The key thing about Christmas is to take it at your own pace and tailor it to what you can do and what you enjoy. This goes not just for people with arthritis, but for everyone. That festive feeling starts early and takes some enthusiasm to keep it going right through to the New Year. It helps to remember that Christmas should fit what is possible, not necessarily what is ideal.  

People always advise planning in advance for Christmas, but as someone with arthritis, I really can’t emphasise this point enough. The more time you give yourself to tick things off your list, the less stressed out you’ll be. And we all know what that means for pain…! 

This goes for shopping too. If you can get out and go shopping for gifts or food on the quieter days, it will make the whole experience less stressful and even enjoyable. Don’t try and get too much bought in the one day, and treat yourself to a cup of tea along the way to take the weight off! 

If you can, try to include ‘free’ days in your Christmas plan. This will give you spare days to do things you haven’t done but were supposed to do, acting like a bonus day! If however you are super-organised and you find you have nothing to do on your ‘bonus day’, take a day for yourself and read a book, watch a movie or go for a walk. In fact, I always find that a bit of exercise does me the world of good when I’m feeling overwhelmed or stressed. It doesn’t have to be anything overly ambitious necessarily, even getting some fresh air can really help to clear your head and give you extra energy too.

On the flip side, it is really important that you sleep well over this busy period. The excitement of festive activities can keep adrenaline flowing and this in turn can disrupt sleep. Disrupted or poor sleep is one of the big factors in the pain cycle. Look for the Coping with Pain booklet on the Arthritis Ireland website which will give you some information on breaking this pain cycle. 

You should also be mindful of eating regularly to maintain energy levels. As we all know, Christmas tends to be a time of overindulgence and irregular mealtimes. Missing meals or eating at irregular intervals can actually cause stress, tiredness and can sometimes exaggerate our perception of pain. 

Over the Christmas period everyone wants to celebrate and be merry with the people they love. However it’s also a time when grief and loneliness can be magnified. Taking a moment to call in on a neighbour, calling up an old friend or bringing a plate of Christmas dinner to someone who lives on their own will make their Christmas and warm your own heart. 

After that all that’s left to say is Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year!

Start your day the night before. Lay out the clothes you plan to wear the next day, set the breakfast table and take care of any packed lunch preparation.

A good way to keep joints more flexible during the night is by sleeping with an electric blanket or an electric mattress pad. When you wake in the morning, turn up the heat on the blanket to warm your joints and help ease morning stiffness.

Keep a glass of water and your medication at your bedside so you can put the medicine to work first thing each day. You may even want to wake up earlier than necessary to take your medication and then go back to sleep until it begins working.

Exercise is one of the best ways to loosen up sore and stiff joints, and you don’t even have to get out of bed to do it. Simple stretching exercises done while you’re still in bed can make getting up much easier and less painful.

Another way to get stiff joints moving is to take a warm bath or shower first thing in the morning. Warm water soothes joints and muscles, and helps your whole body to relax. If you prefer bathing at night but still want to take advantage of warm water’s soothing effects in the morning, try soaking your hands in warm water to improve mobility in stiff finger joints.

Another idea for stiff hands is to take advantage of the heat from your coffee or tea cup. Wrap both hands around your cup or mug and enjoy the soothing warmth. This technique is also easier on your joints than holding the cup in one hand.

Make breakfast easy and enjoyable and remember that easier is always better. Scrambled eggs are a warming nutritious breakfast and can be prepared in a small plastic container and cooked in the microwave so that there is little clean-up afterward.

To look and feel your best all day, don’t take shortcuts on good grooming. If you haven’t already incorporated accessible clothing designs into your wardrobe for easier dressing, then this is a good time to start. A number of companies offer fashionable easy-on clothing by mail with features such as Velcro closures and wider openings for arms and neck.

Organise yourself by making a list of all the things you need to get done during that day. By prioritising, you can conserve your energy and complete the job with less pain and stress.

Be realistic about how much you can do in the morning and leave anything that is not urgent until later in the day when you are less stiff and more able.

These are just some of the tips and hints that can help to make mornings more enjoyable but we all have our own little tricks that we have discovered over the years. Leave a comment below and tell us what you find helps get you up and out on these cold winter mornings!

I have Psoriatic Arthritis, similar I think to RA but with the skin condition called Psoriasis.  I recently had the swine flu jab, it was a particularly difficult decision to make as there was a lot of coverage in the media regarding the swine flu vaccine, is it good or bad ? was the preparation of it rushed ? are there harmful ingredients. All of these questions, and then on top of those I was also thinking if I get the jab will it stop me from taking my biologics and methotrexate ? I suppose the last question had me more fearful than the rest.  While at a recent visit to my GP I discussed the vaccine for swine flu and my medications, he assured me that getting the swine flu jab would have no ill effects on my medications, just as the annual flu jab had no ill effects about a month earlier. That was all fine but then in the back of my mind there was the doubt about the swine flu vaccine being rushed or having harmful ingredients, so I asked my GP would he have the vaccine ? he said yes and that was good enough for me.   Vaccine or no vaccine there are things we can all do to reduce the spread of swine flu.

