Staying active with a chronic illness

Having a chronic illness might sound like a good reason for avoiding routine activity. But is it? Maybe you have a chronic disease such as diabetes, chronic kidney disease, heart disease, or even cancer and have the belief your condition means an end to keeping physically fit.  That’s necessarily true.  Always discuss and with your doctor’s approval, chances are they will wholeheartedly want you to keep active and moving. In fact, having a chronic illness usually means it’s more important than ever to stretch, walk, and simply move in any way you can.  Your body wants you to be fit no matter what illness you may have.

How staying active benefits a chronic illness

When your doctor gives you the go-ahead to safely engage in physical activity on a routine basis, the benefits of keeping active can pay-off in many ways:

·      Weight control

·      Reduced risk of developing other diseases

·      Helps reduce symptoms of your chronic disease or slow down its progression

·      Strengthens bones and muscles

·      Improvement in mental health and mood

·      Prevention of falls and stiffening of muscles

·      Improvement in energy levels

·      Enhances your immune functioning helping you stay healthier

·      Preservation of your lifestyle

Though exercise cannot cure your condition, it can go a long way toward helping to improve your quality of life. In most situations, the benefits far outweigh the risks of getting hurt while moving and stretching which your physician will be able to help in determining this. A safe level of activity will depend on your health, the stage of your illness or diseased, and your abilities. Even if you feel you are limited, a small amount of exercise is most likely better than no exercise at all.

How to begin

If you are considering or wanting to become more physically active but it has been quite some time since you have been, check with your doctor, informing them of your decision.  Ask them for ideas on what exercises they recommend and how to safely begin without overstraining or injuring yourself.  When you start off slowly and gradually build up over time, this can prevent injury and will help you stick to your plan now and in the future.

Some questions to ask of your doctor before beginning an exercise routine include the following:

·      How can exercise improve my chronic condition?

·      What exercises are safe for me?

·      How often and how much should I exercise?

·      At what level of intensity should I exercise?

·      What goals are realistic for me to set?

·      Should I take any special steps to get started?

·      What else do I need to know?

·      Are there any exercise I shouldn’t be doing?

·      Is there a trainer or professional you can recommend to help me get active?

Much of what determines what type of activity to choose is based on the type of chronic illness you have.  For instance, if you have joint issues, you may need to choose a low-impact activity such as walking or swimming. Or if you have asthma, you may want to do short-bursts of exercise, resting in between.  These are exactly the kinds of ways your doctor can help you find the right activities for you.

Tips helping you stick to your plan

Once you’ve made the decision to start an exercise routine, the hard part can be getting started and then sticking to it.  Here are some tips that may help:

·      Start slow – Pick one goal at a time and make them achievable. For example, if you want to start walking, your goal might be, “I will walk 3 days a week for 15 minutes for the next 3 weeks.”  Once you have met that goal, you can always readjust as you improve.

·      Set a realistic goal – Sometimes simply adding in doing some yardwork or extra housework may be what to start with to get you moving. For anyone who is severely ill, your goal might be to improve flexibility with some armchair stretches.

·      Find your motivation – Are you getting active to improve your mood, keep up with your kids or grandkids, or improve your quality of life? Whatever it is, write it down, and use it to keep you motivated.

·      Get an exercise buddy – Taking a walk around the block with a neighbor may help sustain your activity.  Meeting some friends for a yoga class may help make sure you go.

·      Frequency over duration – The goal should be not to necessarily do an exercise for a long length of time, but do try to move around a frequently throughout the day.  Avoid long periods of time without moving. Build activity into your day. For instance, use the stairs as often as possible, sweep the floor or your front porch, walk around while talking on the phone. 

·      Find things you like to do and switch it up – Prevent exercise boredom by having a least a couple of different physical activities you enjoy. If you always walk around the block, try swimming or attending yoga or strength-training classes for a few weeks instead. Or turn on some music and start dancing.

·      Take advantage of resources – If you have access to a gym at work or near your home, or if you have any kind of wellness program available to you, use them.  Support from outside sources can keep you going.

·      Don’t give up – Even if you do fall out of exercising routinely, get back into a routine as soon as possible. You can always start anew by making exercise a regular part of your life.