Tag Archives: Chronic Disease

Exercising with chronic conditions, Mental Wellbeing and Motivation, Yoga and Stretching

3 steps to manage exercise as a young person with a chronic illness

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As broad a range that chronic illnesses can be, and with long term conditions such asthma and diabetes as the highest rates amongst young people it can be difficult to find any motivation to exercise.

Despite young people dealing with these long term conditions and navigating poor mental health because of them, and while we know a chronic illness might never go away, we can definitely try to offset some of the symptoms.

Here’s 3 things you can try:

1. Any movement is better than nothing

We all know it can be difficult to wanna stop watching Netflix and actually go and exercise but navigating this fitness lifestyle with a chronic illness is hard. But even just getting up after one episode, putting on a good song and dancing wildly for those 3 minutes is better than a binge on Netflix. Trust me.

Check our post on making an exercise playlist to dance to!

Even if your chronic illness keeps you from dancing energetically for those  minutes, you can try walking up and down stairs a few times at a quicker pace than you usually do. It might seem simple, but getting your heart pumping, blood circulating and your body moving really does make a simple difference.

 

2. Stretching is surprisingly helpful

Stretching, yoga, pilates… call it what you want but stretching and flexing your body is crucial. Maybe you can’t touch your toes and that’s okay!

But if you make it your goal for the next 30 days, start by placing your hands on top of your knees. Then, try a little further and place your hands just under your knees, then halfway down your shins… see where I’m going?  Even if it is the slightest movement each day and just a tiny bit further than the last it’s going to help blood flow around your body, loosen up your muscles and joints and allow your body to adjust. 

If stretching is good enough for cats, you can do it too!

3. Fresh air is your friend

While it might seem trivial that breathing can help anything, it really can wake you up to your surroundings, internally and externally. It could be standing on your garden, closing your eyes and breathing in until your chest puffs up or even just opening a window. The action of letting your space be freed up from the stuffy feeling of being unwell or trapped in a room can momentarily stop you in your tracks.

A few breathing exercises you can try with this fresh air is holding for 4 seconds, inhale for 8, hold for 4 and exhaling for 8. It can take a minute to get used to but doing this for five minutes regulates your breathing intake and the deeper your breaths, the better your blood flow. So, next time you take your dog for a walk, or open the window to let the sun in, or even when you’re struggling with pain from your illness just try focussing on your breathing for five minutes and see how you feel.

Exercises, Exercising with chronic conditions, Recovery and Prevention

6 FAQs ON CHRONIC DISEASE AND EXERCISE: ANSWERED!

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Hello there!

Are you suffering from a chronic disease? Are you hitting the age of 50+ and wondering about chronic diseases and how to manage them with exercise? Well, now more than ever, the answers to the below FAQ on chronic disease & exercise is relevant due to the alarming report that chronic diseases are responsible for almost 70% of all deaths globally.

1. What is a Chronic Disease?

The medical community is yet to agree on a single definition for the term “Chronic Disease” as there exists a variety of definitions. The differences depend on the research data and the lead authors. Thus,  According to Wikipedia, a chronic disease is

“A human health condition or disease that is persistent or otherwise long-lasting in its effects or a disease that comes with time”.

An academic study authored by a geriatrician defined it as

“A conditions that last a year or more and require ongoing medical attention and/or limit activities of daily living”.

MedicineNet says the chronic disease is

“one lasting 3 months or more”

The World Health Organisation (WHO) also defined it as

“Diseases that are of long duration and generally slow in progression and are not passed from person to person”

From the above, we can safely conclude that it is a non-communicable health condition that persists for over 3 months and can be managed with medicine and exercise.

2. Is diabetes a chronic disease?

Irrespective of which lens you are viewing a chronic disease list from, you are certain to find diabetes. The Centres for Disease and Prevention (CDC), Wikipedia,  other medical practitioners and researchers have all listed diabetes as a chronic disease.

3. Is depression a chronic disease?

FAQ ON CHRONIC DISEASE

Yes! Depression is listed on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS.gov) extensive chronic diseases list.

4. What are the top ten chronic diseases?

According to a reputable health stakeholder, the below are not just the top ten chronic diseases in recent times but also, the most expensive, causing havoc to patient’s finances.

  • Cardiovascular Diseases
  • Smoking-Related Health Issues
  • Alchohol-Related Health Issues
  • Alzheimer’s Disease
  • Stroke
  • Arthritis
  • Diabetes
  • Cancer
  • Obesity
  • Asthma

5. How can exercising help manage chronic disease?

FAQ ON CHRONIC DISEASE & EXERCISE

Researchers have provided overwhelming evidence indicating a lack of exercise as the primary factor underlying all chronic diseases.  As a believer of the adage, “it’s better late than never”, undertaking regular mild exercises from the minute one becomes self-aware will enable patients to overcome fatigue (common complaints made by patients with chronic diseases) and to a large extent improve the health condition.
Wondering how? Check this and that out.

