Rheumatoid Arthritis folks?

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jslB
jslB Posts: 7
in Fitness and Exercise
Any suggestions for weight loss/exercise programs for folks with RA? I want to stay medium-low impact, tried jogging and the docs fussed at me. Damned if I do, damned if I don't! ;) What are others doing to achieve weight loss/toning results? I'd like to lose 30lbs, mini goal of 20. I'm 5'4" short and 162lbs light. Any info is appreciated!

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  • tig_ol_bitties
    tig_ol_bitties Posts: 561 Member
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    Lupus here, so RA is one of my symptoms. On days when low impact is all I can handle, I shadowbox. It's a great workout!
  • Spanaval
    Spanaval Posts: 1,200 Member
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    My friend with RA has no trouble doing strength training, yoga and pilates.
  • jslB
    jslB Posts: 7
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    Oh tig, no fun, Godspeed! I will check out shadowboxing for sure, thank ya much! Spanaval, i'm actually working on Jillian Micheals 30DS, might be pushing it a bit, but so far the only issues i've had is a little knee aggravation, some shoulders, and mostly on my wrists/hands doing push-ups. Then again, I had carpal tunnel release surgery on both hands 2 and 4 months ago. It's tolerable so far, just going to keep pushing!
  • poedunk65
    poedunk65 Posts: 1,336 Member
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    I have severe osteo, no aomparison i know. But sawimming is really god for the joints.
  • trish1960
    trish1960 Posts: 39
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    Swimming
  • apierce2010
    apierce2010 Posts: 78 Member
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    I have RA and i do a lot of walking....i actually find that most of the time the walking really helps my joints!!!!
  • itsuki
    itsuki Posts: 520 Member
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    I've had good luck with an elliptical for cardio, and swimming is great.
  • jslB
    jslB Posts: 7
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    I like the elliptical as well, they have a mommy area at the (free) gym here on the air force base that I can go to, just no pool. Kind of mortified by the idea of baring the bod for swimming just yet. Still struggling with the self-love area, but working on it! Thank y'all for the input. I hear pushing cardio is the way to go for weight loss, right?
  • littlepinkhearts
    littlepinkhearts Posts: 1,055 Member
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    I've had RA since I was 42. My worst enemies are.... not enough sleep, excessive stress, refined sugar and skipping medication. So long as I have those things under control, i'm pretty much good to go. I'm doing Jillian Michaels Banish Fat thingy at present, I jog, I do treadmill and i'm just starting weights. My attitude is what doesn't kill me makes me extremely happy lol
  • BklynEibhlin
    BklynEibhlin Posts: 119 Member
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    I have lupus - my physical therapist had me doing pilates (until I lost the good health insurance, blah). It was great for improving my flexibilty, no impact and my range of motion in my joints improved a lot. I'm a huge fan of the elliptical for cardio since it's pretty much no impact and burns a lot of calories, but it can get boring. I just started Jillian Michaels Body Revolution... not so sure how I'm going to do with it.
  • Ritzbrit
    Ritzbrit Posts: 211 Member
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    I have RA bad in both my knees, wrists, and elbows. It got to the point a few months ago I could hardly walk. Luckily, I was able to get better insurance and get back on track with my meds. I knew the excess weight on my body wasn't helping my joints either. I use to be a runner so I was sad that I couldn't do that anymore. I started off by walking, first it was 20 mins a day, then 30, etc. Three weeks later, 8 lbs down and I'm able to use the elliptical :) and can walk most days without a limp. Because of my wrists/elbows, I can't do pushups but I do other strength training. And on bad days, swimming helps. Start off slow! MFP has helped me out a lot with diet. I know you just want to be able to run or do high intense cardio to get fast results but then you'll feel it for a week and not be able to move. With MFP, keeping to my diet I still get results.

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