Exercise

[comanchesue]

How many of you have found exercising on a regular basis helps with both the fatigue and muscle/joint pains?

yeah, yeah, I know.  too tired to exercise.  I'm talking about having started of slowly and built up?

[Epson]

I have a power recliner that gives my finger a good work out push the button to raise and lower the chair, the finger on the other hand is exercising on the TV remote.

[dbab]

comanchesue,

I do believe that light exercise helps.  It also prevents atrophy (use it or lose it).  My rhuemy explains it like a bike that hasn't been ridden in a while.  It gets all rusty and clanky and makes a lot of odd noises when you try and ride it.  Ride it everyday and it stays in great shape.  I do notice a difference if I slack off of activity for a while, I really do feel worse.

[missyb]

makes a world of difference for me, I hike and walk

[Scottietottie]

Hi

I know I should exercise but I find it really hard to do. Walking around at work is enough. I used to walk three hours at a time, two nights a week for work. I very much doubt I could do that now.

Take care - Scottie 

[Patze]

Like Scottie, I used to walk (hike) a lot.  Now a days, I can barely get out of my own way!   Seriously, some days I can walk a few miles without much pain, other days, I can barely walk up a couple of flights of stairs without my legs screaming with pain.


Patze

[Poochie]

I try to make it at least 3 times a week to Curves.  With the CNS and PN the manager knows I can't do all the machines, and she helps me from one to the other, on the ones I can handle. 

It keeps my shoulders free (they were frozen) and my leg muscles strengthened (as much as possible). 

I won't say I don't hurt because that would be a flat out lie.  I only know I hurt whole lot worse when I don't make the effort to go. 

Do what you can, but don't OVERDO.  The trick is to find your limits and stick to them.

Pooh

[Billydude]

I must be having a flare because the idea of excericise is overwhelming.   I really enjoy and I'm trying to do a little gardening early in the morning for about a half hour but that in itself seems to wipe me out for the day.   All my doctors keep saying I need to lose 40 pounds and I want to scream at them to tell them to try losing 40 pounds when you barely have the energy to climb the stairs.   Besides,  I've lost and found back 40 pounds so many times that I'm convinced diets don't work.  Not for me at least!   When I was able to lose 40 pounds in the past it was always a combination of diet and excercise.   Its after 10pm right now and I'm sitting here in a face sweat.  Excercising!!!!   Right!

[Linda196]

SjS has caused me to make a few changes in lifestyle, but I've voluntarily made a few changes in thinking and acting that seemed to have helped more.

For example, although I used to actively exercise (gym- I loved Curves too, hiking, running, whatever) I shifted my focus from the exercise to the "active" and now, if I can do one small thing a day that makes me feel active...I do it! That might be a walk, parking farther from the store than I think I'd like to and strolling the extra distance, reaching for things on higher or lower shelves than I need to, or even standing in my kitchen and singing the head and shoulders, knees and toes song (with actions). Some days are better...I can dance around a bit to the stereo, speed up the treadmill, or actually go through a real routine or take a real hike. I know hearing "it's all in your head" is not a good thing, but maybe in the case of exercise, it's OK...try to see your daily chores as activities, and you might surprise yourself as to how active you really are, then push it just a wee bit. I did my gardening this year in 10-20 minute sessions, but I got it done! If I needed a nap after the 10-20 minutes, so be it, I was moving for that amount of time, and if it made me feel like I'd run a marathon so what! Once you realize that things are actually still working (and hurting and stiffening up, yes) you can start to take some satisfaction in the things you CAN do, and not be so hard on yourself for the things you can't.

For the weight loss and dieting part, I've never thought diets work...it's just not human nature to deprive yourself of any one particular source of nourishment. Unless you have a medical problem with some particular element, there are no bad foods! Of course some of them have benefits in reverse ratio to the size of the serving, but try to remember that good things do indeed come in small packages! In the past 6 months, I've lost 40 lbs, while taking prednisone daily (7.5-15 mg) I jokingly say it's because I put my husband on a diet, but we've both been eating well...healthy foods, natural, in measured portions! It's made a huge difference in both weight and health. I think hubby was a bit shocked to find out what an actual portion of meat is (he always figured if it fit on a dinner plate, it was dinner!) but we've adapted and he's lost even more than I have.

[gsmraxe]

I don't have muscle pain, but I do have joint pain.  I find that anything  I do makes the joint pain a lot worse for a few days.  If I sit for  a while, I have trouble standing, my knees, ankles and feet hurt...And my hands, oh man, that's the worst.  I used to get really bad pain in my muscles after working  them, but I found after I quit smoking  (after a few months) this doesn't happen anymore.  I suppose my muscles heal quicker now that I'm not pumping all those carcenogens in my body.   

None of this stops me tho...I'm a home improvement junkie, I build driveways, sidewalks, paint, redo flooring etc.,  I work until I'm ready to collapse...Then I get up the next morning and kill myself again.     I do rest occasionally, that's when my hands and knees kill me.  I'm ok if I'm moving  tho.

Best of luck with your exercise, I hope you find something  that works for you.   

[Dolly Dimples]

                Who  needs exercise when one has housework to do,

                        then there's the shopping to trawl around for,    plus my dear little grandchildren to run after. Phew!!
                                                      time to rest!  Dolly
                                                                           

[Poochie]

Aww Dolly, the last one is the best one.  Enjoy those little ones they grow tooooooooooooo fast.

Pooh

[Bonnie]

I was just having this discussion with my hubby last night.  I am doing a bit better at the moment (don't want to tempt a flare) but I really think that knowing my limits has helped (Woman know your limits :-)).  For example, if I am mowing the lawn and I get "the buzzy feeling" in my muscles (not sure if anyone else gets this) I stop even if I am half way through mowing the lawn.  I think learning to recognise the signs and stopping has helped me a lot.  As has not giving a darn what other people think of my house etc.

I have now found that I am able to participate in some fun activities, I can go walking and also not quite so grumpy as I was.  Which my husband pointed out to me last night lol. 

I have not made it to the gym yet, but as some others were saying I am counting my chores as exercise.

[dbab]

I have not made it to the gym yet, but as some others were saying I am counting my chores as exercise.

It all counts 

[JJ]

As for me...got a job that I have to walk to cause my car is on the fritz...i stand and check groceries

through as well as bag  for 6 to 8 hours..my boyfriend comes to pick me up on the motorcycle in the evening so i wont

have to walk back home (30 min walk one way) and by the time I get home I want to fall out. I wake up

several times in the night with my arm and hands numb...by morning my hand is swollen and stiff..so

I take Ibuprofen...drink coffee massage hand and get ready to do it all over again...this is my exercise

program I am on now and to tell you the truth I don't think it helps me one bit. I know it's really chores,

but after that who wants to exercise.....