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. 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.

And remember, it’s always good to have something to motivate you to get up and active. Why not register for the Arthritis Ireland Joints in Motion Walking Challenge 2010 and Commit to Get Fit!

We all like a fresh start. As a parent of a child who has arthritis, here are my resolutions for the new year.

1. I am going to go prepared to every appointment Niamh has and try not to get mad when they ask me to go over her history for the 100^th time
2. I am going to remain positive instead of bursting into tears in Dr Killeen’s office
3. I am going to stop making excuse’s for Niamh at camoige when she can’t run and encourage her to push herself
4. I am not going to read every article I see on alternative medicines and I am certainly not going to surf the net for extreme cases of arthritis and torture myself dreaming of what if…
5. I am going to swim more with Niamh
6. I am going to get more involved with my local branch of Arthritis Ireland

My daughter Niamh has made her own new year’s resolutions, as a child living with arthritis.

1. I am going to speak up at all my appointments as I am now 10 and I know what pain I am in
2. I am going to remain positive about my future and I do believe I can achieve anything
3. I am going to handle my injection every Friday with as much courage as I can and not stab mum with it
4. I am going to email my friends with arthritis as often as I can as I do find this very supportive
5. I am going to push myself in physio and swimming
6. I am going to keep a diary this year of my illness. I was rubbish at keeping it last year…

Arthritis Ireland has lots of tools, information, booklets and a helpline that can help you to stick with and achieve your new year resolutions. Whether it’s being more engaged with your doctor like Niamh,  taking more exercise or being proactive about managing your arthritis, there is something for everyone. www.arthritisireland.ie

Happy new year!

 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!

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

Mary Whelan (45) went from running marathons and doing step-aerobics to being helped by husband John to wash her hair and get out of a chair. In 2000, she became will with Rheumatoid Arthritis but, today, she’s back in control of her own life.

“For the first four years, I was very sick, and totally dependant on my husband”, said Mary, mother of four children, William (21), Roisin (20), Niamh (11) and baby Suzanne, who died shortly after birth in 1985. “I had RA all over my body”, she said adding that it took time before she was prescribed an anti-TNF therapy. “Within two weeks of that, I was walking around with very little pain. I still have pain and I wouldn’t be able to pound the roads like I did during the marathons as some of my joints are eroded.”

But through it all – the visits to her GP, the visits to the Rheumatology clinic in St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin, the visits to the Rheumatology Rehab Clinic at Our Lady’s Hospice, Harold’s Cross, she remained positive. ”The thing about the medication is that it takes so long to find the right one for you”, said Mary, who lives in Arklow, Co. Wicklow. “It takes up to three months to see the effect of the medication, then the dose is upped and that takes another three months to judge, but in the meantime, you’re getting worse. But, at the same time, I can’t stress enough that there’s life at the end of the tunnel and I always tell people not to give up in the search for the right medication for them”.

Whilst Mary had to give up work after she got RA, her love of art has persisted, and she maintained that interest and her involvement with an art group throughout her arthritis. Today, she designs and makes personalised cards, has published a children’s poetry book and paints watercolours and acrylics of landscapes, seascapes and still life, a far cry from the day in 2000 when she woke up and couldn’t move her hands.

“At my worst, I kept going. When I was taking Niamh to school, I would get up half an hour earlier than usual just to give myself time to get going. Then, we’d set off for school half an hour earlier to give up time. I felt I had to keep going because I had the children. I also felt that I could either sink or swim with the arthritis. I used to say to myself that I could either sit there in solid pain and not move and have everyone waiting on me, or I could get up and get moving and lost some of the stiffness in a few hours.

“At the same time, you have to respect your joints. I always make sure that I take all my medications. You have to follow your rheumatologist’s advice, keep your weight down and exercise. I lost a stone-and-a half and it definitely benefits the joints in my feet and hips. And I go to aqua aerobics so I get all the benefits of exercise without feeling all the work!”

Oh, and she keeps busy, fundraising for Arthritis Ireland, the Jack and Jill Foundation and local charities!

This article was taken from Arthritis Life, Winter 2008. To subscribe to Arthritis Life, click here

I had to start going for naps during and after school – not very cool when you’re a teenager and all your friends are full of life. They were very supportive of me though and I am so grateful to them for getting me through that difficult year.

When I reached sixth year, the RA was so sore that I couldn’t tie my shoe laces, button my shirt or brush my hair. My little sister had to come in every morning to help me get dressed and help put up my hair. It was even sore to walk. I felt like I had been reverted back to a child – with my parents having to cut up my meals for me because I couldn’t use cutlery properly.

Obviously, I had to give up hockey. My mom encouraged me to coach instead, which was very beneficial to me in the long run. It was hard not to be on the team anymore though but I really enjoyed coaching.

There were a few key people during this time that helped me so much. I was going to my GP, Ciara, once a week to get injections – she was so good to me during all this and helped with the psychological side of things as well as the physical. I was very depressed. Between the actual physical pain and the impact it was having on my life, I felt like I was losing the will to live.

I managed to do my leaving cert – I was allowed to take breaks during the exam which was helpful because it was so sore to write at the time. I didn’t expect much but my parents encouraged me to just do it. I passed the exams, but not with very good results. Of course I was disappointed, but very proud that I had done them. I promised myself that when I got better I would go to college and get a degree.

At this stage, I was seeing the late Dr Michael Kelly in Blackrock Clinic. We had developed a good relationship and he was always so nice to me. We used to make eachother laugh – which is nice when you are getting cortisone injections into every joint in your body! He made me think that it was not such a depressing thing and that I could live a normal life – “do whatever you can do”. I’m sorry I never got to tell him just how much he influenced my life before he died.

It has been 12 years since I was diagnosed, which actually seems like a lot when you put it down on paper! Apart from the occasional flare up, I am in good health. I am still taking painkillers and anti-inflammatory tablets every day, as well as injecting Methotrexate and and anti-tnf every week. But it’s just the norm at this stage!

I am working a job I love, working indirectly with children; I am playing hockey and even completed a triathlon recently! I am studying a degree at night and hope someday to work as a clinical psychologist. I have never felt as good.

RA has taught me a lot – it’s taught me you are stronger than you think you are, and even if something is painful, you can get through it. It’s taught me that good friends stick around when you’re in good form and bad. But most of all, it’s taught me that you should always “do what you can do”.

For information on support services available for people affected by Juvenile Arthritis, see the Juvenile Arthritis section of our website: http://www.arthritisireland.ie/news/newsItem.php?id=79