclass to learn about the flare-symptoms, and you can track your exercises using this journal here. This will help you tune into your body and learn how to listen to your body’s needs- and make choices accordingly.
How to know when to add extra rest days
You can always add additional rest days. If you are experiencing flare-ups, exhaustion or stress, an extra rest day or two is probably in order. This blog will tell you more about rest days.
If you take a bunch of rest days in a row, try to make sure you incorporate other healthy habits into your day. Drink water, eat veggies. Foam rolling and ab bracing can be helpful on rest days for folks who are farther into the program and are experienced with these exercises.
How to know when to stray from the calendar and do what your body is craving
As you get more experienced with the program, and you start paying attention to your body, you will find that some days your body just craves an exercise. Perhaps your hips need extra attention today. Or you need an extra long foam rolling session. Or you feel tired and just want to ab brace. I encourage you to lean into that, and pause from your calendar. You can always pick up where you left off. Just be cautious to not repeat only the exercises you like. Sometimes the ones that are trickiest are the ones we need most.
How to restart your calendar if you have taken a few days or a few weeks off
Some people like to start back at the beginning, others like to pick back up where they left off. There is no right or wrong way to do it, as long as it feels good. Try it for a few days, see how it feels and evaluate. Another option is to rewind a week or two if you are far enough along, so you repeat things without going all the way back to the beginning.
The calendars have more instructional video days than workout days. What if I want to switch that around?
If you are new to AIS, I don’t encourage you to switch anything up just yet. Get accustomed to the program as it’s designed. But eventually, you can absolutely do more workout videos- as long as you can do them consistently and comfortably without flare.
Is it better to use the printable or clickable calendar?
There is no right one- only which one feels more motivational to you.
You can use the digital version of calendars where you can click straight to the videos scheduled for that day.
Printing calendars can be helpful and motivating. Use stickers like these to track the days you workout or have certain flare symptoms.
The calendars are here to support you and guide you, they are an extra tool to help you learn how to pace yourself, listen to your body, and build strength and energy consistently over time.
And always remember that we are here to help! Here are some frequently asked questions about the calendars. But if you have a question and don’t see it listed, please email us at info@getautoimmunestrong.com or post on the facebook page. We are always here to help.