#Ad: The sunlight sparkles on the surface of the water. The sun is just peeking over the rooftops of the townhomes in a clear blue sky. Steam rises off the water into the cool morning air as I submerse myself into its tepid embrace. My body lifts off the earth, light and buoyant, supported like a baby in the mother’s womb. I move fluidly through the water, no pressure on my joints, almost as if I didn’t have rheumatoid arthritis.
One of the things our rheumatologists always ask us is how much exercise are we doing. Exercise is important for every body, but it’s especially important for those of us with rheumatoid arthritis. Exercise keeps our bones strong, our muscles toned, and our joints flexible. It supports our cardiovascular system and keeps fresh energy flowing to the brain. Exercise and movement boosts endorphins that support our mental health.
Canada’s general guidelines for activity is one hour a day for children and youth, and 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a week for adults. Even at 20 minutes a day, trying to fit in moderate to vigorous exercise can be challenging for the full-time worker with families and especially for those of us with an inflammatory arthritis, like RA. Our disease can be a barrier to daily exercise. Swollen, sore, stiff joints and the fatigue that comes with it can make it difficult for us to get moving. I used to work for a rheumatologist, and I got to see firsthand patients’ frustration of being advised to exercise but were finding it hard to begin. They felt they had to start at a certain level, to live up to expectations that seemed out of their reach. So, let’s keep it simple – for now, let’s put aside those guidelines and start from where you are.
Read more and watch the video on Little Movements, Big Changes on my home website.
This presentation was made possible thanks to AbbVie Canada but all content and opinions are my own
