I was told to do exercise to help my PMR and got told to listen to my body etc. I walk my dog 40/60 mins a day everyday anyway but have started riding my bike. 30/40 mins three times a week is more than enough. Also I have been going to the gym twice a week but can only manage about 20 mins cardio before feeling exhausted then I move on to light weights to help exercise my back,arms,shoulders etc... I know now that the pred masks the pain etc but I don't know if I'm doing too much. I'm so scared about putting on weight as I'm a size 16 now. Since being on the pred I've lost one stone and feel great about that. But I've cut out so many lovely foods. I just wanted to ask if anyone els exercises and for how long, also how they control their weight . Thank you 🌸
Exercise on Pred.: I was told to do exercise to... - PMRGCAuk
Exercise on Pred.
Hi Zellamze,
Yes you do need to exercise, but gently. Your walking and cycling are good, but I think you may be doing more harm than good with the gym work. Cardio is ok, but the repetitive workout with weights is not doing your muscles any favours. Unfortunately, that's just the exercise they don't need at the moment. Instead of the repetitive weights, why don't you try a session of Pilates, Yoga or Tai Chi for a change.
Thanks, maybe I should. The weights are very light though, just 10/20 mainly to stop them from going stiff and impinging as that happened to my left shoulder a few months back. I'm scared it's going to happen again. I suppose deep down I'm finding it all hard to except this illness. I also love to garden and sometimes spend a few hours outside but I'm finding it very frustrating as my hips start hurting and I can't get up of the ground very easy without pain. I really hate this and find it so upsetting. I know it sounds silly because it's not life threatening etc... But I feel like a burden. I also gave up my part time job working in a garden centre because I couldn't cope with the lifting and bending etc. I feel sad about that too. 🌸 My husband is lovely and supports me very well, but i can't stop thinking that I'm just a burden because I'm not coping well. Hopefully the consultant will put me back on 15mcg again and i can start again. My G.P tried to withdraw me too quickly and I was given wrong advice. I think this time I will do what the consultant says and come down slowly . Also, I need to come to terms with this and understand it might take a year or two to get better. 🌻
Hi again,
It's not particularly the weights, but the repetitive nature of the exercise that damages the muscles at this stage. Do keep exercising now,, gently as we say, and you will find further down the line you will be able to do more. I know about knees and gardening - I have arthritis, but you have to adapt slightly - either get a kneeling pad that has supports at the side to help you get up, or try sitting in a chair and bending over, being careful not to strain your back! Most importantly, do a little at a time, have a rest, survey what you've done and then do a bit more. Trouble is with gardening once you get started, there's always a touch of the 'I'll just do this pot, or that bed'! You have to be strict with yourself🤔
Lastly - you are not a burden. That's what marriage is about, you support each other. If the roles were reversed, you'd do the same for your husband.
Thank you, yes you are right about the marriage thing. And yes, I'm always saying I'll just do that bed next! Need to do little and often as they say. 😸🌻
Yes you do. Trouble what you know you should do - and what you actually do are not necessarily the same thing!
Zellamzee, I don't know who advised you to do as much exercise as you are doing. In fact, I'm amazed that you can do so much within just a few months of starting steroids.
Are you aware that the steroids are not curing anything but just damping down the inflammation until your PMR burns itself out (goes into remission) and that can take anything from two years upwards? Only a very few lucky people achieve that in under two years.
When we have PMR and are on long term steroids, our muscles become intolerant of being over-exercised. Of course, we are all individual and one person may be able to get away with a little more exercise than another depending on the degree of their inflammation and response to steroid treatment. But for most people, especially in the early days following diagnosis, simple walking is sufficient exercise......even that poses a challenge for some when initially they find they have to judge how far they can walk from their home in order to be able to get back again on their PMR legs - I used to find neighbours' low walls a Godsend!
Thanks, well I suppose I haven't excepted it all yet, silly I know. I am trying to loose weight too as I'm overweight and that doesn't help my bones. I think you are right though as I'm pushing myself too much and get a lot of hip pain that increases as the day goes on. Maybe I should stick to the dog walking and cycling along with the diet. I haven't got to grips with all this yet and I'm trying to fight something that can be? 🌻
Being overweight helps with osteoporosis - it makes it less likely!
If you are worried about your weight then look out for your carbohydrate intake. Exercise alone will not keep weight off - and it certainly won't in PMR and pred. I couldn't have done what you are doing pre-PMR, never mind with it and being on pred.