6.  Four types of exercises to manage chronic diseases

It is paramount to note that although exercising is a wonderful way of staying young and healthy, not all forms of exercises are advised. There are specific types of exercises that are proven to have a better effect on managing chronic diseases. They are categorised into 4 key areas as illustrated below.

Endurance:

Endurance exercises keep your heart alive as demonstrated in the video. Grab our treadmills and bikes to undertake your endurance exercises.

Strength:

Stronger muscles make everyday activities easier and feel lighter. Watch the video on how to achieve this.

Balance:

Balance exercises help prevent falls, a common problem in older adults that can have serious consequences. These exercises include standing on one foot, “tai chi” and balance walking.

Flexibility:

As you grow older, certain things become much more difficult to do. Perform the above exercises, then you will have one less thing to worry about.

In summary, exercising regularly is a wonder drug you need to help manage and prevent chronic diseases.

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FAQ ON CHRONIC DISEASE & EXERCISE
Exercises, Exercising with chronic conditions

Don’t let diabetes hold you back! Exercise your way to a better future.

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Being physically active is beneficial for everyone, it helps to control weight, lower blood pressure, and helps to strengthen muscles.

For people living with diabetes, there are added benefits to being physically active, whether you’re able to go for a walk, run or swim. 

“Exercise lowers blood glucose levels and boosts your body’s sensitivity to insulin, countering insulin resistance.”

Harvard Health Publishing
Taking up a hobby like photography can help motivate you to get outside.

NHS England recommend that adults should

  • aim to be physically active every day. Any activity is better than none, and more is better still.
  • do strengthening activities that work all the major muscles (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms) on at least 2 days a week.
  • do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week.

Getting Started

Before getting started, there may be a few things to think about

  • What time do you have available each day for physical activity?
  • What activity or activities do you enjoy? Picking something you enjoy can help ensure you stick with it.

Things to remember

  • Don’t push yourself too hard, too fast. It’s no good running 5 miles the first day but then aching too much to exercise the rest of the week, you would be better going for a 10-minute run or walk each day.
  • Start as you mean to go on and remember to take rest days.

Activity Suggestions

Top 3 Exercises

  • Walking is the easiest exercise anyone can do. Walking can be done almost anywhere and you can walk on your own, with friends or with pets.

“Spending 30 minutes of brisk walking, five times each week is a great way to increase your physical activity. You can even break this 30 minutes down into 10-minute sessions three times a day.”

Cleveland Clinic
  • Swimming helps takes the pressure off your joints while stretching and relaxing your muscles.

“To get the most benefit from swimming, we recommend that you swim at least three times a week for at least ten minutes and gradually increase the length of the workout.”

Cleveland Clinic
  • Yoga helps to reduce stress levels while building strength and improving your balance and flexibility.

“Yoga is also effective to improve blood glucose levels due to the improved muscle mass that comes with consistent Yoga practice. That’s not all; apparently, Yoga helps to lower body fat and fight insulin resistance too.”

Health and Body Tips
Listening to music can help keep you motivated, here’s a yoga playlist to get you started.

Other activity ideas

If you are not ready or are unable to do any of the above at first, then activities such as housework and gardening can also be a good workout. Any exercise is better than none and once you have built up strength, you can try new exercises.

Gardening is a great form of exercise and it can be a solitary activity or one the grandchildren can get involved in!

Information on glucose levels and weight management can be found here.

Exercising with chronic conditions, Nutrition, Uncategorized

It is Endometriosis Awareness Month – so we’ve got the ‘What’s, Who’s and How can I manage it?’ covered.

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For women, this subject is up there with the list of taboos. Its a topic that many women may avoid due to feeling uncomfortable. Its invasive and maybe, a little too personal.  But if we don’t talk about it and raise the profile of it, how many women will suffer without seeking medical treatment and carry on living a reduced quality of life thinking its just ‘that time of the month’?

What is Endometriosis?

March is Endometriosis month and for those of you unfamiliar with the disorder, it affects 1 in 10 women. It can be very painful as the tissue, which would normally line the inside of the Uterus, grows on other parts of your body. Imagine heavy period cramps…all over your body, ouch!  It is a chronic disease that can cause infertility as well as life threating kidney and liver problems as tissue around these organs fuse together.

