Exercise - and depressing thought
AllieCatz
Posts: 26
Every time I think I might be able to do some light exercise I quickly get a reality check. I can walk for short spurts or while hanging off of a shopping cart but anything that gets my heart rate up or puts stress on my joints will zap my energy in seconds. I tried doing a jumping jack and it took me an hour to recover. lol I have no problem doing stretching and some upper body but I need to strengthen my back and don't know how.
Have you found anything you can do that builds back muscles?
Have you found anything you can do that builds back muscles?
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Traditional forms include push up and pull ups but I would think you may benefit from some yoga poses. Something that is lower or no impact but still helps strengthen your muscles.0
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I'm afraid if I got on the floor I wouldn't be able to get back up. lol I'm a lot older than you and the Lupus has taken it's toll but I need to work harder at stopping it. It wears you out.0
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I'm afraid if I got on the floor I wouldn't be able to get back up. lol I'm a lot older than you and the Lupus has taken it's toll but I need to work harder at stopping it. It wears you out.
I am down to my last week, from 30 mg, fairly mild bout of Crohns. From the little I understand of Lupus, it seems evil. I guess all of us are seeing what we can get away with, what works, and which of the things we believe are true, and which are not.
I would suggest you need to take whatever it is you can do now, and push it. Push it on the good days. Is a gym an option? a fitball at home? a few light weights at home?0 -
I also have Lupus and i completely umderstand the difficulty of exercising when you have Lupus. I find that the only thing to do for me, is know your body, know when you are feeling too sick to exercise and don't over do it on the good days, or you will pay for it the next. Right now I have been doing 30 minutes of walking on the treadmill. I haven't been feeling well this week so I havent be able to go on it. I know they are expensive but having a treadmill has been great for me... Being inside in the air conditioning and being able to start or stop when i need to. It can be quite scary walking a distance outside and not knowing if you will make it back. Do you have a treadmill? Also the gym was the worst, so many germs. I have only been going on the treadmill for about a week, but i have to admit that the little bit of exercise has really helped. I found that each day i was able to stay on alittle longer. You should find what works for you and slowly you will be able to do alittle more.0
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My place is too small for a treadmill or any exercise equipment but I've been using my bed to do some leg lifts and stretching. I bought the ShakeWeight and use that for a few minutes at a time...it looks a lot easier than it really is. lol
I agree, walking too far can be scarey because when my body gives out there isn't a lot of warning. I walk around my yard several times a day, usually my dog and cat walk with me...my cat on a leash. And I try not to sit for more than a 1/2 hour without getting up and walking around. The stretching has helped a lot and I'm pretty flexible considering, but I don't feel I'm working the muscles well enough, they're so weak it's hard and when I do push it a little they get very weak. That's the problem I have today after using the ShakeWeight yesterday.0 -
I was also in extreme pain over the last 3 years. I found yoga dvds on netflix.com that really helped me. (Healing Yoga: For Aches and Pains and Healing Yoga: For Common Conditions) At first it was very hard to finish more than 10 min but I stuck with it and was so surprised how quickly I gained strength.
Also, consider going to physical rehab. I went when I had bursitis and it was really an enlightening experience. Through accupuncture, heat, ultra sonic treatments and guided exericises they helped me recover enough strength to start exercising. I hired a trainer to take over from that point and while it has been trial and error I have experienced increasingly good health.
Good luck and don’t give up!!0 -
I also have lupus - sle & I have to say that curves circuits was the beginning of my exercise program.. I never imagined that I could ever use an exercise machine again in my life as the lupus had me at an all time low, in & out of hospital on a regular basis. my mother worked there & pushed me to go. Mean while I thought she did not understand my illness & was crazy.. I went & found it extremely hard but was amazed I completed it and after my second week I found health improvements to which I ran a 10 k last year. I now know my body if I am tired or feel a flare come on I rest till I feel the strength to gentle exercise & gradually build it up, I now feel I have to exercise as I can't believe how energized & happy I feel after. I try to stay focused, strong & positive. I have been in that place where I was in so much pain & thought exercise was a distant memory but I surprised myself.0
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Pilates? It's a bit "rehabilitative" and gentle. It actually started as a rehab exercise program.0
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Thanks everyone for the responses and suggestions. I dug out an old Pilates DVD but I think I may check out the Netflix Yoga ones since they're geared more towards people with health issues. At least it will be a place for me to start without getting discouraged. I know I couldn't do Curves right now. I was in the hospital a lot too the last couple of years and was barely able to walk before taking prednisone. So I imagine it will take me awhile to build up my strength. As you all know, it's really hard to commit to anything when you don't know how you're going to feel one day to the next. Plus, I'm anemic and go for regular infusions to keep up my hemoglobin and ferritin. Anemia really makes you feel tired all the time.0
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I have Vasculitis an autoimmune disease and I am on on the horrible drug Cortisone. Along with some other nasty drugs. I am a 42 mom with 2 boys. I have to take high dosages of cortisone to stay alive. But with the side effects of this drug I have gained lots of weight. I am way over my recommended weight. Now I have to try to lose it with the slow reduction of the drug. It is a struggle, but I am going to try. I need to lose in the start 30 pounds. At least that is my goal for now. But I would like to be in a group with others that know and understand the stresses etc that goes with chronic conditions.0
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At the beginning of February I was using a walker with a seat so I could rest whenever I needed to. Today I did 3 hours in the pool of walking, weights, and pool side calisthenics. I started s l o w. Fairly quickly, I noticed changes in my ability to walk, stand and just move in general. I kept telling myself, "I challenge myself to do xx minutes." As I got stronger I added time. On days I didn't want to go, I would tell myself, you only have to do half of the time today. By the time I got that done, I would see I could do the entire time. I promise it does get easier.
BTW, I have neuropathy in my feet and they hurt all the time. I wear good water shoes for support ( I changed the insoles to a walking insole for more cushion and support) and also wear socks. Does it look funny? Don't know and don't care. It helps me move.
I do pool side push-ups and squats. I can do lots of squats in the pool. Last week I tried doing them on land and thought I would die.0 -
i tend to like yoga so far...i have lupus with really bad joint pain and chest issues (pleurisy and pericardial issues) so I def understand not being able to do jumping jacks and stuff like that, bouncing HURTS!! my dr suggested yoga and pilates because they are gentler.0
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Yoga is definitely the way to go. I workout a lot and really hard and am injured all the time by weak muscle mass. I have started yoga and had no injuries but still had an equally hard workout.0
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Go to Walmart and get some exercise pedals for table top type thing and pedals with your hands that's what I do, and it has helped me, and my back I help by stretching and doing balance ball stretches0
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Try using a balance/exercise ball for your back and belly dancing, and tabletop pedals for exercise you can get them at walmart, you can pedal with your feet from the couch or with your hands just put a pillow in your lap and the pedal base on the pillow and go , to log the pedaling with your arms it's considered an ergo meter
Good luck0
