Let's Get Physical!

It's been a while...I know. Between getting back into the groove of work (which is going pretty well so far), not feeling like I had very much to say and allowing a negative comment to get to me waaaaay more than I thought I had - let's just say it has taken a while to get inspired. And that's ok. Life is like that sometimes. However, a friend of mine reminded me this morning that October is lupus awareness month! I didn't realise it, because there's also lupus awareness in May. The way I see it though, any month is the best month to raise awareness. So here we go!

One of the things I have been trying to get back into is exercise. I had enrolled in the local gym early in the year, because I'm the type of person who has to pay for something in order to keep up with it. I take the money I spend on things very seriously. I was doing pretty well until just before summer (when I started feeling worse and worse) and just could not find the energy to leave home in the mornings. And even if I did go, I couldn't keep up with the exercises. I ended up feeling worse afterwards. I think one of the main problems was that I was pushing myself too much. With lupus, you have to pace yourself and not demand too much at one time, because joint issues are one of the main complaints.

Joint pain (arthralgia) and inflammation (arthritis) can make even the simplest tasks incredibly difficult. I remember a time when I was going through a rough patch (I think it was late 2007) and every morning I would wake up to swollen fingers, elbows, knees and ankles - any part with joints I needed to bend with ease. I still had all my hair at the time and it was very hard to style it properly; getting on clothes was a task; and just walking took an age. I seriously felt like I had become an old lady overnight! At first, these feelings would subside as the day progressed, however, over the next few months, it became an all day thing. I was no longer able to dance (one of my passions) and playing the piano and cello became increasingly difficult. Luckily, everyone was very patient with me. My family helped me at home as much as they could; I can still see my boyfriend at the time (now husband :-D) pulling me up off the couch after we watched tv because it was that difficult just to get up and helping me to move around wherever we went; and the school I worked at allowed me to change my schedule so that I would be working at a time that suited how I was feeling. Eventually, I was put on prednisone, a common corticosteroid used to fight inflammation. I think I have mentioned before that this drug can have serious long-term effects to bones and joints, but boy do they help you feel normal again! They took the inflammation right down and I was able to move around as freely as ever. So...back to exercise!

I have read that if there is inflammation in the joints, it is important to be careful when exercising. Activities such as tennis, bowling, golf, weight lifting, or rowing can be very harmful to inflamed joints. They tend to put too much stress on one single joint. Good exercises are isometric exercises (posing for a long as you can in a particular position), stretching and Pilates. These strengthen the muscles without moving the joints too much. Also, walking, swimming and bicycling are good to get into. Of course, those are typically outdoor activities so remember the need to stay out of the sun. Good thing treadmills and stationary bicycles were invented!

The less expensive route is, of course, is to workout at home. I have found that when getting into certain "fad" exercises (you know the ones that tell you to do specific things and each day the number increases?), I can't keep up. I give in within five days and feel like a failure. I need balance. Of late, I have started to put together my own little routine for the days I don't go to the gym. One thing that has really helped is that I have been using a pilates ball to help me to do things like planks and crunches. Over the years I've wondered, "why am I so terrible at planks, pushups and crunches?" I just can't seem to push myself to complete a desired set. For the planks and pushups, I have realised that I have very weak elbows, made worse by the fact that they cannot straighten (something all my dance teachers cuss me about - "Straighten your arms, Emily!' - I can't help it though!). I'm told I have arthritis in them. So I now use the ball to cushion my elbows while planking. For pushups, I stay on my knees to reduce the pressure on my elbows, but lean forward to make it a little harder and feel more of a burn. For crunches, I rest my back on the ball. It has nothing to do with my elbows, but it's just way more fun, waaaay easier and I still feel the results ;-). YouTube has been a great friend too - different videos give ideas for whatever part of the body you want to work. I've been switching it up every week...tryna make it fun and interesting. I also found a good, manageable 'before shower' set of exercises: 50 jumping jacks, 30 second plank, 30 high knees and 20 crunches. Early on in my diagnosis, my mother had bought a rebounder. This is supposed to be an excellent way to both exercise and it has other great health benefits. It has been hard to keep up with it, but I need to get back on that...literally! Of course, this all has to go hand in hand with good nutrition. Water is clearly an essential part of every day and some of the top foods to fight joint inflammation include: salmon, almonds, papaya, apples, black beans, kale, broccoli, turmeric and ginger.

So that's my two cents on exercise. Remember...pace yourself and do what you can manage, but try to do something every day. Once in a while, find a fitness/dance class to go to. As much as you're being told what to do, listen to your body and don't stress out your joints too much. Happy workouts!