I ride my bike in nice weather and I have worked up to a 4mph pace walking. I use the elliptical in shorter durations, but will sometimes do two stints on it a few hours apart. I also find putting heat on the affected joints after I work out helps me immensely. I also use lighter weights for toning, as the heavy ones really make me ache badly. What's the point in working out and then not being able to walk the next day?

I'm not sure how severe your symptoms are, but I do a lot of cardio dvd's like Turbo Jam, Zumba and believe it or not Richard Simmons. haha. I just have to modify absolutely everything - except for Richard Simmons. I love his workouts because they are all low-impact high energy...and he cracks me up!

Swimming is the best exercise if you have access to a pool. Otherwise walking always works for me, too.

I wish I could run! That would make me so happy!

I don't know why, but my knees hurt from the minute I get on a bike or elliptical trainer until the minute I get off. It seems crazy that I enjoy jogging and it doesn't seem to bother me. I can only do about 5-6 km and then my body is feeling a bit beaten, but I rarely feel stiff the day after. Instead I feel stiff if I don't walk or run.

I find yoga difficult because my wrists are often achy/inflamed.

The silver lining of being rear-ended last year was that I got physio and personal training paid by my auto insurance. The PT works with many arthritis patients and she really helped me slowly build back up to weight lifting. She said it's really important for arthritis sufferers, but they have to take it slowly and safely. I used to do 60 minute weight lifting classes before lupus/RA, but now I have to be content with lower weights, and most importantly, low reps. The PT said that high reps are bad for anyone with joint pain. It may be necessary to wear a guard on the joint to protect it while you build up the muscles around that joint. Muscle development will ultimately decrease the stress on the joint; it's just that getting to that point will be slow and hard.

Ab exercises are also a great idea, as well as swimming and pool exercise.

Lots of ideas: I had to give up yoga because of my wrists and switched to pilates. I work out once a week with machines and it keeps my core relatively strong. If I could afford it, I would do the machines twice a week. Mat classes on tape are good if you don't have any neck issues but I did for a while. I have gone back to yoga but I do hot yoga in a 90* plus room and I swear it melts the restrictions in my hips and shoulders. However, I can't do low pushup and I trade off down dog with dolphin ( forward bend on your forearms). I took an Ana Forest Yoga intensive for two weeks last summer (3 hrs every morning) and felt great afterwards. The most important thing I learned: Yoga is never about attaining a posture. It's about using the posture to figure our where you need to or can go in your own body. It's a much easier way to think about it that way. Newbies in a yoga class can run in to trouble trying to do what their body can't do. A big problem with RA.

AEROBIC

MORE ABOUT EXERCISE: The reality is I have a lot of ideas about exercise but incredible inertia when it comes to actually doing it, especially since I was diagnosed with RA. I am trying SOOOO hard to be consistent because I NEED the aerobic exercise to get my weight down. If I do too much of any one thing I pay for it and it discourages me for the next day. Example, I walked 2.5 miles on Saturday with some pain on the end and lots of pain on Sunday, half way through it. So today I used my ski machine. Last week I tried to increase the arm resistance and my arms hurt for four days....again discouraging me. I'm not really a complainer but no one in my family really understands what effects my motivation.

The less you do the more you will hurt. That is my experience. You said after the diagnoses it became more painful, so I am wondering if part of it isn't your mind playing tricks on you. How is your diet? After years of trying to find out what was wrong with me RA was finally diagnosed. I completely changed my diet and I have no symptoms now, unless I eat the wrong things. I run and lift alot of weights. I ran a half marathon last year and am training for a full this year. I take no meds at all.
Check into your diet, get rid of all processed stuff and if you would like more info on the diet change that has totally changed my life send me a message. It isn't any scam that you have to pay for or anything like that. Just things that I learned to avoid so that I don't flare up.

I used to be very competitive and played lots of badminton and was in a few ten pin bowling leagues (not really a sport but defo exercise!), but unfortunately can't do either of those now as my arm is the worst affected, can't straighten it, move or lift much with it. Really sad about the badminton particularly, did think the meds would improve it so that I could play again or that I could just switch arms (if/when my ankle issues improve) but it's spread so fast and seems it's now affecting my other arm too so I think I'll have to forget about it :-(

For me now I find water exercise the best, initially I just started by simply walking up and down the pool but now I do an aqua-robics class once or twice a week, and whilst there I usually try and get in a few lengths of front crawl too. Now and again I try to get to the gym as well but I'm very cautious about what I do, mostly I use the treadmill, the recumbant cycle (less pressure on my arms) and occasionally the cross trainer if I'm feeling daring. I also like to do Just Dance 3 on the Wii at home, a fun way of getting exercise without having to leave my house ;-) Or if all else fails I just hobble around the block!

I have no idea how I would get cardio without the recumbent bike. Being on my feet for even a relatively short stretch of time really does a number on my ankles and feet and ruins me for the rest of the day, so walking, and even the elliptical are out. Strength training is pretty easy since I can just avoid the exercises that don't gel with my old lady joints. I agree that ab workouts pack a nice punch without straining any joints...hehe...well other than the spectacle of trying to get to and from the floor. I really am just happy to be able to do the little I can since before I started treatments exercise was laughably impossible.
Anyone else glad to have an existence other than just survival mode?

I bought some DVDs from the arthritis store I like! I got the Tai Chi and love that and also bought their Aerobics DVD! Both are made just for all of us with "Arthur" as the Brits call it! I also like the WII fit but I would love to get the dance routines they have?
I friend was telling me about Zumba! I can follow at a slower pace as long as I don't over do it! I found a lot of dance exercise on YouTube.com like Zumba and Low impact Aerobics! They are free and I can set up my laptop or iPad and do them in 10 minute
Increments 3x a day!