You may or may not know that I am a gym bunny, water baby and hiking hippie! I love nothing more than to exercise regularly and reach the goals I set myself. It helps my mental state, it helps my confidence and most of all it helps my lupus!
The question is, how do I keep it up when all I want to do is sleep all day?
Most of the time I have no idea how I get myself to the pool or gym! Some of it is down to routine and some of it is sheer will power. Most of the time though, it simply comes from pal long how and when I will exercise. So I thought I would share my plan with you, why I ask myself certain questions and how I make sure I have learn the difference between should and shouldn't.
Set realistic goals
I cannot do everything I want to do - fact. I cannot use the treadmill as it's to hard on my joints, I cannot do more than one cross fit class without getting a flare up the next day and I certainly can't be doing a weight training class. This doesn't meant that there aren't things that I can do, I swim a lot, I can use the cross trainer, the bike, I can do yoga and most of all I have to remind myself that I can do exercise.
Start off your plan by being realistic with the things that you can do. It may be that you will have a shirt list, such as just walking, and that is absolutely fine. Walking is one of the best forms of exercise anyway and if you simply do 30 minutes a day you will feel the benefits. The most important thing to remember is not to push yourself straight into a grueling exercise regime, you will end up exhausted or worse - injured.
Plan for the days when you can't do a lot
On an average day I walk for an hour - this is to get to work and do the things that I have to do. So when a bad day strikes, I can still be assured that I have done some form of exercise. I tend to get annoyed with myself when I have packed my gym bag and KNOW that I will not make it today. It is a vicious cycle of self loathing and guilt that I am trying hard to curb.
So from now on I have including a simple plan for the days when I am stuck on the coach. I don't know about you, but when I am feeling really ill, fresh air and a gentle stroll does help to counteract some of the pain. However some days I can do nothing at all, so for these days I take the exercise I was going to do and replace it with reading or another activity that is just as stimulating to me.
I plan my exercise weekly
As a general rule and to help with the Lupus fog, I plan my week in advance and this include exercise. As I said, I get walking in for the majority of the days, so my plan starts with this and then includes other activities that I can do. I have chosen Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays as my exercise days - giving myself a day in between to let myself recover.
On these days I will either swim, use the gym or try out something new like yoga, but I limit it to 3 days and only 30 minutes. Now I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but the reality is that anymore that I have had to change my exercise plan over the last couple of weeks as I have grown weaker. I also have to remember that if I can't stick to the plan then that is OK. Any athlete will tell you that having a week off to recover is normal and even more important when you have Lupus, Fibromyalgia or Arthritis.
Add reminders to the plan
One thing that I personally find difficult, especially when I get to the gym, is reminding myself WHY I am putting myself through the pain. The answers are simple, I will feel better for it the next day, I will find my joints aren't as stiff and it will help my blood pressure - I have the Lupus Anticoagulant so I am terrified of blood clots developing.
Now that I have the reminders of why I am pushing myself, I can look forward to feeling better and healthier.
Do you exercise with a chronic illness? What are the benefits for you?
