Exercise | An Aud Life

I truly believe that a big part of my battle against the effects of Rheumatoid Arthritis is my physical activity. I have found that since I’ve been more intensive and regular with my exercise, flare ups and their duration are at a minimum.

I’m not a work out freak, my daily regimen of exercise consists of simple leg exercises and walking, sometimes swimming (weather permitting). Working through fatigue is my biggest obstacle, not pain as I would have thought a year ago. I’m very stubborn and when pain rears it’s ugly head, it’s its own worst enemy because I work to defeat it; but fatigue… it causes me to be too tired to be stubborn!

My leg exercises are quite low impact and are more of a stretching and light muscle work. I stand on a 1.5 inch high board, feet about 6-8 inches apart, and hold on to a wall with one hand (to keep me from falling over). I stretch my right leg out behind me, with toe touching the floor, then lift slowly, as high as I can, usually a 1′6” to 2′ above the floor. I started out doing a set of 30, now I can do sets of 60 at a time. Next, I do set with the left leg. After that exercise I stand feet together with the toes and balls of my feet, on the edge of the board so that my heels are touching the floor, and I slowly lift upwards, going on tiptoes. I started doing a set of 15, now I’m up to 35 lifts per set. I try and do 4 sets of each exercise every day.

The separate leg lifts, done behind the body, have helped my hips and back, (not to mention they’ve toned my glutes). And the together leg lifts have kept my calves strong, which in turn have made a positive impact on my ankles and knees.

I walk every day. I started out on small excursions with my portly Labrador retriever, about a half mile or 10 minutes. Now I can walk longer and do, but not the dog! He’s getting very old and has started to refuse to walk any further than he wants to. So I’ve began a 2 stage walk now, 1st stage is with him for 15 minutes, around the block and into the park, then back home. I drop him off for stage 2, I grab my i pod, and walk for 3 miles. We are both very happy.

Keeping mobile is hard with dealing with chronic pain and fatigue, but it’s crucial. Inactivity leads to lax muscles, the loss of energy the body needs, and of course there is weight gain which will add to more pain and fatigue.

I’m interested to hear how others use exercise as part of their fight against the effects of arthritis. Got any tid bits, advice, things to add? Please feel free to make a comment!

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How better to get to know someone than to go through a day with them! If you would like to get to know me a bit more- you’re invited to join me in a typical day!

I’m a morning person, being the first one up at 6am is a good way to start. I’m usually awakened by my cat licking my eyelids, wanting her few ounces of milk every morning. But first things first- the coffee gets started! It takes a few minutes to make it down to the kitchen because of the stiff joints (Frankenstein’s monster comes to mind!) Lurch, groan, shuffle…

Once the cat is happy and the coffee perked, the dog and I head to the front porch and my rocking chair! I sit curled up with my steamy mug, the dog stretched out and snoring again, and watch and listen.

Unless it’s too damp and chilly, that’s where I start my day. There’s something wonderful about watching everything wake up. The birds are busy and singing their hearts out, people walking their dogs, sun peaking over the trees and the air is so fresh. Right now, there are three baby sparrows in a shrub 8 feet away from my chair!

Once I feel rejuvenated, it’s head first into the day. I bring up a cup of coffee to my husband and wake my girls for their day. And thank goodness for the first hour of quiet solitude because the next is crazy. More often than not there are a few squabbles between my two girls (they aren’t morning people). “She’s looking at me.” “It’s my turn to use the bathroom” “She was spitting on my toothbrush!” Sometimes I understand why some wild animals eat their young! But that’s usually only during the school year, right now it’s the summer holidays and they’re much more content and cheery. I still head for the vitamin D and take 1,000 IU to give me energy for the day. I’ve found that Rheumatoid Arthritis has robbed me of so much of my energy, and vitamin D has been my saving grace for a boost and aide with my bones.

After sending off my husband to his office with a kiss and his lunch, the girls and I have “school”. I’ve painted with water colors, taken sketching and graphics courses since I was 18, and I’m now teaching Gayle and Jillian how to paint. I am not a very good or patient teacher, but we’re having fun and the girls show a lot of promise and interest in their own creations! It’s very therapeutic to to be painting, even to talk about this passion seems like I’m winning a small battle in this war against Rheumatoid Arthritis.

It takes a couple hours to set up, paint and instruct and then clean up and put away, so by the time it’s all finished it’s lunch time and the girls are ready to get away from “Master Mom”. After a quick bite, they’re into the pool, weather permitting. I have found that cold water does excruciating things to my joints, especially my knees, feet and elbows, so unless it’s above 80oF, I’m the sun soaking observer. But the hot tub is another subject. What a wonderful tool to aid in pain fighting. So comforting and soothing as the heat penetrates soar joints and jets work at knotted muscles. Even through the winter, our spa gets thorough use.

I get as much done around the house and garden as my body and kids allow me to. Every Tuesday, I have a cleaning lady come in for a few hours to get the big jobs done. It’s hard to get down on my hands and knees to properly scrub bathtubs and lug the vacuum up 2 flights of stairs. Before my husband hired her, I was miserable. By 4pm, I would be tired and very sore from trying to get the house clean and in order, the kids would come home from school and explode all their stuff and have crumbs and papers everywhere, then I would explode! I was becoming a major nag and thorn in my family’s side. Now, of course my girls are a bit older and understand the concept of picking up after themselves a bit better and I’m not worn out, in pain and cranky from routinely scrubbing the house everyday!

I’m also able to get some exercise in during the day. I’ve found that 3 different types of leg stretches and muscle building routines have changed my mobility to a great level. When I was first diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis I was walking with extreme difficulty, sometimes needing a cane, now, I’m taking 2 stairs at a time! And I love taking the dog for a walk. I put my I Pod on to some heavy tunes and we’re gone for at least a half hour, if not more every day. I make sure I’m drinking 4 large glasses of water to keep me hydrated.

After all this, it’s usually time to start supper. Cooking is something I really enjoy and I think I’m a fairly good at at it. My husband says he looks forward every day to coming home to one of my meals. By the end of dinner, I’m tuckered and then it’s “dad’s” turn to entertain the girls. Sometimes a family activity is done, walks, bike riding (if I’m up to it), playing in the backyard or watching a movie. By 9pm, I’m often ready to drop and start getting the girls prepared to head to bed.

Medications are taken and once in bed, it’s another favorite time of day! I curl under the covers with a good book, right now I’m in the middle of a Dostoyevsky novel, and most often don’t get too far before I wake up to 6am once again.

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