What kind of exercise do you do?

[orchid]

I know exercise and to “keep moving” is so important. So, what do you do?

[sierrra]

Mostly swim and walk. In the summer I love to bike and hike. I do yoga and a little pilates on my own. I was just thinking the other day that I'd like to do some dancing. I love to dance. I don't exercise enough. I still deal with fatigue, and that's probably my biggest roadblock.

Sierra

[patchoulee]

I use my rebounder 10 mins a day then I do aqua fit tues thurs and tai chi on mondays.

 

 

[linda]

I don't know what your able to do, but swimming is the best therapy as it puts no strain on the joints. Warm water therapy is WONDERFUL. I have a cheap, portable pedal exerciser, similar to a recumbent bike. It looks the the pedal section of a bike, and can be put on the floor in front of a chair or on a table for arm exercise. It's just pedals, nothing fancy, but it gets the circulation going, if nothing else.

[Rockin Annie]

[user=515]orchid[/user] wrote:

I know exercise and to “keep moving” is so important. So, what do you do?

Hi Orchid,

When I was first DX'ed I couldn't do very much even walking for a couple of mins tired me out and hurt liked crazy, I thought I would never get back to any sort of exercise.  Now I walk 40 mins a day, do weight training 3 times a week and dance 4 times a week.  I have worked up to it gradually over the last year.  I did have a lot of trouble with fatigue but since taking AP and MSM I feel that has been my turning point. 

On saying that I have always been an exercise fanatic I push myself even if I am hurting, but really if one is not into exercise, I think stretching, swimming and walking is the best exercises of all as long as you do it slow even in the pool you can do lots of slow rhythmic moves to strenghthen joints and muscles. If you have to pick one of the 3,  stetching would be the go as long as you hold the stretches and take it very slow.

…………….Annie

Diagnosed with RA in 2004, after trying many conventional meds I changed to mino.
2015 changed to doxy 50mgs
2016 went off doxy, after getting double pneumonia and massive flare put myself on 250 mgs Zith & 50 mgs doxy, which I will increase slowly.
Supps, magnesium, NAC, vit c, krill oil, oregano oil, thisylin, turmeric, olive leaf extract, vit B, multi vit.

[Rose]

I try to walk 30 minutes daily, weather permitting, and I do floor exercises every morning. 

 My Rheumatologist said, several years ago, when first I came down with RA , before it went into remission and then returned 10 years later, that if your knee is flairing up don't put demands on it.  Its like a football injury, when its inflamed don't go back into the game.   Rose

[lynnie_sydney]

Yes – and Dr Brown talks about this in the video also: the importance of not doing physical therapy whilst joints are really inflamed and the importance of strengthening and stretching once inflammation has subsided. Lynnie

Be well! Lynnie

Palindromic RA 30 yrs (Chronic Lyme?)
Mino 2003-2008 100mg MWF - can no longer tolerate any tetracyclines
rotating abx protocol now. From Sep 2018 MWF - a.m. Augmentin Duo 440mg + 150mg Biaxsig (roxithromycin). p.m. Cefaclor (375mg) + Klacid 125mg + LDN 3mg + Annual Clindy IV's
Diet: no gluten, dairy, sulphites, low salicylates
Supps: 600mg N-AC BID, 1000mg Vit C, P5P 40mg, zinc picolinate 60mg, Lithium orotate 20mg, Magnesium Oil, Bio-identical hormones (DHEA + Prog + Estrog)

[patchoulee]

I am hugely out of shape I won't lie..I was/am not one of those people who took care of themselves their whole lives and BANG got sick at 35 now I spent most of my 20's and early 30's in a drive through or slumped over a computer working… no wonder this bug got ahold of me I abused my body and ended up now 40lbs overweight.  I tried several things and quit them all but with aquasize I just found it fun and so much easier on my body. Plus by adjusting your feet and hands in differant ways it can be as easy or as hard as you want it to be.  I really recommend it to anyone I had a hard time with the whole bathing suit issue but now I don't even care everyone is in the same boat that is there and no one cares. I am neither here nor there about Tai Chi it's okay but won't be signing up again for it.

[Todd WI]

I don't know if I'd call it exercise, but I recently setup a treadmill desk to help me improve my sedentary lifestyle. Check out http://www.treadmill-desk.com/ for the general idea.  The pace is too slow to be  aerobic, but at least I'm moving.  I've walked 55 miles in the 2 weeks I've had it, in fact I'm walking at 1 mph as I type this.  I love it.

