Step 1 – Why Find your compelling reason
Step 2 – Where Make a place in your home or decide on a gym outside your home
Step 3 – What Choose your program
You should decide if you want to DIY your program or follow someone else’s program.
Your main program should focus on a rehabilitation routine that gives you a full-body workout.
You need to select a few programs that interest you. One should be geared towards rehabilitation for your problem area. Fitness programs you’ve done in the past may not be appropriate for you now. You don’t want to wind up quitting in frustration because you can’t keep up. I talk about several options in my free e-book “The Truth of Your Pain” which you can download here.
Yoga is an excellent choice because it can reduce your risk of injury and condition your body to perform better at things you have to do every day: walk, sit, twist, bend, and lift groceries. Yoga moves your body in the ways it was designed to move to help ensure that it keeps functioning properly. Tai Chi is also an excellent choice.
But I found that I can’t do yoga anymore. I’m limited by my abilities and even in a rehab yoga class, I’m either not able to do the move, or the modification is so easy, I’m not getting any benefit.
The best programs I’ve found have been online with physical therapists who specialize with arthritis! There are some great ones out there and all the programs are on youtube so you don’t have to go anywhere to access them. The one I have committed to for this year is The Arthritis Blueprint with Dr. Alyssa Kuhn. This program is truly for any level of ability and focuses on the importance of keeping your joints strong and moving to overcome arthritis. Dr. Alyssa takes you through the workout routines and when you’ve mastered an area you move up to the next level.
You could also put together a very remedial exercise program yourself if you’ve ever done physical therapy. So many people dealing with chronic pain have completed physical therapy for previous injuries. You can use your old physical therapy exercise sheets. If you no longer have them, or access to them, search for one online for specific exercises for your problem areas. But once you feel confident in this kind of program, I recommend you move up to an online class that will encourage you to get to the next level.
The arthritis foundation has two great podcasts on Tai Chi (Episode 42 with Dr. Paul Lam) and Yoga (Episode 43 with Steffany Moonaz, PhD). There are so many programs available online that going to a class is not necessary anymore!
Once you decide on a program you should do a quick assessment of your abilities. A google search of physical fitness assessments can give you an idea of how to do this, but mainly just jot a few notes to yourself about your stamina, how much you can comfortably lift, reps you can do, etc. You’ll be surprised at how far you come when you re-assess. But I found that I can’t do yoga anymore. I’m limited by my abilities and even in a rehab yoga class, I’m either not able to do the move, or the modification is so easy, I’m not getting any benefit. This is not a competition, it’s about seeing progress in yourself.
So to recap:
Step 1 – Why Find your compelling reason
Step 2 – Where Make a place in your home or decide on a gym outside your home
Step 3 – What Choose your program
Now we’re ready for Step 4!