At the moment, around 1.5 million women are living with this condition, however it is certain that there are many more women out there who are undiagnosed due to the lack of research there is and how little it is recognised and spoken about.

What are the symptoms?

  • Back Pain
  • Chromic Fatigue
  • Pain during sex
  • Painful bowel movements
  • Painful, heavy, irregular periods

How can I manage it?

As of now, there is no cure, however here are ways to ease the discomfort of Endometriosis through exercise and nutrition:

  • Limiting saturated fats through plant based or a lean meat diet can help to ease flare ups

  • Eating more Omega 3 rich foods such as oily fish, walnuts or seeds.

Exercise is also a great way to help manage flare ups and its recommended that 60 minutes daily, of low impact exercise will help to relive pain and fatigue.  Exercise also  lowers Estrogen levels.  Lowering Estrogen levels may help improve symptoms.

Yoga is a low intensity exercise that stretches out the muscles,  opens up the pelvis and relives pain as well as lower abdominal and pelvic floor exercises.

Swimming can help to discourage Endo flare ups as it is worth mentioning, not moving around can worsen the pain. Swimming can offer low impact cardio as well as strength training at the same time.

The MELT method has also been designed to tackle chronic diseases and provides a self treatment method that alleviates stresses and strains, making the pain more manageable. It gives you treatment techniques that you can do at home, in sequence and support you in leading a healthy life.

It can be difficult to get a diagnosis for Endometriosis and will require surgery via a laparoscopy. There is an average of 7.5 years before receiving a diagnosis, therefore it is important that if you suffer from any of the symptoms, you book an appointment with your GP straight away and use the nutrition and exercise tips in this blog to elevate as much of the pain as you can in the meantime.

To encourage women to use exercise as a form of treatment, Endometriosis UK are trying to spread awareness and end the stigma by motivating people to take part in a 1 in 10 challenge.  They also aim for more people to talk about the disease, creating a community for women alike to come together,  get advice and share their experiences.

Click the link to take part and read more about how you can #Endothestigma.

https://endometriosis-uk.org/awareness-month-2021

Exercising with chronic conditions

Need Inspiration to Get Moving Again? Look to Athletes who Battle Chronic Health Conditions

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Everyone experiences setbacks in their fitness goals, but with a chronic illness, these hurdles can be much larger. For many, there will be times when their chronic illness may ‘win’.  There will be times when it feels like all odds are against them. But, with the right medical treatment, lifestyle, and exercise plan you could be your own success story. If you need inspiration after chronic illness has set you back, this is it.

You may be surprised that numerous professional athletes at the top of their game face chronic health conditions. Venus Williams is known worldwide for being a successful professional tennis player. But, did you know that she lives with a chronic illness?

Williams faces a condition called Sjögren’s, an autoimmune disease that causes issues including extensive dryness, such as of the eyes and mouth, as well as fatigue and chronic pain. Symptoms vary between individuals but can affect multiple different organs making it a challenging condition to live with.

Williams reported the difficulties of being an athlete with an autoimmune disease telling Women’s Health, “I literally had professional tennis taken away from me before I got the right diagnosis”.  Amazingly she didn’t give up, and when she found the right treatment and lifestyle, she bounced back making it into the top 5 in 2017.

Whether you’ve had to put down your racket or your slippers have replaced your running shoes, Williams’ comeback offers hope that you too can get back to the sport you love.

Person putting pills into a weekly medical planning storage device
Photo by Laurynas Mereckas on Unsplash

Another notable athlete living with a chronic health condition is former Manchester United football star, Darren Fletcher. Speaking to the BBC, Fletcher revealed how his diagnosis of Ulcerative Colitis left him urgently needing to go to the toilet “10, 20, 30 times per day and losing a lot of blood”. This is due to the effect of Ulcerative Colitis, an autoimmune disease, where the immune system mistakingly attacks healthy cells in the colon. The wider effects on the body include anemia and fatigue, as well as problems with the joints and eyes.

Fletcher reported to the BBC how, for a period of time, he had to take a break from professional football. Amazingly, following successful surgeries, he was able to get back to playing again. The challenges faced by those with chronic illnesses are undeniably huge. But, a diagnosis does not necessarily mean the end of your ability to exercise, as proven by these inspirational athletes who bounced back against the odds.

Man holds arms up in victory
Photo by Japheth Mast on Unsplash

Now you’ve been inspired, but where to start? Consider a low-moderate intensity exercise plan that builds up slowly. A treadmill or exercise bike is ideal for rebuilding both stamina and strength from the comfort of your home, plus the wide range of settings empower you to take control of your workout. You’ve got this.

Remember, always consult your medical team before making any changes to your exercise routine or nutritional intake.