Exercise

I hate to exercise. It always hurts like hell. Most of the time I have to go lie down and cry for a bit afterwards. Push just a bit too much and the rest of my day is shot. I don’t even know why I do push; mostly I never reach new levels. I’ve been trying to get up to 30 seconds of standing on my left leg for the last five years: it’s never going to happen, no matter how many strengthening exercises I do. And on those rare occasions when I do start feeling good about my “exercise regime”, all it takes is one discussion with a spor, SCBF or no, and how they went for a 20 mile bike ride or a 5 mile jog, to send me spiraling down into a hissy fit of jealousy. Extreme sports? Please. My definition an extreme sport is food-shopping by myself.

Ok, enough with the negativity. Truth is I feel better when I exercise. It gives me greater levels of energy; it helps keep my limbs moving. Stronger muscles give me a better chance of stabilizing myself again sudden pain spasms and help me balance when I move. Exercise helps increase my stamina and my metabolism, which helps me do more through the day and keep off the weight. As a matter of fact, I think that setting up an exercise schedule is the single most important thing that a chronic can do. Why then the spiel in the beginning? Because that is also the way I feel, and it is those thoughts that I have to battle with every day to even get to the exercising.

Getting people to exercise is a problem the world over, but for spors I think much of the problem stems from time and priorities. For chronics, the issues are different. Exercising hurts us. A lot. Then there is the issue of esteem. It is hard to push yourself to do to accomplish tasks that can seem so small compared to what others can do. But doesn’t that describe how we live our lives anyway, and do we not all still push?

As with any task that increases the hurt, I think it is only natural to balk at doing it. I’ve therefore had to develop some tricks to get me going most days. Recording movies and programs that I can only watch as I exercise is a good one. Saving up little rewards (a little piece of chocolate; that funny article to read) for the after-exercise-ouch period is another. I also try to focus on the positives - the trimmer figure (ok, so I’m vain; sue me), the stronger muscles, the better overall health. And, worst comes to worst, I am not opposed to a bit of chest-thumping to get me through: Those extreme guys, those ones that do all that scary shit to give themselves a new thrill? They should try living my life, man! I’d crush them! Yeah! -You know, rational stuff like that. Hey, whatever works, right?

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Intro to the tool chest

The medicine cabinet is the place to talk about meds that help with pain; the tool chest is for everything else. Exercise, meditation, alternative medicine – you name it; if it is not a manufactured med, it goes there. I hope that both of pages these will become places where people can discuss and ask questions about the two ways of battling pain: with medication and without. Splitting them up like this is for practical reasons only: I do not believe that the two are mutually exclusive, nor will I engage or promote a discussion about whether to medicate or not. Everyone responds differently to medication and treatments. What works for one person simply does not not always work for another. Yet I believe that any chance to alleviate one’s level of pain should be looked into, even if it doesn’t ultimately pan out. Think of these pages as suggestion boxes. The more that people share what works for them, the better chance someone has of finding something new that can help.

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