Exercise for Disabled

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anneliese1
anneliese1 Posts: 9
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all!

So, I am having a really hard time with trying to find good exercises for myself. I am 32, and have several major medical issues- fibrolyalgia, severe indometriosis, broken foot (at the moment), arthritis in my knees and low back...and I feel STUCK! lol

Can any of you suggest where to start with exercise when I have all this craziness going on??? I used to love to bike and run, but in the past few years I have come to the point where I can't do that any more. I can't even walk to the mailbox without severe pain in my back and abdomen.

Please HELP!!! Thanks! :)
Anneliese

Replies

  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
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    What about the upper-body cycle?

    http://www.nextag.com/upper-body-cycle/shop-html

    It's a bike you pedal with your hands. It still increases your HR and burns calories without getting you on your feet. :smile:
  • anneliese1
    anneliese1 Posts: 9
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    that might work, the upper body cycle. but too much exercise tends to set off my fibromyalgia and I end up in more pain than I started with! lol
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
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    that might work, the upper body cycle. but too much exercise tends to set off my fibromyalgia and I end up in more pain than I started with! lol

    With fibro you should start with just a few minutes a day. Don't try to work through the pain. If you can make it 3 minutes, that's 3 more than if you hadn't tried at all! :smile:
  • adopt4
    adopt4 Posts: 970 Member
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    find things that are not painful, don't worry about what other people do. stretch your legs out, do some resistance, etc. there are several people on here with fibro who do what they can when they can and don't stress it when they can't.

    for you, losing weight may be more the eating part than the exercise, there's nothing wrong with that. just don't stress yourself out to think you "have" to do things a certain way becuz others are. make an appt with a physical therapist or your dr and ask what exercises would be appropriate for you. extremely overweight people who can't get up and walk have the same problems, and my advice is always do what you can and build on it.
  • leshawnturner
    leshawnturner Posts: 382
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    that might work, the upper body cycle. but too much exercise tends to set off my fibromyalgia and I end up in more pain than I started with! lol

    I understand your problems with fibro because I suffer from it too. I'm going through a bout of really bad pain just by being awake now. I found that if I do yoga or pilates (even 10 mins) a day or more like every other day it helps with some of the pain and stiffness. My problem comes with the weight not coming off nearly as fast as I want it too. I'm sure I need to tune up my eating even more which is hard enough, but I work through the pain (that's just me and my obession with weight loss). I would try the upper body cycle maybe 3 times a week one week and then yoga/pilates 3xs a week another week. That should help with not triggering your fibro.
  • twilight1542
    twilight1542 Posts: 403
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    Have you ever considered swimming? The water provides resistance, but your natural buoyancy in the water reduces impact on your joints. Even if you just walk in the water or tread water you will increase your heart rate. My Dad is very disabled--he's my bionic man--& water exercises have been great or him.

    Since you have pre-existing medical conditions & are trying to lose weight you should definitely consult your doctor & he should be able to refer you to a physical therapist who can recommend the best course for you given your limitations.

    Best of luck in your journey :)

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