Need to increase fitness but have arthritis and don't know what to do - advice welcome please

[Jemster]

Hi
I have rheumatoid arthritis which is controlled with medication so doesn't bother me too much unless i have a flare up.
At my 6 month review with my consultant he told me that while I'm feeling good I should try and up my fitness levels. He said I can try any exercise I want and not to be afraid of my body.
Thing is I am as I don't want to choose an exercise that might make things worse.
I used to enjoy running at the gym but not sure if I should do this. Money is tight so I can't afford gym at the moment although I do have a pass for 10 free visits.

I also really want to tone up and lose half to one stone of remaining babyweight, mainly on my stomach.

I am fed up of making excuses as I feel unfit, tired and blobby most of the time but I just don't know what to do or where to start and so I do nothing!

Grateful for any advice to get me started please. Thanks.

Hi there,
Firstly, I?m sorry to hear you?ve got RA and hope that what I?m going to suggest will help you to find a way to exercise that suits you.

I teach Nia and Ageless Grace - two movement practices which allow people to exercise at a level that suits them ? whatever their age, shape or level of fitness. There are Nia teachers and students who share your condition and have found that Nia has helped them. See the website www.nianow.com and search for ?rheumatoid arthritis? to read their experiences. When I started teaching Nia, I was having problems with osteoarthritis in my wrists and could take no weight on my hands. Though I know it?s not the same as RA, six months into teaching two classes a week, I found, to my surprise, I could do press-ups.
I don?t know where you?re based, but if you go to: www.nianow.com/niasite/united-kingdom you should be able to find out if there are Nia classes anywhere near you. You might also want to look at the Facebook page: www.facebook.com/theniatechniqueuk

Ageless Grace is described as ?21 simple tools for lifelong ease? ? and you do it sitting down and it's easy!
See www.agelessgrace.com for more information.

If you don?t want to join a class, remember that walking is a great way to exercise that costs nothing and you can do at your own pace, gradually building up the time and distance. Or why not just put on some music you love and bop around your kitchen?

Or if you want to exercise while watching tv or listening to the radio, sitting down: touch each finger in turn to your thumb, make a loose fist then flick all your fingers over your thumbs. Punch the air in time to the music, then spread your fingers and do the same ?punches?. Kick alternate left and right legs, rotate your ankles, imagine squashing an orange under each heel. Make up your own seated dance routine. And if you can?t do a move you?d like to be able to do, just imagine ? what would it feel like if I were doing that? Or join in with something like ?Boogie Beebies? on the telly with (or without) the kids!

And be gentle with yourself when you start.
Hope that gives you a few ideas. Good luck and best wishes

It's a bit of a cliché maybe, but I have (osteo, so not the same) arthritis and love water aerobics. The water takes most of your body weight. I had a great teacher who let us work at different levels, so I did some classes entirely out of my depth (ie treading water for the full 45 minutes). As I got stronger I used just muscle rather than floats for support in some exercises. A good teacher will be understanding, and advise you how to modify exercises if they are too difficult/causing pain. Not sure how much classes are in your area, but sometimes you can find pools that let you just have a swim membership which is cheaper, or you might be able to just do the water aerobics classes rather than needing a full gym membership.

A Swiss ball is also good for toning up - lots of exercises online and you can bounce around in front of the TV so you don't feel like a total slob even if you are just crashing out,

I totally sympathise with your situation especially so as I got Guillain-Barre Syndrome three years ago which completely changed my life. I was never a 'fitness' person before catching the virus but to help with recovery the Doctors/Physios recommended that I start an exercise programme, both to rebuild muscle tone and lose weight (I put on an extra 2/3 stone while recovering)

Things like running and cycling and even long walks were out of the question and I really didn't know what to do because my mobility was so poor. A friend of my husband suggested that weight-lifting might be a good idea but I wasnt impressed because I didn't fancy looking like the women body-builders I'd seen in magazines. It took ages before I agreed to give it a go, that was 9 months ago and the transformation is incredible. I feel great, look great - all the fat has nearly gone - and feel full of beans all the time. The difference in my health and mobility is unbelievable and life is better now than it's ever been.

I'm not saying it's easy because it's not at first, you've got to keep at it even if you don't want to or don't feel like it. It's cheap, no need to join a Gym, no machines or expensive equipment and you can do it at home in your own time with no worries about people looking at you or feeling self concious. Best thing is, it's less than an hour a day three days a week.

if you do decide to give it a go then let me know and I'll tell you what you need to get started and what exercises I started with. But good luck whatever you decide.

I'm reading this with interest as I also have RA and I can really feel it at the moment and I know part of the problem is I've put on weight which puts my joints under more strain. I like the sound of the weight lifting as I need to tone up as well as losing weight.

Thanks for all the replies. I really need to do something to burn off a bit of weight, but also like the sound of the slower paced exercises. I have heard of others with it still running and even doing marathons but I'm a bit scared to although perhaps I'm also looking for excuses. I've been a natural lover of exercise!