Exercising whilst ill

JL4987

I understand that the response may be to talk to a doctor for advice but given I won't see my specialist until the end of the month I was just wondering if anyone on MFP had been through this and had advice.

I have had serious illness with my lung for the last two years and thus I completely stalled on both diet and exercise. I know that eating well is helpful to any recovery but given there have been long stretches where I barely ate at all and more when I wouldn't know I was hungry until one minute I was starving its been difficult. It was easier to just eat what I wanted when I wanted in case Id suddenly lose interest again. I've kept about the same weight so haven't gone too overboard.

Now I'm just trying to find out if there is anything I can do to increase my strength and stamina, with weight loss just a by product. My starting ability is low, 15 minutes walking is about all I do or longer shuffling around shops but always prolonged with lots of rest stops. I can't really do standing still for more than 10-15 minutes. I guess at the moment I may be looking at chronic fatigue and pain syndromes, or at least that's the easiest way to describe it without going into everything has happened with my lung!

Thanks for any help you can give, even if its just to wait.

mbaker566

maybe yoga or pilates. it's a good place to start and there is everything from super hard power yoga to chair yoga. i have a sequence i even do in bed.

tcunbeliever

Walking is excellent, and starting with short periods of time is a good idea. You can try adding a minute a day, or a minute every other day, depending on how you feel, or try walking several times a day. Some days will be better than others, don't get upset if you have a bad day, just know that every day you put in your best effort is a step in the right direction.

SueInAz

Strength training. It doesn't take a lot of "wind" and if you continue to eat at maintenance you can slowly change the composition of your body to reduce fat and gain muscle. You won't get fast results but they'll be lasting results. You'll also get stronger. Look into programs like Strong Lifts 5x5 and New Rules of Lifting for Women.

JL4987

mbaker566 wrote: »

maybe yoga or pilates. it's a good place to start and there is everything from super hard power yoga to chair yoga. i have a sequence i even do in bed.

tcunbeliever wrote: »

Walking is excellent, and starting with short periods of time is a good idea. You can try adding a minute a day, or a minute every other day, depending on how you feel, or try walking several times a day. Some days will be better than others, don't get upset if you have a bad day, just know that every day you put in your best effort is a step in the right direction.

Thank you both!! Those are really great ideas, and truth be told I was at such a loss because I really just want to be back where I was beforehand that I think I was stuck on the ideas of gung hoe training that I just needed someone else to pair it back for me. I did not know where to start.

SueInAz wrote: »

Strength training. It doesn't take a lot of "wind" and if you continue to eat at maintenance you can slowly change the composition of your body to reduce fat and gain muscle. You won't get fast results but they'll be lasting results. You'll also get stronger. Look into programs like Strong Lifts 5x5 and New Rules of Lifting for Women.

Thanks for the suggestion, is that going to be gentle? Tbh I have doubts on my abilities for lifting. I also have issues with grip and back/joint pain, mentioning in case that's really bad. These things are sporadic.

middlehaitch

To complement the walking I was going to post these 2 workouts that you can do at home and will help build your strength and stamina. Then @sueinaz suggested a couple of great programmes.

I will still post the 2 I like as they will work well for transitioning to a more heavy lifting programme.

Start slow and adjust any move to suit your abilities now, and work toward being able to complete a routine.

Doing just one set is fine. Splitting it up to sections during the day is fine too.

For the high impact sections just walk in place or do step ups instead.

Cheers, h.

Body weight

https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/09/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/

Hand weight, if you have no weights a couple of cans of soup will do the trick.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=U0bhE67HuDY

JL4987

middlehaitch wrote: »

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Thanks so much, its a great help!