With arthritis and really, any type of chronic illness there is a strong inclination to skip your workouts.
So how have I remained so consistent
with my exercise program? Before we get into that, let me first tell you what I
do.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
weight training twenty five minutes.
Tuesday, Thursday yoga ninety
minutes.
Monday through Friday stay
bike twenty minutes or rebounder fifteen minutes.
Monday through Friday abs.
Saturday tennis, short walks.
Sunday long walks.
The crucial tools you will
need for this program are a stationary bike; a rebounder; a stability ball;
hand weights (I have 2 2 lbs., 2 5 lbs. and 2 10 lbs.; and a yoga mat. This
program has worked has evolved over the years as I’ve added things and changed
things around but the bike, the rebounder, the yoga, and the weights have been constants.
So that’s what I do. How I do
it is this: working out from home. My home exercise program, described above is
the reason in a nutshell I’ve been able to be so consistent. Flexibility is
key. For instance, on the mornings I don’t get on the stay bike, I’ll
dance-bounce on the rebounder in the late afternoon.
The Yoga is very demanding,
much, much more so than weights. I memorized it twenty five years ago from a
Raquel Welch VHS which turns out was the routine she learned from Bikram
Shoudry of the infamous Bikram Hot Yoga.
On days when I don’t feel
like I can do the entire Bikram for ninety minutes I’ll do a half routine.
I also have four different ab
workouts I rotate. I have a long, rather grueling one that was part of the original
Jane Fonda Workout. It’s still amazing after all this time. I also do some
ab/push-ups on my stability ball which I gleaned from Kate Beckinsale’s
InstaGram page.
Have you ever heard of a
rebounder? No? Well actually you have. A rebounder is a beautiful wellness tool
for arthritis. It’s a mini trampoline! Did you know that bouncing is good for
you? It is if you choreograph a little routine for yourself like I have. Or you
can purchase a Traci Anderson DVD, although I find Traci’s routines too hard
and I don’t care for wearing tennis shoes while I dance-bounce.
The benefits of rebounding
are huge. First there is the moving of lymph fluids. This has a detoxifying
effect on your blood stream. It brings fresh red blood cells to your skin. It
gives you a great workout in only fifteen minutes. It elevates mood; massages
the feet; strengthens and tones the legs; loosens stiff hips; improves balance
and stability; burns calories and is funk! I call it Soul Cycle on the Rebounder
because I put on some really great music and do my dance routines. I use little
2 pound hand weights so my arms get a workout too.
I like the Urban Rebounder. I
did my research and found it online. It costs $130 and I feel it’s a very good
product for the price. It stores on it side in most any closet. It comes with a
balance bar if you need something to hold onto.
I also love using the
stationary bike. I love listening to my business courses and podcasts or books
on tape while I ride the bike.
One of the biggest obstacles
I face every single day is setting aside an entire 60 to 90 minutes of exercise
in one stretch. So I don’t, I split them up into two sessions. My first session
begins around 8:30, before I start work at 9:00. The other happens around 4:30
or 5:00 when I get off work.
My last tip: Netflix can be a
time waster but it can also be a wonderful tool if you manage it. On days when
I feel too antsy to do my Yoga, I put on a great Netflix series and the time
flies by.
I hope my tried and true
fitness program inspires you to start your own today. Daily exercise is crucial to managing your
balance, strength and range of motion. It helps you regenerate bone and cartilage
and helps you avoid injury when done correctly.
If it’s in the budget a
personal trainer who’s experienced in arthritis and joint degeneration would be
an excellent investment in yourself, but don’t let it stop you if it’s not.
There are many excellent DVD’s and online programs you can follow. I also like international
Yoga guru Rocky Heron, who went to high school with my son Christian. @rockyheron ,www.rockyheron.com.
To help you get a solid wellness program started in your own life, I wrote my free download Shiree’s Five Pillars to Optimal Wellness. It’s ten pages of all the things I do to stay healthy, thin and in shape. I teach you the right way to eat; why green juicing is so beneficial for those of us with chronic illness; ways to detox and why it’s so important; how to get a great night sleep; and more. Download it here. I hope you love it as much as I love sharing it with you!
Live beautifully. Eat
beautifully.
Shiree’
