The ease of exercising with arthritis

stickywicket

For this, it's essential that you have a lot of arthritis everywhere. It will not help much unless your body is a total wreck to begin with. I'm in luck. Mine is. My only gripe is that cardio-vascular is out of the question as, despite mild asthma, none of my limbs will support me long enough for it to feature. But I'm still shielding and our bungalow doesn't have any hilly bits. So..........

1. Loosening up. Get up, shower all the accessible bits with sort of long-handled mop, dry, dress (doing what my beloved calls my 'dead tortoise act' to get trousers on), heave and curse for 10 minutes on sock aid, bend and twist with stick to get shoes on and fastened, hook top of top (still with me?) over stick and lasso my head. get breakfast (fruit, yoghurt, toast and meds with large cuppa) and sink into dining chair.
2. Deep breathing with frequent gasps. Phone chat with friend. Dissolve into fits of laughter.
3. Fingers, lower arm and jaw workout. Brush teeth. Remove top of toothpaste tube. Pick up electric toothbrush. Balance tube on side of washbasin with one hand and lean gently on it with hand bearing toothbrush. Put down toothbrush, replace cap on tube, put down tube, switch on tap. Get toothpaste onto teeth then switch on brush. (Can't operate switch while brush in mouth.) Think of day ahead while brushing.
4. Full body workout (a)Pull bedclothes back to air it, pick up heavy, wet towels, descend six steps and hang on line to dry. Back up steps. (b)Heave full laundry bag into kitchen and feed washing machine. Bend, shove, stretch, bend, shove, curse, stretch. About 8 repetitions then fetch grabber stick to retrieve all that fell onto floor. Shove in with stick and stern warning. (c)Carefully lower huge box of laundry powder (Why do I do this to myself?) from shelf to (fortunately relatively flat) chest to top of washer. Aaaand breathe. Measure some in. Equally carefully, manoeuvre box to edge of washer, grab underneath of corner with one hand and opposite side of box with other. Heave up to shelf while begging it “Please!” Switch on washer.
5. Hand therapy. Move to sink. Put away all that's currently piled high on drainer and start a new lot. Yes, good for hands though legs now starting to sag.
6. More full body stuff. Get lightweight, rechargeable vac. Take it round most of house. Laminate so easy though operating arm would dispute this and legs now sagging further.
7. Brain exercises. Brew up in order to sit at computer and exercise brain cell instead. Work on what, during lockdown, has now become 'secretarial stuff' for church (Don't DARE ask me if I'm 'managing to keep busy'!) until I run out of expletives to direct at computer.
8. Back to full body workout. Get washing out of washer. Hang on line. Six steps down and six back. About 5 repetitions because I can only drape about three things at a time over left arm and need right one to hang onto grab rail / railing.

Don't you really pity those poor, healthy creatures who require regular challenges in their lives? We have it made. Every day's a challenge. And it's not yet lunch time 😁

Lilymary

It sounds exhausting! Love the dead tortoise description, I’m the same.

dreamdaisy

How well I know those mornings. Mine kick off with the brewing of a cuppa - the lifting and gentle swinging of the kettle, the stretching for the mug and tea bags, the twist to open the fridge: upper body dealt with. Then come the knee bends as I empty the dishwasher and the netball-style pivoting as I put things away in various drawers and cupboards. Lower body done. Stagger back to bed. Post-shower I do my shoulder exercises when usng the squeegee to wipe down the wallls and shower screen.

Afternoons at this time of year involve a great deal of stretching and pulling as blinds are open and closed to deal with the sun coming and going: since we had them installed the arrangements of three rooms have altered so that none of the cords are within easy reach so, in the case of the sitting room, balancing on one leg is required whilst leaning to the right tryng not to topple into the telly or use it as a support. Weightliftng is achieved when making the bed, especially when it comes to sorting out the order of Mr DD's three extra blankets. He feels the cold, poor dear. Upper body work continues with frequent tea making and, on my better days I manage to get out of breath striding (well, my version of it) round the kitchen island, doing my Captain Tom impersonation of100, 200 or 300 strides whilst my cuppa brews. Further upper body work is managed by draping my Dry Soon with heavy, wet washing. I also indulge in card making to exercise my creaky fingers and walk about with the cordless vac: sometimes I even switch it on.

