Oh Blech. EXERCISE.
Hey there crc folks!
As some of you may remember, I went to a specialist recently to discuss my ongoing joint and muscle problems.
One of the things she highly recommended, after watching me move around like a 90 year old lady on an especially bad day, was increasing my physical activity.
Apparently, "physical activity" does not include that walk between the TV and the fridge, so I'm trying to figure out what things to add to my life that would help build strength and flexibility.
Ideas? What do you do that is physically active and how often?
(and Jeff, feel free to pop in and make me feel like a pathetic blob of inertia 
)
Oh, btw...I am also "old", according to the doctor, so need to reduce my expectations. Dang. Pretty harsh, but probably accurate.
Comments
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Ann
Just couldn't pass this one up. Feel free to come to the rolling hills of Kentucky and help me feed the horses. LOL From the house to the two fields to collect feed buckets, back past the house to the shed, then back to the field seems like 10 miles. Of course, it's not, but I'm not used to this humidity & like you, the TV to the fridge is a familiar path. JBG says if I stay long that she will get me one of those lifts that goes up the stairs as I am really "old" going up & down.
YOU ARE NOT OLD!
Luv,
Wolfen
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Old? is a number
I was not very active before I was diagnosed. Other than playing with the grandkids, I work at a desk and usually handcraft at night (sitting on my behind of course). I started walking before the surgery and then afterwards. Other than a few days during actual chemo where I walk 10 minutes. I try walking 30 minutes a day on a treadmill so I can gauge how far I'm walking. I also try to do things the longer way around. Right after the surgery, it hurt to get up, but once up walking was easier. Now, I just have to fight the tiredness to get my walk done. I walk slow and steady not racing at all. Didn't he think it'd be easier to reduce the pain before you're doing physical exercises?
Yolanda
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What kind of quack did you
What kind of quack did you see? Being a mom is exercise in so many ways. Picking laundry up off of the floor. Think of all of the times you are climbing in and out of the car. If you park on an incline, it gives a little extra exercise. I would also consider putting all of the good food up high or really low to get some stretching in. when you yell at the kids, get your arms moving. Exercise and they will think you are a bit nutty and maybe fear you.
oh..what about walking that doggy?
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This is what I've been doing
I have two DVD's, one called Gentle Yoga for Cancer Patients and the other Yoga for Cancer Recovery.
The first one is real simple, mostly sitting in a chair. It gets your body moving in all the right directions without working you too much. The second one has two parts, and is also real easy going, getting in the muscle movement wihtout pushing you too hard.
I highly recommend them.
I also walk three miles a day.
Did I tell you that I discovered that bread and too much sugar was causing my joints to ache? Once I cut down on them, things got a whole lot better.
Good luck!
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I have some great ideas for you
Restorative Yoga and walking and swimming. Most of these you can do at your local Y.
Mine were part of a cancer Wellness Program that really helped me gain strenth.
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HHMMMMM
I think I have found what sets off my pain... Breathing, definitely breathing. If i give that up I will be pain free. On a more practical note I have high grade ankolosing spondylitis, my three lower verterbrae are fused and several of the upper ones are on the way leading to diminished lung capacity. I have severe psoriatic arthrritis and moderate to severe neuropathy of the feet and legs. I already take a heavy daily dose of cyclosporin so there are no big guns left to help. I was started on a low dose of oxycodone and naloxone a few weeks back mainly to see how I tolerate it. Ok so far ,I had my dose doubled yesterday. Last night I had my first good nights sleep in about seven years. As for excercise. I did go fishing on Saturday. I was aiming to be on the water by six ,made it by nine. Fished till three in the afternoon. Got back to the boat ramp . Could not stand up. Half fell half crawled out or the boat. It took me 15 minutes to get to the car which was all of thirty yards away. The bitumen and small gravel to bare feet seemed like jagged lava rock. Oh blessed foresight , I ftted an electric winch to my boat trailer. Twenty years ago I would have pulled the boat on by hand. By the time I got home and cleared everything up I was more than three quaters dead. I think that excercise for us is like doggy years. My fishing trip was the equivalent of a marathon for normal humans. Be careful whatever you do Ann. A life of continuous chronic pain is almost as undesirable as having cancer. Find yourself a lovely heated swiming pool and try doing some water based excercise. Hugs Ron.
