I'm newly-diagnosed with RA, although I've had the symptoms for about a year and a half. All my life, I've struggled with my weight but in August, I started exercising regularly for the first time in 10 years, and it's made a world of difference in how I feel about myself.
Unfortunately, that's also when my second flare started. Over the past 4 months I've noticed a clear cause-and-effect: My time in the gym definitely makes my joint pain worse. In fact, I had to take nearly all of November off from exercise because of it.
Here's my quandry: I need to exercise at the level I am exercising in order to feel good mentally and emotionally. (I also get seasonal depression--SAD--and it's either exercise for me, or anti-depressants. I prefer exercise.) I do 30 minutes on the elliptical machine and 15 minutes of light weights, about 4 times per week. However, the day after exercise, my joint pain and stiffness are always worse.
I've read so much about the need for both exercise and rest, with RA. What's the balance? I could stop exercising (i.e. "rest") until this flare is over, but what if it lasts for years? A gentle, daily walk is not going to do the trick for me. I'm 36, slightly overweight, and past the point where my metabolism responds to a walk. I can't afford the time or money for a swim club. (The gym where I go is in my apartment complex, and free to residents.)
Before anyone is too hard on me ("you're just going to have to give up exercise") please understand that this is a real "Quality-of-Life" issue for me.
Maybe I already know the answer: maybe I just need to decide whether it's more important to me to feel good emotionally or physically. Maybe I just needed to vent. You know how women are: they have to talk an issue to death before they feel any resolution about it!
Sorry if I've wasted anyone's time, when I think I already know the answer. I definitely feel your pain. I used to teach aerobics and I got my Bachelor of Science in Exercise Physiology last year because exercise is a passion of mine. But I also find that when I exercise it just makes me feel worse. I did 20 min. of weights and 30 min. of cardio last Thursday and still feel the effects of it today. I also had a 2-day migraine over the weekend, including vomiting. Don't know if any of it is related. I don't have an answer for you, but I'm going to my RD tomorrow and I'm going to pose that question to him, because I really need to work out as well. I will let you know what I find out. Hope that helps!You don't have to give up exercise, you just need to modify it. Make sure you are stretching REALLY well before you exercise. You also may need to break up the times - instead of 30 minutes all at once, try to do several stints of 10 minutes. You may actually be able to increase how much you exercise in a day as well. That gives you "rest" time for your joints. Something else to consider is a hot shower. Try taking a steaming shower BEFORE you work out, to help loosen muscles and joints. Then take another one AFTER to soothe your joints. Water exercise really IS the most ideal, but if you can't, you can't. I can't either, so I understand. You can add little things into your day to "exercise" and make you feel better. Try to think about your posture when you walk and sit, and correct yourself. You'd be surprised how much that will help. Also be aware of your joint position in every-day activities - seems like a silly one, but we forget. Heh :) Hope that helps!!!
Blue Heron, I've been dealing with a similar quandry. Is exercise protecting the joints or hurting them? I guess it's both, and there's some sort of art form to keep the hurting them part to a minimum.
I'm going to try Katie's suggestion about a shower before working out, sounds like a good idea.
I do try to wait until the worst of the morning stiffness is over before I exercise, though that varies so much from day to day it makes it hard to pin down a consistent time of day to exercise. Right after lunch or mid-afternoon seems to be my best time most of the time, the sweet spot where reduced stiffness happens right before early evening fatigue slams in.
Some days exercise lifts fatigue or pushes it off for a while. Some days it makes it worse. It's a gamble, but I think it's worth it.
I do the elliptical trainer too since giving up on the treadmill. I also gave up the light weights. I haven't decided whether to try them again or not. I've read conflicting things--that RA folks should not lift weights, and that they should. I'm sure it's an "it depends" situation. For now, I'm not doing it, because picking up weights in daily activities, even doing it carefully, makes me pay for it afterward. With the elliptical I may be sore afterward, but I don't feel like I've really hurt myself, whereas with weights I do.
Instead of weights I'll sometimes do exercise bands, which seems to give me more control over how much I'm pushing myself and doesn't seem to hurt like the weights do.
