My exercise adventures, post-diagnosis

By the time I finished high school, I knew what was wrong with my body, and I had a better idea on how to manage it. “Better” meaning having an idea where to start, instead of not doing anything because who knows what would work.

Exercise is important for helping pain from inflammatory arthritis, but finding exercise that I can do and feel motivated to fit into my schedule is, of course, a challenge. And more recently, it feels like I have to get a lot of exercise to get any benefit for my joints.

I still roller skate in the summer, when I can, but it can take a lot of effort to get ready, and it’s not possible in rainy or winter weather. It’s been really hard to find something else to do in the times when I can’t skate, though.

Running

For me, running causes an alarming side effect: it feels like I’m being stabbed in the chest when I breathe. My rheumatologist wasn’t alarmed by this, since I have a history of costochondritis.

I still run sometimes, though, since it’s something that can be done anywhere. I need to feel the exertion that comes with cardio exercise, sometimes, and skates aren’t always available. The stabbing goes away eventually, too…

It’s probably not good for my back and joints, but if it’s my option at the time for exercise, I’m not sure what to do. It’s bad for my joints, but good for the rest of me. Pushing my body in exercise is not only good for my heart and weight, it’s important for my mental health. Sometimes, when I feel trapped by my pain, it feels freeing to have my body do what I’m telling it to, for a change. If something hurts, it’s because I decided it would.

What’s more important? Being careful of my joints or taking care of the rest of me? I’m not sure. My rheumatologist says that pain from exercise won’t cause damage, it will just be, well, painful.

The gym

My school has a gym that’s free for students, and getting there regularly is only half the battle. Then I have to find a way to work out without hurting myself.

Luckily, I have a friend who will go to the gym with me to keep me going. It’s a system that works well when we’re both free, but not so well when we get busy, which happens easily during the semester… No system is perfect.

Cardio equipment is okay to use. The elliptical is probably closest to skating, and it reduces impact compared to running on a treadmill. Even treadmill running gives me stabbing pains. I just have a hard time using cardio equipment regularly since it doesn’t feel like I’m going anywhere. It’s not the same as skating or running outside.

Weights should be good exercise for me. Stronger muscles can only help my joints, right? Unfortunately, my shoulder doesn’t always agree. Since I hurt it in marching band, my body has adapted to its constant irritation by compensating with the other side. So now, even when I try to strengthen it purposely, it’s hard to get my body to take the weight evenly. Plus, it hurts. It hurts less when I exercise it, but it still hurts. Still, this winter I’ll be trying it again.

Classes

I’ve taken a taekwondo class at my college, which is really empowering. It’s awkward, though, when you have to say you can’t do something because of arthritis. The instructor was my age, and I don’t think he fully understood what I was saying. I’m 21, and I have… arthritis. Yes, you heard that right, Instructor.

After about an hour of exercise, though, my right hip starts acting up almost without fail. The classes were two hours. I tried pushing through the pain, but then I hurt for the rest of the week. Luckily, it was a small class. I’m not sure I would have felt comfortable bowing out of activities in a bigger class, because I hate admitting I can’t do something. I feel like I’m using excuses, since technically I can do it, it just hurts really badly. It’s important that I acknowledge that I can’t do everything, though. It’s something I have to work on.

As it starts getting colder out, hopefully I can find a way to stay active. I can tell how important it is for my health (usually when I stop exercising, of course). Don’t miss out on my exercise adventures in high school, before I was diagnosed. And good luck finding exercise you enjoy! I’m still working on it.

-Bri

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