Firstly the sun is shining, I cannot tell you how much this lifts my spirits...it just makes me feel better. I know of late my posts have had a slightly sombre tone, sometimes with a chronic illness you have periods of reflection that are not necessarily bad...in fact they are very much needed most of the time. It gives you a while to process what is happening to you and also the chance to move the heck on. Luckily I am ready for the next stage now that my flare up is under control and i have never been more thankful for the future as I am right now.
In the past few days I have started to make small steps to getting back on track, small achievements that will help me to see a healthier future. So I thought we should have a celebration today...however small the achievements...we all need to remember that sometimes the tiny things in life make the biggest impact.
I am back to my fitness regime...although it's been modified.
Finally, this week I went back to the gym for the first time in weeks. It felt like an achievement just turning up to be honest, but I didn't give up I was desperate to have some solid exercise. Before I got too ill I was exercising every day, mainly in the pool, however that went out the window very quickly. So as with many things in life I have had to rethink my exercise routine so that I can maintain my fitness but not cause a flare up.
(yes this is a random pic of me doing a 10K swim last year...couldn't think of another one to use)
So this week I started my new plan, I will be exercising in the gym/pool as and when I can. It's that simple, I may go once a week and find I have to stop at that or I may go three times if I need a boost. Although it's not a plan that is set in stone, it is one that is lupus friendly, working with my lifestyle and my health.
On Monday I managed half an hour - which at first seemed like not very long at all when I used to do 2 hours sometimes. Then I realised that I had done half an hour of intense exercise...when only 3 weeks ago I couldn't walk. I did a little victory dance in the gym, yes people looked at me as if I had lost my mind, but they don't know how happy I was in the moment.
My actually exercise plan, which my lupus nurse helped with is as follows;
- 30 minutes uphill walking on the treadmill. No more running as this nearly killed me, but the gradient means that I am being gentle on my joints whilst getting a higher level of cardio workout.
- 45 minutes of gentle swimming (which is not easy for me as I am used to endurance swimming)
- 30 minutes of a mixture between a gentle bike ride and walking uphill.
I have worked on my diet...
Firstly I don't need a lose weight type diet, the Lupus does this for me anyway nowadays. This is a new diet plan packed full of lupus friendly foods and drinks. I have realised that my diet does play a part in how I feel from day to day, although I am not the firmest believer of foods curing disease, I do believe they play their part.
I have noticed a difference this week in my skin and general energy levels. I mean I have gone from absolutely zero energy to maybe a little energy during the day...enough to keep me working and writing to you guys. Part of this will be down to my choice of fruit and museli at breakfast - slow releasing energy foods are the way forward for me. I have found that I no longer hit a slump around 11am...maybe now hitting the wall about 2pm - which is a huge improvement and one I hope to continue working on.
In general, I have introduced more fiber and protein into my diet...extremely essential now that I am starting to exercise again. The fiber has also been helping with my stomach symptoms, keeping them at bay and stopping the indigestion caused by my medications.
Currently my favorite lupus friendly foods are;
- Broccoli - I have been eating this raw, which I know some people may find strange, but it is full of iron and keeps me filled up.
- Fish and lots of it - I have pretty much a 90% fish based diet and there are so many recipes out there that I haven't got bored of it yet.
- Pineapple - Pineapple has a natural anti - inflammatory within it and by snacking on this when I feel really sore I have noticed a difference.
- Water with Lemon - This is one of my favorite go to drinks, firstly it helps to flush your kidneys which I need and secondly the lemon gives you a vitamin C boost.
This may seem like an odd achievement, but trust me it has not been an easy thing to do. For the past 9 days I have woken up to my alarm, managed to get out of bed within an hour, get showered, do my hair although I still struggle to lift the hair dryer and finally put on appropriate clothing - apart from one day where I forgot I was in my PJ's. That my friends is a monumental achievement!
Even I am not sure how I have managed to do this. Some of it is down to having the routine of work back in my life...I know I need to get up to get into the office...part of it will be the steroids helping with the morning soreness...and part of it will be sheer determination. Whatever the reasons I will make it to 10 days...then 11 days!
