Finding Your Perfect Exercise in 2009

The New Year always bring goals; some old and some new for self improvements. One of the most common goals everyone tends to make is getting into better shape which means exercising.

But when you suffer from an autoimmune disease it’s 10 times harder to meet and keep your goals. However, if you find what works for you, it makes meeting your objectives a little easier.

From my personal experience, over the past 3 years, I have tried several approaches with my exercise regimen. I have given up several times and quit because it was all too much on my body! I have finally found what works best for me!

Types of Exercises and the Affect It Has Had

Water Aerobics – The range of motion is way too diversified left me sore and unable to move for weeks.

Weight Training – Unable to do this because of the muscle spasms my body has while trying to lift something.

Pilates – Stretching causes muscles spasms.

Riding A Bike – Causes bad knee pains.

Walking or Jogging Outside – The pavement jars and hurts my body. I also, get off balanced sometimes which could cause a fall.

Walking on a Treadmill – This is the ultimate! You can hold onto the sides or the top of the treadmill. The pressure can be taken off your shins by increasing the incline which distributes the weight and pressure onto your upper body instead of the lower region. Your body stays in a “common range.” It’s the common range of motion your body’s been performing all of its life making it an easier exercise to do. The main thing is you’re working your heart and burning those extra calories, increasing the blood flow which prompts better health.

A Great Gym Partner

Finding a dedicated gym partner is an intricate component in a successful exercise regimen. Not just any old gym partner, I suggest you seek a good partner out that will keep it “Real!”


Getting the Look You Want

Most of us work-out because we are unhappy with the way our body’s look. We want to look like that model or actress on the cover of People Magazine. But when you have an autoimmune disease your objectives and perspectives should change.

Unless this disease goes into remission and all my symptoms subside, I will probably never have the ultimate dream body because my body is unable to keep up! We must realize and be happy with ourselves for even making the effort and exercising our heart…which is the most important thing we should be doing and focusing on. This perspective helps keep you focused in sticking to your exercise regimen. You should pay close attention to how you feel and not how you’re looking.

The Heart and Cardiovascular System

How you feel while you’re exercising is a subject I would like to discuss in another post:

Does inflammation and auto-immune diseases cause a lowered heart rate and blood pressure reading while exercising as well as at rest or could it possibly be a hormone replacement causing the lowered readings?

Prior to receiving my new Rituxan treatments, I was having problems with my heart rate being much, much lower than my girlfriend’s heart rate, while exercising and at rest. I have seen a cardiologist and of course had an abnormal EKG reading which prompted an investigation into my cardiovascular system. I believe I have posted other discussions about my low blood pressure readings and fainting episodes! I think it is all related to Behcets’.

The reason this has prompted an interest for me to do a research study is, for some apparent reason my heart rate is finally keeping up with my gym partner’s heart rate! It’s finally at a normal rate. I’m not sure how this has transpired. The two of us suspect it is the disease going into remission (the inflammation lifting-up and allowing the blood to flow quicker), which is fantastic news for me!

As some of you may know, I had a hysterectomy 3 years back and I’ve been on hormone replacement since. I have recently weaned myself off them and we are sort of wondering if the hormone replacement was lowering my heart rate and causing some ill affects. Therefore, it’s prompted an interest between Wendy (my gym partner) and me to do some digging and find out if the hormone replacement lowers the heart rate and blood pressure readings. Stay tuned next week for the results!