I thought
that I'm going to come home
and then start doing exercise.
It's really quite daunting.
And just the thought
of emptying the dishwasher
and, you know, getting dinner
and so on is sometimes
a step too far.
Is there's something
that I can do, you know,
while I'm literally standing,
watching tele for 10 minutes,
or waiting for kettle to boil
or something that...
Are those, do those matter?
Do those help?
Do they count towards that,
you know, 150 minutes a week,
because that's just
too much for me?
You're right, it is a lot.
That's what the guidelines
suggest that we do.
But obviously, everybody's lives
and work commitments
are very different.
I think the thing to remember
is that the exercise
is really important part
of your regime every week.
And so, you do have to make
allowances somewhere
to try and fit in
even short burst of exercise.
So I could even do
stuff at the office?
Of course, you could do.
Of course, you could go.
We could try and go out,
and walk around
the block preferably.
Definitely, in your lunch break
you could fit in maybe...
Lunch break?
What is this phenomenon
you call lunch break?
In your lunch break,
you could fit in a walk rounds
even around the office
if you need to.
But certainly, we're going
to go through some exercises
that you could do
start at your desk,
whilst you're at home,
in your kitchen.
But the main thing to do
is to try and see
where if anything
you can allocate a bit of time
for some cardiovascular work.
Even if it's at the weekend,
it still, it still counts.
Okay, maybe I can put
some into my diary journal.
Sometimes you have to make
yourself a bit of a schedule
to make sure it happens.
It's true.
Jessica, I am fortunate,
I am retired.
So I have a bit more time
on my hands.
Is there limit as to how much
exercise I can do?
This is quite a different
question, isn't it?
- It's the opposite.
- It is.
I would say everybody
is very different.
And your levels of exercises
will vary very much
from somebody else's.
Your body will tell you
if you're doing too much.
But generally speaking,
if you can fit in some exercise
every day as long as your joints
don't remain repetitively
swollen or sore or stiff,
then you're doing
the right thing.
Keep with it
and your body will tell you
if you're doing too much.
I like going to the gym.
Great.
Can I still keep going
if I'm having the flare?
But also, I can't stand
for like prolonged period.
So is there anything
I can do to kind of help that.
Firstly, with regards
to exercising during the flare,
the general advice is yes,
keep going.
By that I don't mean working
at the higher level
of the types of exercises
that you do at the gym,
but keeping going
with the slower,
more gentle exercises
to sustain your joint
range of movement
without aggravating in further.
So, again,
that's very individual.
But listen to your body.
If you're able to do the same
routine throughout your flare,
then great, carry on.
If not,
just lower the repetitions,
lower the intensity
and see how that goes.
So not work with
any kind of weights, just...
Perhaps, drop them off
and see if that will help.
You should be able to keep going
just at a lower level.
And when it comes
to exercises on your feet,
you're right, it can be.
But the feet are a sore part
when it comes to RA.
So we're going
to go through some exercises
that are both chair based
and in fact on your bed as well.
So that you haven't got to do
everything on your feet.
I like walking a lot,
and I find that sometimes
when I go for walks,
my feet start hurting.
I know that walking
is a very good exercise...
It is.
Is it worth putting up
with the pain
and carrying on to benefit
from the extra exercise
or should I stop
and then it starts to hurt?
That's a good question.
I would say
the pain is getting worse
and worse
as you're walking further,
then perhaps you do
need to pull back a little bit
and reduce the mileage
that you're doing.
If the rest
of your joints are happy
whilst during your walk
and it just comes down
to your feet,
then maybe you want
to look at your footwear
and see whether changing
your footwork could help at all.
Just try and pace yourself.
Thank you.
Can I just pick up on something
that Haley raised
about flares.
If you're having
a really bad flare,
you know, I understand
that you need to keep
exercising through it,
but if it is really bad
and you're flat on your back.
You know, I occasionally
had really, really bad flares,
what's the best advice then?
You're right, if you're having
a really bad flare
and we don't want to make things
any worse than they are.
So you should allow yourself
to have some time out,
that might
even just be a day or two.
Allow your friends, your family
to help you out with the cooking
and the cleaning,
and just take
a short period of rest
until you feel strong enough
to maybe try
and regime
your normal activities.
Okay.
Some people find that
either heat
in the way of a hot water bottle
or a weight pack or cold
in the way of a bag
of frozen peas
can help to alleviate
stiffness or pain.
So that's something
you could consider as well,
just popping that on the joint
for about 20 minutes to try
and get some pain relief
from reduction
and the stiffness.
Yeah, I must say that
I find heat really helps me.
Does that,
do you find it helps too.
- I'm opposite.
- You like being cold.
I put my hand in kind of
washing up on a cool liquid
and that's nice because it also
helps with the hot flushes.
- All right.
- So I am cold all the way.
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