Making notes

[Rennschnecke]

Hello Everyone,

This is my first post. I used to be very fit and exceeded recommendations for physical activity. Since then I’ve had a number of issues which has led to being very de-conditioned and getting fitter has been a struggle.

For example, I went on a slow but steady walk which incorporated a little shopping. Altogether it was less than the 10,000 recommended steps for the whole day. Now my legs have been hurting all day.

So, does anyone know how I can make a note of outcomes from any activity to help reset limits on activity?

[Sarah_EXI Administrator EXI Support]

Hi Rennschnecke and welcome! Very glad to have you. It must be very frustrating to have to acclimatise to a new fitness level when you're used to being much more active. I'll ask the clinical team if they have any ideas for you.

I know that EXI's activity recommendations can start from as low as 1500 steps for the day, depending on current fitness levels and health conditions. It may be helpful to consider this as a complete reset - aiming just to complete your EXI prescription for the week and building up gradually. I hope this helps!

[Dr_Lou_EXI Administrator EXI Staff in reply to Sarah_EXI]

Hi Rennschnecke , it's great to have you join the EXI community. Unfortunately you are not alone, many people find themselves having to reduce their activity levels due to ill health and will share your frustration. The EXI programme is designed to 'start where you're at' and then gradually increase your activity at a pace that is safe and effective. As Sarah_EXI said, it can be helpful to think of the plan as a 'reset' which might seem very low compared to what you used to do, but if followed can help you get closer to your previous fitness levels. So it is best to try to follow the plan rather than try to do more than prescribed, as tempting as that might be when feeling really motivated. This is because the amount of activity has been carefully calculated to be just challenging enough to provoke a physiological response, i.e. making your muscles a bit stronger and your heart and lungs a bit more efficient, and these effects will build up over time as your plan gradually increases. Going too far too soon can overly stress your body and cause excessive pain and fatigue that can make it harder to stay consistent with your activity, and even cause a setback in your fitness.

It is important to know that the process of getting fitter is likely to cause some discomfort, such as some mild pain and/or stiffness in muscles and joints in the day or two after the activity. If your pain is more severe and/or doesn't ease after a couple of days, you may be pushing yourself too hard, or you may need to change the type of activity you are doing, e.g. swapping walking for swimming. Keeping track of the activities you do and how you feel in the days afterwards can help you identify any activities that don't work for you, and which ones do.

Well done for taking those first steps to getting back to fitness, we are all here to help you on your journey, keep going!