Becoming More Active With Chronic Illness

We all know how important it is to exercise, but becoming more active with chronic illness is not easy. It can cause flares of pain and fatigue as well as many places like gyms and studios are not equipped or accessible. So, let’s have a chat about it.

Why becoming more active is important

I grew up with a father who loved to exercise, he was always doing fun runs and half marathons. He enjoyed climbing mountains and plays squash almost every day, I spent much of my childhood colouring or reading while he played.

So, as I grew, I knew that moving my body was important, however, my legs were always painful, and I always struggled with being tired. We would often be at the doctors explaining how I felt, but it was put down to ‘growing pains’ so I stopped mentioning it.

When I went to university, I would walk everywhere, often walking to where I needed to be instead of getting the bus. Of course, this all changed when my illnesses worsened and became so I couldn’t ignore them.

Looking back though, I never stopped trying to keep my body moving, and as my initial depression eased, I started to do yoga. I loved it and would follow routines on YouTube, every day I would do one and it kept me moving and motivated.

However, after being told I have the hypermobile version of EDS which causes my joints to be unstable, it was suggested I stop yoga. This is because it stretches joints which of course would not be too good for me, and I stopped working out for a while unsure what to do.

After a couple of years, me and my husband moved in with my mom which made it even harder as helping to care for her took my energy. Over the last five years I have tried to be more active but have really struggled and because of this I have put on weight.

This year I am dedicated to being more active and losing this weight so that I can feel better, have less pain and keep my body moving. Though becoming more active with chronic illness can be harder, it is something that can really improve your body and your confidence if done right.

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How I am becoming more active with chronic illnesses

• Little and often – It can be so tempting to just jump in and start doing some crazy routine on YouTube or something. But the key is just a little bit of movement often. I have an accessible exercise playlist with about 300 routines all for people who are disabled. I do one every evening before bed depending on how active my day has been and how I am feeling. I also do squats while waiting for the kettle to boil and dance around when music comes on even boogying while seated is good for us so think outside the box and move more as you move through your day
• Research and ask – Nobody knows your body and your illness better than you but knowing where to start can be hard. Asking other people online who have your illness what exercise or movement they do, asking your medical team, and researching your illness will give you the best ideas. Finding what exercises will help you and not make your chronic illnesses worse can be tricky so ask the people who know more.
• Find what you like – Enjoying the movement and exercise is the thing that will keep you wanting to do it. So, try different things and see what you enjoy, be it wheelchair dancing, seated yoga or joining a disabled football team in your area, find what you love. That way it will feel fun, and you will look forward to it instead of forcing yourself to do it.
• Tell people – Keeping yourself accountable is so important, so whether you decide to share your journey on social media, or just tell your friends, being open will keep you trying. It will give you someone to chat to about your experiences, as well as giving you support and encouragement. Exercise is hard for able bodied healthy people, and it is even harder for us when it can make you more tired or increase your pain for a short time.
• Be patient – This is a hard one, but be patient, progress with weight loss or gaining fitness can take time. Rushing the process will leave you frustrated and tempted to push harder and do more too fast. So, be patient and enjoy the process no matter what your level of fitness or illness is, we can all achieve our goals. We just need to be patient and celebrate the process.

I know that becoming more active with chronic illness can be overwhelming, frustrating and difficult. But I really do hope that this article will help you to get started this month as the days become warmer and we want to get our summery clothes on. Let me know your tips for getting more active and what your favourite type of movement is in the comments, mine is dancing.

Thank you xx

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