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Re: trying to cope

Posted by Linda P. on August 22, 1999 at 18:57:55:

In Reply to: Re: trying to cope posted by Linda on August 22, 1999 at 09:06:44:

Welcome to Linda from Linda! I guess I will be Linda P. from here on (just like elementary school--if you are around my age, 50, you will remember a gazillion Lindas). I have pretty extreme EDS too (no cataplexy) but have managed to stay pretty consistent about exercise. Here are a few things I've found helpful:

1. Figure out your highest energy time of day and adapt your exercise routine to it. For me that is morning (my sleep attacks are at their most ferocious in the late afternoon/evenings).

2. If you have trouble getting yourself motivated, it's helpful to do something which doesn't require you to go somewhere (i.e., do something at home), and that can't be cancelled due to weather (you're too likely to use that as an excuse). I do the NordicTrak, with the machine right in my house. It's strenuous, giving me more bang for the buck, so I don't have to do it as long.

3. Accept that you're probably never going to enjoy exercise itself, only the aftereffects. Many if not most people who exercise regularly do NOT, contrary to popular belief of non-exercisers, love to exercise. I find it helpful to regard it as similar to brushing my teeth--can't say I enjoy it but it is a health necessity and I don't feel right if I skip doing it. To further the analogy, I don't ask myself if I feel like brushing my teeth on a given day, I just DO IT (Nike was right about something, even if they do exploit the 3rd world). So it is with exercise--it is not a daily decision but rather a non-optional part of daily routine.

4. That said,(and that has been my position on exercise for many years), I've recently surprised myself by discovering a form of exercise I actually kind of like--yoga. Not sure why but, even though a lot of it, upon close scrutiny, is suspiciously reminiscent of high school calisthentics, I actually kind of look forward to it. It taps into many more muscles and joints than I ever knew I had, much less used in any aerobic exercise. So you might look into that--it is a gentle form of exercise and yet provides much more of a workout than one would think.

I know your diagnosis has been fairly recent. As you know by now from this forum, fine-tuning the medication can be quite a process but with patience and a competent doc you can hopefully find a regimen which will keep you alert enough to make regular exercise possible for you.

Good luck,

The Other Linda (Linda P.)

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