exercise for people with chronic conditions

hrmom26

hello all ,
i am i guess at this point a RA veteran {rhuemitiod arthritis} but i am still learning. I have been dealing with my RA for a few years but i have finally just lately got myself to a good doctor and i am starting to get myself moving. when i started my "diet" i put parenthesizes because i guess its more of a new lifestyle than a diet for me at the beginning of the year. I had 125 pounds to lose.. I'm at the point now that i have to add in exercise and am struggling a bit . i started walking a mile and a half a day and was thrown into a flair , my hip was soooo not loving the new movement. i started a membership with my local y and i get from others gentle yoga, strength classes, pool exercises are a good place to start. my questions are simple i guess for those of you that have tackled a major body overhaul with RA or any other chronic pain condition. how long do you wait after a flare to get back at it? what exercises {like machines at a gym} beside the classes work best? do you start slow and work your way up? With the average person that's losing weight its all about pushing your self like you see on that show biggest loser yelling at them to keep going keep pushing but i can't imagine that's a good idea for me with RA , am i wrong? I feel weird about starting the gym machines because i feel like where everyone else will be like push push push i will be like slow slow slow .

I am i hate to admit it, almost scared of the gym at the same time i am so excited to start, you can't see my disease you just see a person over weight that looks like they are not trying much , i am i guess slightly embarrassed at how slow i will need to start all this i picture in my head getting on the elliptical machine next to this buff toned women lasting maybe 5 minutes tops and being about to pass out and her looking at me like i am a hot mess.

so anyone else go threw what i have? any advice would be great thanks
heather

ninerbuff

RA is tough because a lot of times you'll never know when it's going to hit. I've worked with many people with RA and lots of times I've had to cut sessions short because of pain. Don't be discouraged to the point where you don't do some exercise. More importantly, just try doing some physical activity of any type even if it's just walking.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
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Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ElizabethKalmbach

I get pseudo-gout from hashimoto's thyroiditis, and I've lately had some neuropathy from B12 deficiency. I lift heavy and avoid cardio, because it's easier on my pain levels and joints to do 30 squats with 115 lbs than it is to take the same step 10,000 times while jogging. If the pain of any ONE lifting activity is too much, I can usually find a substitution that works, or skip that ONE activity for the workout and move on to working some other muscle.

Kxgz

Hey there. I have chronic pain which includes spinal arthritis and stenosis so I totally understand what you are going thru. Just do what you can and know that you are doing what YOU can at your best. It is hard for me to not have that push, push attitude but I stay mindful of my body and it's pain levels etc.. Feel free to add me : ) o and the elliptical is amazing and causes no pain at all for me even during a bad "flare up." Keep going and good luck!

lwagnitz

I don't have RA but I have SI joint issues which causes chronic back pain as well as hip pain and had surgery, recurring pain from a broken foot. All from injuries in high school; lucky girl, I know. In all honesty, everyone is different, and I've learned to listen to my body. Don't feel like you have to push yourself. I did, because that's what I was used to being a competitive athlete and just push through the pain and go go go. But boy, does it change when you have injuries or chronic pain. Learn from my mistakes and don't end up in an ER getting pain meds shot in you because you pushed to hard. I can't stress enough to LISTEN to your body. If I need to take a few days off I gradually go back in. I would advise staying away from classes for now so you can learn your own pace and not feel pushed. Also, like you've said, water exercises will be most beneficial to you; I would start there and work your way up.

freindsofmine

Perfect quistion ,just pulling out of a flare,yesterday was the first day that i felt have way right ,i wonder this same quistion .but if i dont exercise im in more pain ,if i want to feel better i exercise..im just not over doing it .

Azdak

It may be best at first not to think in terms of traditional "exercise" sessions, but more movement to tolerance, and total minutes per day divided into smaller sessions.

Your initial goal is going to be simple mobilization and trying to develop some consistency within your range of tolerance. Don't think in terms of a "30 minute" workout at first. Work at a level you can tolerate and stop before provoking any symptoms.

You can improve, but it like is not going to be a linear progression--you will have good days and bad days. Good luck

knittnponder

I have fibro and have found that the key is to listen to what my body is doing that day. The days I feel good I have to be careful not to push it too far or I overdo it and end up regretting it. I also find that weight lifting is kinder to me than cardio that has me jumping around or impacts my joints. The Leslie Sansone Walk Away the Pounds series is my fall back workout for days when I'm feeling the Fibro more. It's low impact and I have several in varying lengths so I choose the one that works best for me that day.

I will say that if you start slow and build up you will feel better with exercise. At least I do! Sometimes it takes a monumental effort to get up and get going but I never regret having done it. Even if I am just convincing myself that 10 minutes on the treadmill is all I have to do, I usually end up going longer because those lovely endorphins kick in and I feel better.

There is a "Chronic pain & weight loss" group on here. It's not super active but when you post people respond.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/957-chronic-pain-weight-loss

SunnyAndrsn

hello all ,
i am i guess at this point a RA veteran {rhuemitiod arthritis} but i am still learning. I have been dealing with my RA for a few years but i have finally just lately got myself to a good doctor and i am starting to get myself moving. when i started my "diet" i put parenthesizes because i guess its more of a new lifestyle than a diet for me at the beginning of the year. I had 125 pounds to lose.. I'm at the point now that i have to add in exercise and am struggling a bit . i started walking a mile and a half a day and was thrown into a flair , my hip was soooo not loving the new movement. i started a membership with my local y and i get from others gentle yoga, strength classes, pool exercises are a good place to start. my questions are simple i guess for those of you that have tackled a major body overhaul with RA or any other chronic pain condition. how long do you wait after a flare to get back at it? what exercises {like machines at a gym} beside the classes work best? do you start slow and work your way up? With the average person that's losing weight its all about pushing your self like you see on that show biggest loser yelling at them to keep going keep pushing but i can't imagine that's a good idea for me with RA , am i wrong? I feel weird about starting the gym machines because i feel like where everyone else will be like push push push i will be like slow slow slow .

I am i hate to admit it, almost scared of the gym at the same time i am so excited to start, you can't see my disease you just see a person over weight that looks like they are not trying much , i am i guess slightly embarrassed at how slow i will need to start all this i picture in my head getting on the elliptical machine next to this buff toned women lasting maybe 5 minutes tops and being about to pass out and her looking at me like i am a hot mess.

so anyone else go threw what i have? any advice would be great thanks
heather

Do you have access to a pool? Being in the water may ease the pain, and you can get a great workout in the water. I have chronic pain in my right foot, and when I started working out, it was mainly in the water because it was easier to do pain-wise. I also took painkillers right before I worked out, which also helped.

For me, I really had to push the first few weeks to just get through it, and then everything seemed to settle down. It was hard, but I stuck with it. If I get off track with exercise, I have to go through it all over again. I don't know if this will be true for you, as I don't have RA.

Getting off 54 pounds has certainly helped overall with my pain issues.

ingeh

All my family have RA and my knee joints are weak and if I do too much heavy impact exercises then I suffer for days/weeks after. Im only doing low impact workouts along side my ripped in 30 and substituting some of the jumpy moves for jogging or easier versions.