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Drs orders
Sounds like a good excuse to go shopping! If u try on some shoes that will count as bending down. Surely you can make this work for u! Lol
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Start out slow
I have heard that water resistant exercise is good. While excercising the joints it does not stress the rest of you.
If there is a rehab place near you, or even an indoor pool you might find that they have some group sessions which would fill the bill.
Also, you might see if the doc will write you a script for some physical therapy to get you started on the right track. Doing it "wrong" can be as harmful as not exercising at all.
Wishing you much success.
Marie who loves kitties
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I have even backed off on the
I have even backed off on the exercise. I am getting back into it now which is always hard. Just light weight lifting and push ups. Light mountain biking this weekend. I have been riding my motorcycle to work all week which counts for something I think LOL.
I know that it is always hard to start exercising everytime but when I am done I feel better mentally, physically, and emotionally. It gives me energy. I can be exhausted from work and just want to lay on the couch but I force my self to mountain bike and when I am done I have a ton of enery even though my muscles are sore.
The comment your doc made about old is a good thing. What could be better for a stage IV cancer survivor. That has been my goal all along since diagnosis and I am getting there. I will be 50 in September and loving every minute of it.
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Well, you guys have given me a good laugh this morning,
surely that counts as exercise?!?
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I would love to be feeding horseswolfen said:Ann
Just couldn't pass this one up. Feel free to come to the rolling hills of Kentucky and help me feed the horses. LOL From the house to the two fields to collect feed buckets, back past the house to the shed, then back to the field seems like 10 miles. Of course, it's not, but I'm not used to this humidity & like you, the TV to the fridge is a familiar path. JBG says if I stay long that she will get me one of those lifts that goes up the stairs as I am really "old" going up & down.
YOU ARE NOT OLD!
Luv,
Wolfen
in KY! Imo, that is the best kind of exercise imaginable.
To be fair to the doctor, I think she meant that there is a big difference between 38 (when I was last really active) and where I am now at 48. She stressed that maintaining fitness gets way harder once we hit our 40s.
But she definitely didn't have the best bedside manner! Could have been a little more subtle in her wording.
At least she didn't say what my dad used to..."You got one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel!".
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Waving arms while yelling...jen2012 said:What kind of quack did you
What kind of quack did you see? Being a mom is exercise in so many ways. Picking laundry up off of the floor. Think of all of the times you are climbing in and out of the car. If you park on an incline, it gives a little extra exercise. I would also consider putting all of the good food up high or really low to get some stretching in. when you yell at the kids, get your arms moving. Exercise and they will think you are a bit nutty and maybe fear you.
oh..what about walking that doggy?
that's my daily workout routine!
I'm shocked I don't look like a model given how much of that I do.
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I think the doc feltYolllmbs said:Old? is a number
I was not very active before I was diagnosed. Other than playing with the grandkids, I work at a desk and usually handcraft at night (sitting on my behind of course). I started walking before the surgery and then afterwards. Other than a few days during actual chemo where I walk 10 minutes. I try walking 30 minutes a day on a treadmill so I can gauge how far I'm walking. I also try to do things the longer way around. Right after the surgery, it hurt to get up, but once up walking was easier. Now, I just have to fight the tiredness to get my walk done. I walk slow and steady not racing at all. Didn't he think it'd be easier to reduce the pain before you're doing physical exercises?
Yolanda
that some of the pain is due to my lack of fitness, and that doing more physically would help reduce the pain.
But you're right! One of the things stopping me is how much discomfort I have when I exercise, so it's kind of a catch-22.
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3 miles every day?Trubrit said:This is what I've been doing
I have two DVD's, one called Gentle Yoga for Cancer Patients and the other Yoga for Cancer Recovery.
The first one is real simple, mostly sitting in a chair. It gets your body moving in all the right directions without working you too much. The second one has two parts, and is also real easy going, getting in the muscle movement wihtout pushing you too hard.
I highly recommend them.
I also walk three miles a day.
Did I tell you that I discovered that bread and too much sugar was causing my joints to ache? Once I cut down on them, things got a whole lot better.
Good luck!
Excuse me while I crawl back to my couch and remote. Those episodes of Sherlock aren't going to watch themselves.
