How to Get Exercise When You are Always in Pain

It is hard enough dealing with a chronic illness that causes you pain on a regular basis, let alone trying to beat the fatigue and exercise. But it is still really important that you keep moving your body for your physical and emotional wellbeing. It can help boost your energy, help you get better sleep, and might even lessen some of your pain, depending on where it stems from. “Motion is lotion,” as they say, as regular movement keeps your joints healthy.

It is always recommended to talk to your doctor before starting any new exercise routine.

Take Advantage of Your Good Days

You might not be able to exercise every day, but you can take advantage of the days with no flare-ups and when you have a little more energy than normal. This often becomes a habit for people with chronic illness, as they know when they feel good, they should be taking full advantage of it. So, if you have a day where you wake up with far less pain than normal and a bit more energy, go for a morning walk or do some yoga. You fit it in early in the day, so even if you’re tired later, you know you already did your exercise.

Start Slow and Don’t “Keep Up” With Others

There is no reason you have to go at someone else’s pace or intensity just to get in a good workout. Unless you have specific fitness goals, feel free to go at whatever pace you feel comfortable with. Choose workout partners that are at your current speed or pace, or at least who don’t mind slowing down a little bit. If you don’t have someone close to exercise with, you could text or video chat an accountability buddy to help keep you both motivated.

Remember to have self-compassion with yourself (and your body) as you embark on your fitness journey.

Combine Exercise With Other Activities

An easy way to fit exercise into your routine is to combine it with other activities. For example, if your doctor wants you to try to get outside more, you can go on short walks every day to get outside in nature, and also get in a little bit of exercise at the same time. This is great even on days when you don’t have a lot of energy or your pain is a little worse, since you probably have to walk your dog anyway.

You could also lap the grocery store or mall before doing your shopping to get in those extra steps. Or dance while you clean the house. There are a lot of options for sneaking some movement time in.

Exercise With a Professional

Depending on the chronic illness you have, it might be a good idea to hire a physical therapist or personal trainer to exercise with, at least until you have a workable routine created. Remember to get one who specializes in people with chronic pain so that they don’t try to push you in a way your body doesn’t react well to. And continue monitoring your pain before, during, and after exercise to see which kinds of exercise work best for your body.

Motivating Self-Challenge

Don’t push yourself to your absolute limits each time you exercise, as that will wear down your body’s energy. But it is a good idea to keep motivated to exercise. One way to do this is to challenge yourself to a goal. The shop has a Health Goal Challenges pack to do just that. It includes:

• 30 Day Challenge (customizable)

• 52 Week Weight Challenge

• 52 Week Challenge (customizable)

• 50 Mile Challenge

• 100 Mile Challenge

This can help you get started on your exercise goals, whether you follow along with the mileage challenges or create your own. A great way to develop a fitness routine is to use the 30 Day Challenge to try out different exercises and find the ones that you enjoy doing or that cause little to no pain.