Your Exercise Routine
Your Exercise Routine
Getting the right amount of exercise can be a difficult task - especially if you are living with a chronic illness.
However, moving your body can warm up your muscles, strengthen your bones, help you sleep better, and can even have some cool health benefits.
The trick to making your exercise routine is to start small and keep doing it over and over. Eventually it will become a habit. This routine will become second nature to you and, in time, you you will find yourself exercising without even thinking about it.
If you find that your illness causes you to miss a few days, just give yourself a break and start back up when you feel better.
What does your daily exercise routine look like when your illness flares up?
You understand that exercise will help your illness, but you are struggling to find a routine that actually works for you.
You are curled up in the fetal position trying to get rid of the pain and I have the nerve to tell you that you need to exercise.
I get it. I hate it when the doctors tell me that I just need to lose weight - especially when it takes all of my effort just to sit upright. How am I possibly supposed to find a way to exercise?!?
However, this is what I found out:
Exercise could be as simple as stretching the muscles so you can move a little easier.
A few yoga poses in the morning will get the blood flowing.
A dance party counts as exercise.
Any movement is better than no movement.
If you add movement to your morning routine, you can be one step ahead before you even start your day.
I have spent a few months in a boot -with a broken foot. Unable to put any weight on my foot, I had to find a way to get around. The knee scooter could take me from room to room, but I couldn't get up the steps and had to learn to be okay with crawling. The problem was that by the time I got to the top of the stairs, I was exhausted.
After crawling up and down the stairs a few times, I started to wonder how I was ever going to find the energy to exercise on top of it all. That's when I realized that some of the pain I was feeling came from crawling up and down the stairs. I was using muscles I didn't normally use.
Hey, I was exercising! It counts! And as long as I remembered to do some stretching to soothe my muscles, I figured I would be okay with this type of exercising.
Any exercising tips that could help people with illness, please let me know.
Why exercise?
I mean, you're already in pain and your energy level is close to zero. Shouldn't you be saving your energy to do the things that need to be done? Why should you use that energy to exercise?
First of all, in order to be healthier, you need to make sure that your body is healthier. One of the easiest ways to do that is to make it stronger - by exercising. Once your body is stronger, you will feel better, strengthen your muscles and bones, and even have more energy to do other things.
Another reason to exercise is to relieve stress. As you know, stress can cause all sorts of problems - including depression, insomnia, weight gain, and can even add to your already growing list of illnesses. Exercising will help lower your stress levels, increase your happy hormones, and help you combat the issues that seem to be taking over your life.
If you don’t make exercise a part of your life, your muscles will continue to tighten, stress will increase and cause your blood pressure to rise, you will have trouble sleeping, and all of your symptoms could not only get worse, but could cause other illnesses to appear.
How can you add exercise into your life?
Start small. You don't have to run a 5K for it to count as exercise. Just start moving: walk, stretch, dance, or just find a way to get off the couch. Add a little more movement every time and eventually you will see that you can do way more than you thought you could. Remember, every little bit counts!
Don't forget to stretch! Stretching can count as exercise. Think of how tight your muscles are when you first wake up in the morning. If you don't stretch them, they get tighter and cause pain and other issues. Stretch! It helps improve your circulation, increases your movement range, and helps take way some of the pain. And, it counts as a form of exercise, too!
Add a few extra movements to the tasks you are already doing. When you're sweeping or mopping the floor, do a few lunges. While you're brushing your teeth, maybe add a couple of squats. While you're doing the dishes, turn up the music and dance. Those few extra movements count as exercise!
These are only a few things to get you started. What other ways can you think of that would add more exercise into your life - even on your bad days?
Tips To Rebuild Your Strength
Long illnesses and serious conditions can cause you to need a break from exercise. But you now how important exercise can be for you to get stronger and healthier. You understand that exercise is the way to build your strength, but you aren't sure how to get started on your journey back to becoming that stronger person.
Rebuild Your Strength:
Once you are cleared by your medical team, it's time to get back to your normal activities. However, it's important to remember to start slowly and increase the amount of time and energy a little every day.
