Move it or Lose it! Exercise and Autoimmune Disease

There is no doubt about it, an active body is a healthier body. When it comes to living with many autoimmune diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis, being active (in the right way) can greatly improve disease management. This means less pain and stiffness and more mobility. So, move it or lose it!

But…be careful! Overdoing it is just as bad as doing nothing at all, sometimes worse! There is no point in walking ten miles today and then having to spend 5 days recovering in bed. Daily movement is the key to healthy joints.

So, start small, be gentle with yourself, listen to your body, respect your limits, and as always, consult a trusted medical professional before beginning any exercise program.

A note on exercising with inflammatory autoimmune conditions. If you happen to suffer from one of the inflammatory autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatic, etc) it is important to treat flaring joints with care. The same movement that helps ease arthritic joints can damage inflamed joints that are experiencing a flare. Gentle range of motion, with low repetitions is the recommendation for inflamed joints.

Seated Workouts

Here are a few great links to seated stretches, exercises, and activities to get you started.

• Exercise for Osteoarthritis– A combination exercises that can be done sitting and lying down. Great for whole body mobility.
• Wheelchair Yoga – Gentle Chair Yoga Routine– Wonderful seated yoga routine for gentle stretching and rejuvenation.
• Arthritis Pain Relief– Seated whole body workout for arthritis pain relief through gentle movement With Grow Young Fitness. Great place to start for overall mobility.
• Arthritis Pain Relief 2– The second in the seated chair exercise routine series from Grow Young Fitness, this routine gets you moving even more for a full body, chair workout.
• Seated Aerobic Workout– Yes, you can do an aerobic workout from your chair! Get ready to move that body with this 10 minute quick workout routine.
• Seated workout – This seated workout routine gets your entire body moving, with the addition of light weights for building muscle strength.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Workouts

The following list includes several workouts designed specifically with RA in mind. A great starting point for anyone with angry inflamed joints.

• Start Here– Tips for exercising with RA.
• 10 Best Exercises for Rheumatoid Arthritis– These exercises are physical therapist designed and approved for RA sufferers.
• Safe Exercise Tips for RA– Exercises and advice for safely working out with RA.

Standing Workouts

Don’t need to sit? Start here for some great standing workouts. Ready to move on from seated workouts? Jump in below and get up and move!

• Quick Workout for Arthritis and Fibromyalgia Pain– Standing workout featuring movement and light weight lifting routine.
• Modifying Yoga Poses for Arthritis– General modifications for Yoga poses, how to get safely up and down for floor poses, and several seated yoga poses make this a great place to start if you wish to do Yoga but need some modifications.

Specialized Workouts

A collection of workouts for specific symptoms and situations.

• Hip Surgery Prep and Recovery– This playlist features three helpful videos to prepare you for a hip surgery. Includes helpful tips for anyone using crutches.
• Knee Exercises for Arthritis– 10 Exercises that target arthritic knees with advice and adaptations for easing into them.
• Shoulder Arthritis Stretches & Exercises– Exercises to ease the pain of shoulder arthritis and improve shoulder strength and mobility.
• Hip Arthritis Stretches & Exercises– Stretches and exercises to improve the mobility and strength of arthritic hips.
• Hand Pain– These exercises, stretches and tips will help relieve hand and finger pain.
• Hand Exercises for Arthritis– Simple exercises to improved mobility and decrease the pain of arthritic hands.
• Exercise for Arthritis – YouTube– This set of hand exercises is great for gaining and maintaining mobility in arthritic hands. Also helpful for carpal tunnel syndrome suffers.

Do you have an autoimmune exercise routine? Please share what works for you!