I will ask my rheumatologist this but I was wondering for all here, I live in a place that gets pretty cold in the winters. Right now, being summer, I can get out and walk if I feel ok. Even if it's just around the block. I was wondering though, in order to keep moving and not get too stiff in bad weather, if getting either a treadmill or eliptical (not sure of spelling) machine would be ok on the joints? Any suggestions? I know an exercise bike would KILL my knees.It depends how bad your knees are but if a bike is too much the eliptical probably is too. I have a Tony Little glider - It does not hurt my knees. Sometimes my hips get a little sore, still it is my best 'land' exercise. (I love to swim!)I have found the treadmill makes an excellent place to hang my clothes when I take them off. I do dust it semi-regularly, which is quite a workout!
Seriously, exercise is important and does make you feel better. You just have to find what works best for you. Swimming or water exercises are always good, so you might want to consider a membership at your local YWCA for the winter, so you can exercise in their pool.
If you decide to buy exercise equipment, BUY USED! There is so much of it available, because people buy it and never use it, then they just want to get rid of it. Even those very expensive pieces of exercise equipment that you see advertised on TV are available at much, much lower prices.
I agree with Hillhoney - we hang shirts for the laundry on ours.
Walking is a great weightbearing exercise that strengthens bones and makes joints supple so try and keep that up as much as possible (this is the reason I was bought my best furry-pal, Lucy - dogs are great motivation for walking!)
Swimming is excellent too, definitely my exercise of choice - it has really helped restore the lost movement in all my joints as well as building up some lost muscle. However, sometimes the cold weather is off-putting - I live in the UK, and coming into the cold winter air with damp hair etc is not the most appealing thing in the world - I always try and get my friend to park as close to entrance as poss and whack up the heating!
As for exercise bikes - I was actually advised to get one of these as part of my rehab-program, which surprised me - my knees have been affected most by RA damage: I've had various surgeries and the joint in the left is fused together, restricting movement quite a bit. But because of this it's apparently even more important to strengthen the muscles and ligaments around the joint to help it.... I'm finding it hard myself but doing gentle rotations does seem to help.
All in all, I'd definitely go with the walking and gentle swimming when possible - don't force exercise when you don't feel up to it because I've found you always end up worse off for it! Rest and relaxation is important too
Best wishes,
Moonie
You might try joining a gym where you can use a warm water exercise pool.Then at the same time you could try out some of the land equipment(with the help of a PT). I started out on an exercise bike with a small pillow for back support. I started at 2 minutes with no resistence. I worked up to 20 minutes at 2 resistence. The tred mill at no resistence and a slow speed(2) might be a good place to start. I would try things out at a gym before I considered buying anything. Also, it's more fun to exercise with other people around, a lot more motivating. As for the wet hair. You can buy tiny hair dryers for about ;00 that will fit right in you gym bag.
Honey, Get a Rodney Yee yoga tape called am/pm. Very gentle but helps range of motion and strength. I depend on it when I am house bound. On the internet for only . Good luck, we have to keep moving. Rox Swimming is the best in a warm pool.Treadmills can be really hard on sore feet and knees. My doc suggested trying an elliptical trainer. But I do still like the treadmill best. I just can't go as long or as often as I used to.
I have a Y membership like others have mentioned. Wonderful in the winter to sink into the whirlpool or the steam room and feel everything melt away. And don't most Y's also have trainers that will work with you to design a program that fits your needs. I'm meeting with someone later this week to set up a new exercise program. Hoping it will help banish some fatigue.
We hang our clothes on our Bowflex.Honey, if you go to www.arthritis.org you can click on local communities and contact your local chapter. They have water classes for people with RA and also a land exercise call PACE (people with arthritis can exercise). There's a small fee - but it is all for people with arthritis.
FYI, Jody