I've also been lifting weights on and off for the last 8 months or so.   It's going a bit slower than I'd like, but when my body tells me to slow down, I slow down.  I'm still making progress towards setting some new personal records and I'll get there eventually.

Having written this, I realize I need to start doing something aerobic.

FWIW

Todd

[JeffN]

Before SD I had been on a four day a week walking schedule for many years, was on the county dive rescue team, worked out at the gym, snowboarded and ran a business that I was usually on  my feet all day.  SD curtailed pretty much all of that. A year after my SD became active I started AP. Four months after starting AP I was able to resume walking, and built on things from there. Last winter a year after beginning AP I was able to resume snowboarding after taking one run the previous winter, and last summer I was able to get back to many of my outdoor activities fishing clamming etc. This winter I was able to join the gym again after having to quit two years ago – I could not get down the stairs to the locker room because of joint pain and anemia. My legs are back above pre SD levels and my upper body is coming back. I still walk and I think the gym is helping to stretch out my tendons. I think trying to stay flexible and just keeping moving is important. I agree with those above that while the SD was active try as I might OT, exercise, and even accupunture just made things hurt more with no apparent upside. Hope to dive again this summer.

keep moving.

Todd the treadmill under the desk sounds pretty cool – great use of time with a nice benefit

[bonnielou]

Of course, like everyone else, in the beginning, when my shoulders and knees and hands were so bad — everything stopped except for physical therapy. As the inflammation got under control I began exercising again. I was a serious yoga student and lost so much strength and flexibility in that time. But it is coming back. I will know my shoulders are 100% back if I can ever do a handstand again.

There is a great book that came out last year, Yoga for Arthritis by Loren Fishman. It's inexpensive (I think it was under $8.00 on Amazon) and it has really good poses and adjustments for every part of your body — separate sections for hips, shoulders, cervical spine, lumbar spine, wrists and hands, ankles and feet, etc. I highly recommend it. I got it from my library at first, and then I bought it.

So I take a class once or twice a week, and try and practice at home (even if it's just for 20 minutes) another 2 or 3 days a week. I go to ballroom dancing with my husband every Thursday night — we both love it. It's good exercise (good for the brain too — trying to remember the steps). I have a treadmill in the basement and use it a couple of days a week in the winter — try and go outside more when the weather is better. And I love to bike ride. We live near a forest preserve bike trail and can do that for a couple of hours on the weekends from about April to October.

It's good to mix things up. And it so important. Do whatever your body can do. Try and make it fun. Remember when you were a kid and it was fun to run and jump? I think exercise should be like that. I even jump rope a little bit now, since I am supposed to do some impact work now for bone strength. Take care and have fun.

Bonnie Lou

Bonnie Lou
RA 02/07,AP 10/07
Minocycline 200mg MWF; Plaquenil 100mg 3 days/week
Fish Oil, Ubiquinol, Turmeric, Vit C (2 grams) , MultiVit, Magnesium, Astaxanthin, D3 (5000), probiotics and a daily dose of yoga!

[maz.aust]

The best exercise is walking, it doesn't have to be kilometers, just round the block would be a good start;, then something like pilates and/or yoga, because both of these are slow and controlled and will strengthen your core muscles.  

Remember, anything cardio puts too much strain on the joints.

The objective is to strengthen and use the muscles…………

Cheers,
Maz – Aust

ps — Remember if it is inflammed to rest it, don't be going pushing the edge!

Dec07: Diagnosed PRA, (CTD; Fibromyalgia; suspected Lyme):
Mar08: Diet to heal gut/bolster immune system (no gluten, dairy, sulphites or sugar)

Jan 2018: ABX Mon/Wed/Fri (started AP 2008)
1/2 x 150mg Roxithromycin(Biasig), 1/2 x 150mg Clarithromycin (Klacid),
1/2 x Fungillin, 1 x 250mg Cephalexin (Keflex)

All off days Probiotics

[cindy k]

Swimming.  The best exercise you can do.  No pressure on your joints.  Do you have a local YMCA around?  You would be amazed at the  exercice that you can do and actually sweat. Some physcial thearpy places have a lap pool.  The newest thing I got was Turbo Jam.  It's a video of dance movements.  Start slow and just do what you can. 

Good luck.

[m.]

I walk the dog, x-country ski (gently), and commute to work on my bike when possible.

I could use some more arm strength.

[Author]

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