Hi , I believe exercise is a very important factor in beating this condition , I was diagnosed just over a year ago at first exercise was to much working full time as well, I am now down to 6.5mg Pred , I teach martial arts 6 classes a week and train myself 3 times a week , I struggle with weight training but still continue to do it albeit with very light weights. Working 5 nights a week as a PCV fitter is challenging enough . But I believe if I am to beat this I must keep the exercise going , reduction periods from the steroids are very testing times and I have to slow down during them periods. Good luck and keep trying , after the Pred if you keep up the exercise your weight will sort it self out .👍😀
Remember weights are good for your bone density , especially ladies Who can sometimes suffer more that way than gents .👍
But you can get weight bearing exercise through walking, and wearing a weighted vest is kinder to pred and pmr weakened muscles than lifting weights with the arms. Nordic walking, introduced gradually, I've found good for improving upper body strength, just like I was told it would! Also agree that tai chi is good for pmr and for bones.
Hi Zellamze, you are doing a whole lot of physical exercise, and from your earlier posts, appear to be in a lot of pain. It may be time for you to have a read back through the earlier posts on this forum
My experience on prednisone, I gained a small amount of weight, and quickly learned that my body type does not tolerate heavy carb intake. Once I accepted the concept of "carbs in, fat on," I learned the ability to manage weight gain. Now, it's protein, veggies, whole grains, fruit, and water. I'm still a big size, but no bigger than before starting prednisone.
Oh, one more lesson I learned, I had most difficulty when I was in early stages of dose adjustments, Eg., when I first began pred, every time I dropped the dosage, anytime I needed to adjust my dose.
Food cravings, mostly salty, sweet, I managed by giving myself a small (weigh it) serving of the target food, then moving on.
Gotta say, I'm not the expert with PMR , but I have " danced with the dragon" for nearly 3 years, and I am the winner!
Be as kind to yourself as you would be to your best friend. This journey is lifechanging, and you will come through it just fine!
Kind regards, Jerri
I love food and struggle with the rather austere sounding diets described by some. But I've just discovered miso soup , which has the umami taste which is a wonderful appetite satisfier and queller. Having a cup of it before lunch is working wonders - three days in and I've lost as many pounds. I simply don't feel as hungry afterwards but eat what I want in reduced quantity. I recommend it.
Thank you.
I remember sitting on those digital cycling machines when I used to go to the gym. After 20 mins vigorous exercise they would tell me I had burned the calories found in a low fat yogurt! Although exercise keeps up the metabolism and can maintain valuable muscle mass, you can usually only lose weight by eating less. For what it's worth, the steroids have made me very hungry but I've kept my weight down this year by eating a good bowl of porridge every morning, having lots of home grown fruit and veg with lunch and then not much in the evenings. I practise tai chi and chi kung every day for general health and wellbeing rather than weight control
Yes I also started to workout more when I was diagnosed 4 1/2 years ago! I felt that it really helped me with the symptoms not being as bad when I read what others went through! I cut out almost all bread and cut way back on butter and sweets and I remained a size 6. I believe in calorie input and calories you burn to maintain weight, I did not gain wt on the pred. I was on 16 mg for a long time!
Be nice to yourself , it will get better, I also prayed a lot!
Hi you are right that you do need to exercise but walking your dog is also exercise and good for your spirits too. Take it easy and do small amounts of what you enjoy, light weights I found were fine but take care as the pred can soften ligaments. I did increase my exercise too quickly but now listen to my body more and mix it it up a bit but take care to try little and often approach. I wa very fit and active prior to PMR so I still nearly 4 years on have a sense of frustration around this.
Do stick with slimming world, it does work, I've lost nearly 3 stone this year by following their plan and nearly back to my pre PMR weight. I try to do a few days of extra easy SP each week to keep the carbs down and I have started adding in an extra HEX A choice since dropping my calcium/vit d supplement just to ensure I'm getting my calcium intake. I feel so much better and exercise is getting easier., your weight loss will be 80% diet so stay on plan and increase your magic slowly😀
Best of luck. X
Thank you so much. Slimming world is so good for me. I do tweak it though, I try to have very little carbs and do SP days a lot. Still finding the weight loss very slow though. As far as the gym is concerned, I think I will slow it down a bit as the cardio makes me exhausted. I love the bike too but again maybe 15 mins at a time is best for me. I love cycling down the country lanes, it makes me appreciate life more. Going back to food, I try to eat high protein foods that will fill me up for longer so I don't have as many food cravings. It's great that you have lost three stone! Wow! That's what I want to loose. Why have you stopped taking your calcium/D Vit just out of interest? It's very hard for me as I also have an underactive thyroid which I have to keep under control. Thanks for your support. Take care. 😸🌺
Hi there, a slow weight loss is the best and more sustainable, it will all come in time. I stopped with the calcium/vit D when I got below 5mg - still only at 4.5mg, my consultant and GP agreed I could stop the alendronic acid and calc/vit D, my vit D levels have since been checked and are fine, I've just have to keep an eye on my calcium intake. Take care x
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