I do some yoga too, but I've had to give up most of my poses. Now I'm looking for a therapeutic yoga instructor to help me redesign a yoga practice. Alan inspired me to do that.
I think you're right to insist on finding a way to get enough exercise to feel good physically and emotionally, however hard it is to find the balance.
I also agree with Katie that it's worth it to work in short spurts when necessary. When I feel like exercise has been hurting as much as helping, I'll cut down to even 5 or 10 minutes on the trainer. Then I can do more later if I'm up to it, and I know I'll work back up to more time as I'm able, but at least I'm moving.
I'm hanging in till swimming pool season so I can swim every day. I do think that's the best. I could go to an indoor pool if I was really motivated, but going out to do that regulalry is just too much on top of everything else right now, and I can do elliptical and yoga at home. If I was already going to a gym to work out, I'd make the extra effort to find a nice warm pool to swim in.
Try talking to a Physical Therapist or Athletic Trainer. Either of these professionals should be able to help you modify an exercise program and insure that you are doing the exercises properly. It may also be worth doing some serious investigation into cost of a water aerobics class. I know several park districts offer them at lower cost than the "gym".
Good luck!
Where I live if you're low income you can get a free pass to the community pools. Phone your parks board and see if they have a program like that. I know you said there are obstacles, but swimming really is the best.But when I stop and the next day I CAN NOT move.
I've been reading and my doctor say's "no weight or strain to your joints"
Water is good, because you don't have the strain. I keep saying I'm gonna do it but don't find the time. Yoga and Pilaites, dancing except for throwing yourself on the floor and bouncing back up into a Moon Walk I think would not be good.
I know I need to do it.....but after work I'm just to damn tired.
KAT
P.S. Will someone come put my Christmas Tree up?
I'm really struggling with the exercise thing right now. I'm gaining a lot of weight and very low endurance and lots of fatigue. On days I feel ok I get all excited and do sit-ups weights, etc. Then the next day I really pay for it. I would LOVE to do water areobics. I love water anyway, but there are only a few places around here with a pool, and they are nice clubs which I would enjoy, but won't go because there are too many 'beautiful' people there and I would be way to self-conscious. So going to try to do a no flour-no sugar-stretching routine. Hope it helps.
Also, I've noticed that I eat sweets to take my mind of pain. Crazy, huh!?
I used to work out all the time. Mostly on the treadmill and some light weights. I did ok. I just had to not over do because when I would my fibromyalgia would flare. But since I've had RA I try to work out but it hurts. Just a slow walk around out side will make me flare. We bought an excercise bike for me (thinking I might be able to do this because I wouldn't be on my feet) but it hurts also. My legs ache so bad. So I have given up on working out for now. It makes me so depressed cuz I do not want to get out of shape and flabby! But what can I do? I think swimming would be the best. Has anyone heard of thoes "Endless Pools"....wouldn't that be nice. Right in your own home? Wish I had the ,000 dollars to buy one!!!!![QUOTE=kycatfan] I'm great as long as I'm moving......But when I stop and the next day I CAN NOT move.
P.S. Will someone come put my Christmas Tree up?[/QUOTE]
True that! For me, it's not the exercise so much as the after-exercise pain that kills me.
And Tara L, speaking of gaining weight...I have to confess that I got sort of excited when I saw that one of the symptoms of RA was supposed to be weight loss (because of the increased metabolism of inflammation and all that)... And then it just didn't happen for me.
I was like, oh man, why can't I have any of the good symptoms!? Ah well...I guess we'll have to settle for being beautiful on the inside.
...And kycatfan, I'm having an OK day today: I'll be right over to put your tree up!
Well, I didn't really get any good answers. He told me to do things like the bike and elliptical, and things that don't hurt. And if I lift weights, use cables when possible and lift lighter weights...
Wow, he must be a rocket scientist, cuz I could never have come up with THAT on my own!
Makes sense to me.
Arthritis Foundation has an exercise DVD that is pretty good.
My dr. recommends water exercise. The local Y has arthritis classes in warm water, and they have scholarship for low income.
Now I just need to get my swimsuit out of mothballs and see if that mother even fits anymore. It's not going to be pretty, I know that.