More seriously, thanks for the DVD tips! I was hoping to get some ideas that are specific to our special circumstances, so I'm going to look for those.
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Oh Ronron50 said:HHMMMMM
I think I have found what sets off my pain... Breathing, definitely breathing. If i give that up I will be pain free. On a more practical note I have high grade ankolosing spondylitis, my three lower verterbrae are fused and several of the upper ones are on the way leading to diminished lung capacity. I have severe psoriatic arthrritis and moderate to severe neuropathy of the feet and legs. I already take a heavy daily dose of cyclosporin so there are no big guns left to help. I was started on a low dose of oxycodone and naloxone a few weeks back mainly to see how I tolerate it. Ok so far ,I had my dose doubled yesterday. Last night I had my first good nights sleep in about seven years. As for excercise. I did go fishing on Saturday. I was aiming to be on the water by six ,made it by nine. Fished till three in the afternoon. Got back to the boat ramp . Could not stand up. Half fell half crawled out or the boat. It took me 15 minutes to get to the car which was all of thirty yards away. The bitumen and small gravel to bare feet seemed like jagged lava rock. Oh blessed foresight , I ftted an electric winch to my boat trailer. Twenty years ago I would have pulled the boat on by hand. By the time I got home and cleared everything up I was more than three quaters dead. I think that excercise for us is like doggy years. My fishing trip was the equivalent of a marathon for normal humans. Be careful whatever you do Ann. A life of continuous chronic pain is almost as undesirable as having cancer. Find yourself a lovely heated swiming pool and try doing some water based excercise. Hugs Ron.
your tales of woe always cheer me right up! Uh...that didn't come out quite as I planned. Not that I take pleasure in suffering, it's just you have a way of putting things in perspective. And giving me a chuckle, which is always appreciated!
Water exercise is a good idea. So long as l can avoid drowning.
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yes Annannalexandria said:Oh Ron
your tales of woe always cheer me right up! Uh...that didn't come out quite as I planned. Not that I take pleasure in suffering, it's just you have a way of putting things in perspective. And giving me a chuckle, which is always appreciated!
Water exercise is a good idea. So long as l can avoid drowning.
That is actually a good point. My idiot rheumatologist actually suggested I take up sminning at one stage. Why? To help with bi-latteral frozen shoulders! He got pretty aggitated when I said nothing and just stared at him.
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Rapid Easy Strength Training
Annalexandra,
I was in a study that used the "Rapid Easy Strength Training" (REST) resistance band strengthening program along with a pedometer step tracking program to slowly get back into better shape. I believe it was helpful, and it was not hard to get myself to do the program because it took very little time. You start out where you are at physically and slowly work your way into better shape from there. I would be happy to send you the information on the exercises and such and the dvd that shows how they were done. Just send a PM with where to send it if you are interested.
Serenity
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Activity
Sometimes when we get older things just break down. I'm sorry that you feel like you are 90 but some days I'm feeling much older than that. My heart breaks for everyone that has gone through all this and try to live a life. We just try to move forward. Hugs to you dear. Hope you feel better or start moving like a 20 year old
Kim
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Well...Annabelle41415 said:Activity
Sometimes when we get older things just break down. I'm sorry that you feel like you are 90 but some days I'm feeling much older than that. My heart breaks for everyone that has gone through all this and try to live a life. We just try to move forward. Hugs to you dear. Hope you feel better or start moving like a 20 year old
Kim
I didn't really move like a 20 year old when I was 20. Maybe I can get back to moving like a 10 year old? I used to be able to climb trees!
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LOLjanderson1964 said:I have even backed off on the
I have even backed off on the exercise. I am getting back into it now which is always hard. Just light weight lifting and push ups. Light mountain biking this weekend. I have been riding my motorcycle to work all week which counts for something I think LOL.
I know that it is always hard to start exercising everytime but when I am done I feel better mentally, physically, and emotionally. It gives me energy. I can be exhausted from work and just want to lay on the couch but I force my self to mountain bike and when I am done I have a ton of enery even though my muscles are sore.
The comment your doc made about old is a good thing. What could be better for a stage IV cancer survivor. That has been my goal all along since diagnosis and I am getting there. I will be 50 in September and loving every minute of it.
Funny, my goal is to be old too! What a great thing that would be!
0
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