Here are a few tips:

• Avoid close contact with people who appear unwell and have fever and cough.
• Wash your hands. This is the most important precaution to reduce risk of germs. Wash with soap and water, lathering for as long as it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” twice. Remember if you are in a public place sing it to yourself
• Alcohol gel is useful in situations where soap and water is not immediately available
• In the kitchen, soak your dishcloth / sponge in a disinfectant for fifteen minutes. You can then use this solution to scrub the kitchen sink.
• Always carry tissues and cover your nose and mouth with them when coughing or sneezing. If you have no tissues immediately available, coughing or sneezing into your arm or sleeve (not into your hand) is recommended
• Always dispose of used tissues into a bin immediately
• Carry disinfectant wipes with you and use them on door handles, shopping trolleys, ATM buttons etc.

And remember, the HSE and the Irish Society for Rheumatology are the best places to find the most up to date information on swine flu.

Check out www.swineflu.ie or http://www.arthritisireland.ie/news/newsItem.php?id=89 if you think you might be at risk.

After leaving the GP’s it occured to me that in the past I wouldn’t have had the confidence to have an in depth discussion on medical matters relating to me, previously I would ask a question and then take the answer without question. I recently completed the Arthritis Ireland “Living well with Arthritis” programme in Cork and I now feel a lot more confident in my outlook and my ability to manage my condition. There is a section entitled ” Getting the most out of your appointment ” which is a great help also in increasing your confidence during appointments.

Exercise Indoors:

Walk Indoors! Shopping Centres overcome several barriers to exercise such as traffic, curb heights, adequate lighting and weather conditions. They are also a very sociable way to maintain your walking program with your ‘buddy’.  And, you can even go for a coffee afterwards!
Join a walking/exercise group. Exercising with others helps us stay motivated. Arthritis Ireland have many branches nationwide who organise group exercise activities from aqua aerobics to tai chi. Check out www.arthritisireland.ie for your local branch details.  Or, why not consider starting your own group?!
Create a home gym. This doesn’t have to be expensive. You can easily set-up a great workout routine with just a set of dumbbells, an exercise ball and an exercise DVD such as Arthritis Ireland’s ‘Be Active with Arthritis’ – a great way to keep your joints in motion from the comfort of your home!
Take the stairs! Spend as little as 20 minutes at a time climbing up and down the stairs for a very intense and efficient workout.
Get wet! Find a local indoor pool you can use. Try swimming, water aerobics, or even just walking or running laps in the water.

Exercise Outdoors!

If you would prefer to brave the elements and exercise outdoors, here are some helpful suggestions to keep you motivated, active and SAFE!

Warm-up! Its really important to always warm-up, but particularly during the colder months as the body’s temperature is lower, and the colder temperatures can make your muscles tighter, so be sure to take the time to warm up well and help avoid injury.

Wrap up well! Layers are great for keeping warm during outdoor exercise.  Not only are layers the most effective way to stay toasty, they also allow you to remove the top layer if you get too warm. Remember, the layer closest to your skin should draw moisture away, and the top layer should be wind and water resistant.

No sweat! You don’t have to sweat to get a good workout. Sweating can cause the layer closest to your skin to get wet, which can cause you to be chilled. Instead focus on increasing your heart rate.

Don’t strip when you get inside. While its tempting to immediately remove your layers when you get home, it’s important to give your body temperature time to adjust, so its best to wait a while. However, do take off any wet clothes straight away and put on something warm to avoid a chill.

Drink up. It’s just as important to stay hydrated when exercising in winter as it is in summer, even though you might not feel as thirsty, keep drinking your water.

Be Seen. It’s best to exercise outdoors during daylight, however, if you do need to exercise outdoors when it is dark, wear reflective materials to ensure that you can be seen.

Check with your doctor. If you have health concerns, get your doctor’s OK.

Why Keep Walking This Winter?

By walking regularly this winter, you help to;

• keep your joints supple
• build up your muscles
• keep your weight down
• boost your general health by strengthening your heart, increasing lung function, reducing blood pressure and giving you more stamina
• improve your mood, relieve tension and stress thus helping you to sleep better
• Be ready to join the hundreds of walkers who will once again take part in the Get Your Joints in Motion Walking Challenge 2O1O