EXERCISE WITH HEALTH PROBLEMS

lsands
lsands Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
How can you exercise with autoimmune disease? Mainly arthritis. This was on a stationary bike. Please help.

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,421 Member
    edited November 2018
    What? Talk to your physical therapist? Not sure I'm understanding.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    edited November 2018
    Take it very slowly and increase incrementally... again, slowly.

    Is the bike comfortable for your particular joint issues(bikes are torture for me, for example... just so you know, I have PsA)?

    If the bike is working for you and it's just that you're not used to exercising, don't think you have to start by going all at it from the start. If you can only do two minutes, then do two minutes. When two minutes becomes easy, try for three. And so on.

    That's how you start to exercise with health problems like autoimmune arthritis. Baby steps.

    You might also find warming up with some dynamic stretching every morning helpful, particularly if you wake up sore every day.

  • pinggolfer96
    pinggolfer96 Posts: 2,248 Member
    I’d say swimming being that it doesn’t place stress on the bones/ joints. Light resistance exercise can actually be beneficial for some with arthritis to increase bone/ muscle density and strength. Ultimately though it’s a question for your doctor/ a specialist
  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
    Find an exercise you can do and start slowly. I have chronic fatigue and arthritis and I walk daily. I started with 4000 steps a day. I still only do 8 - 10 thousand. Exercise is not required to lose weight but it is helpful. My exercise doesn't burn alot of calories but it does seem to reduce my hunger and increase my positivity. Take your time and if you want to keep with the exercise bike try it on a very low setting for a short period of time and increase it slowly over a few months until you are comfortable.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    i have hypersomnia and something like fibro. i started slow and have managed to work up to long distance running and steel aerial equipment.
    start slow. go slow. and don't forget recovery days
    swimming, bikes, elliptical, yoga, pilates, trx all might be good options to start.
  • Horndave22
    Horndave22 Posts: 25 Member
    Have arthritis in feet, knees and back. There are a lot of great suggestions above me in the thread. Here is what has helped me. Find a non impact aerobic exercise that you can do and start slowly. I have worked my way up from no exercise 6 months ago to back where I was. Secondly stretching is next. Talk to a Physical Therapist or google specific stretches you can do to alleviate tightness. I do yoga and I stretch twice a day minimum. There is an adage for people with arthritis. Movement is the only oil your body needs to hold arthritis at bay. However, I have noticed that certain foods and alcohols make my body react with inflammation. So I stay away from those.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    Strength training with a useful intensity within a well written program with appropriate recovery time.

    You more than likely will need variations to lifts or grips at times, but it is very useful in combating RA and lowering the perceived pain as well as stress that goes with it.
    pinggolfer96 wrote: »
    I’d say swimming being that it doesn’t place stress on the bones/ joints. Light resistance exercise can actually be beneficial for some with arthritis to increase bone/ muscle density and strength. Ultimately though it’s a question for your doctor/ a specialist
    Swimming can be painful for a person dealing with RA since the progressive disease actually deforms the joints and eventually "loosening" up the joints.

    While light training might be needed at introduction, literature is showing more heavy lifts closer to a 1RM is appropriate for a person with RA especially useful with pain in the hands of this particular disease.
  • ShayCarver89
    ShayCarver89 Posts: 239 Member
    Honestly I don’t know. I just don’t. I can’t even walk 80% of the time. I currently am having an attack in my hands and it’s making hit hard to grip things and move. I basically just lay there like a log. However I have lost almost 26 pounds just watching what I eat.

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