Gradually add your daily tasks - paying close attention to activities such as bathing yourself, dressing yourself, and moving freely around your house.
Once you are up to it, add small exercise activities such as stretching, walking, lunging, dancing, or whatever else you are comfortable doing.
Remember to stay hydrated - drinking water before, during, and after your exercise sessions.
Keep Going:
Increase your activities as you feel up to it. Add five more minutes to your exercise time or walk two blocks instead of one.
Motivate yourself. Keep telling yourself that you are doing great. Post motivational quotes where you can see them. And don't forget to celebrate any accomplishments you have achieved!
Accept help and encouragement when you need it. Your family, friends, and medical team want to see you succeed. Allow them to help you, motivate you, and empower you to take back your health!
These are just a few tips to help you get started. Please remember to check with your physician before starting any exercise routines.
Set SMART Goals For Wellness
You are hearing about wellness from all sorts of places. But you aren't sure why you should be focusing on wellness when you are so ill. Shouldn't you try to get through the illness before you start worrying about being well?
I like to focus on one thing at a time. It helps me to stay focused and actually achieve whatever goal is in front of me. However, I have realized that by focusing on the illness and the things I can't do because of that illness, I have stayed stuck in my illness and had a hard time moving past it.
In order to bet better, you need to focus on getting better. One of the best ways to change that focus is to set goals to make those changes. The SMART Goals Method is a great way to do that! Here's how it works:
SMART Goals
S - Set SPECIFIC goals - The more specific the goal is, the easier it is to achieve.
M - Set MEASURABLE goals - Goals are easier to reach when you have something to work towards.
A - Set ATTAINABLE goals - Make sure that the goals you are able to be reached.
R - Set REALISTIC goals - Make sure that these goals are something you can do - even on your bad days.
T - Set TIMELY goals - These goals should have a time frame that will help you stay on track.
Keep your goals simple and realistic. Don't set a goal that you can't achieve on your bad days because you don't know how many bad days you are going to have until a good day comes around.
The whole point here is to set goals that you can achieve so that you can build your confidence and your strength. Hang in there! You can do it. Just keep going and don't give up!
You Can Manage Chronic Disease With Exercise!
You understand the importance of exercise when you are living with chronic diseases. However, sometimes you get so caught up in feeling better that you forget to actually exercise.
Don't worry - we have all been there at least a few times!
In fact, it happened to me recently. So I searched for a little help on the internet. What I found was a poster from Black Swan Health that helps me to remember the five steps of exercise.
Here are the five steps they came up with to help you manage chronic disease with exercise:
WARM UP - You should warm up before any workout. Warming up can increase focus, raise metabolic rate, and increase cardio-respiratory function
CARDIO - You should shoot for about 150 minutes per week, but please remember to pace yourself. Cardio has been known to assist with weight loss, improve heart and lung function, and improve mood.
STRENGTH - Strength exercises should follow cardio. Please make sure you have proper form and technique. The exercises can help develop strong bones, manage chronic pain symptoms, and can even help control weight.
BALANCE - Balance exercises can be practiced all the time. Just make sure to have a safe space around you and balance support if you need. The exercises have been known to improve your coordination, control your core, and help your posture.
RELAXATION - Remember to relax at the end of every workout. Do not skip this part! This exercise helps you lower your heart rate, better stress management, and increased awareness.
I love that they put everything on their poster and it can be right at my fingertips any time I need them.
However, I do want to point out that when you have chronic illnesses, sometimes you need to tweak your exercise program. It's okay to make the changes you need. This is only a suggestion.
I also want to remind you that before you start any exercise program, you should check with your physician to make sure it's safe for you.
Plan Your Fitness
When your illness is flaring up and you are trying to get some control over your life again, it can be very helpful to have a written plan in place so you don't have to think about what to do next.
I have created a fitness planner that can help keep you on track - especially when you can't think straight.
This planner includes a place for you to keep track of your goals, your motivation, your meals, water intake, and your exercise. It has so much more information available to get you on track.
You can download your FREE copy of this Fitness Planer at: https://bit.ly/fitness_planner
Have a healthy and pain-free day!
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