Whilst covid is carrying on my gym has suspended my membership payments and I think I will cancel my DD as I will not be going into any public spaces for the forseeable future. I have been using various bits of the house to do my exercises so that is going to save me £16 a month. You can get a decent workout just by doing chores. DD

Mike1

That is one heck of a workout that would leave me whacked for days, I would suggest putting a couple of hours rest in between each part of the workout, accompanied by a brew of course.

JoeB

Apropos activity number seven - 'Brain Exercises': Learning a foreign language has been shown to develop new neural pathways. I also enjoy puzzles such as those in The GCHQ Puzzle Book.

I can recommend Tai Chi particularly the program designed by Doctor Paul Lam - some of his instructional videos are available free of charge via You Tube. He developed the programme himself (much of which can be accomplished sitting in a chair) to help with pain and limited movement caused by osteoarthritis in his knees. He is a retired GP from Sydney. I have no connection with him beyond finding his tai chi programme useful.

Additionally, there is a good book by a master called Chee Soo. His book(s) are available on Amazon and directly from the publisher Seahorse Books. This YouTube video offers a practical demonstration of the Li Style. Chee Soo also wrote several other books including one on the Chang Ming diet for health and longevity.

I hope this is of interest.

Arthur

stickywicket

Lilymary – a fellow tortoise? I thought I was the only one left in captivity 😉

DD – afternoons? Ah yes. Afternoons are harder as they come after a lunch break so just getting up from the chair is an effort. I no longer do 'netball pivots'. I'd fall over if I tried. The smaller the circle the more carefully I must negotiate it. Odd but true. Afternoons usually consist of prepping the evening meal in short stages, bringing in and dealing with the washing ie folding it and putting it away if at all possible. Otherwise consigning it to the 'ironing bin' for another six months. Oh bedmaking! I hate it. A matter of seconds when Mr SW isn't here: a matter of much walking, pulling and tugging when he is. Clearly he has a lot in common with Mr DD. I'm impressed with your 'blind routine'. In the afternoons I try to do any exercises not covered by the morning's routines. (Like you, I can accomplish a fair few while waiting for kettles to boil etc and the kitchen's a useful place in terms of stuff to hang on to while standing on one leg to exercise the other.) OK I confess, on nice, sunny days our mid-afternoon cuppa and biscuit (Mr SW ought, by rights, to be sponsored by KitKat) is replaced with a glass of wine and bag of crisps in the garden.

Mike – a lovely idea and I do, certainly, build in rest periods, some intentionally and others enforced. But two hours would finish me off. Once I sit in my recliner for the evening it's all I can do to get my legs to transport me to the loo and bed. I do assure you, though, that every rest is accompanied by a large mug of tea. It's essential.

ArthurCJ – you're spot on re learning a new language being good for the brain. Languages was my thing at school and uni and, since moving to Scotland, I've toyed with the idea of Gaelic but finding the time keeps getting in the way of it.

I shall have a serious look at the seated Tai Chi you mentioned. I've had a quick glance at the first link, where he was standing, and both the first two movements would have had me on the floor so sitting sounds safer. But I have often thought about exploring Tai Chi. As with Gaelic....... I guess I need a few more productive hours in the day but I shall try. Watch this space.

dreamdaisy

I wonder if you could kill a stone with two birds: tai chi instructions in Gaelic. DD

stickywicket

DD, your faith in my mental and physical abilities is very touching and wholly misplaced😉

Saltmarsh

I enjoyed the humour, Stickywicket & Friends
And ArthurCJ's information is excellent. Thank you. :)

JoeB

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/670111#Comment_670111

I'm pleased that you found it to be of interest.

Arthur