The Autoimmune Wellness Podcast Episode #12: Step 6: Move – Our Stories

Author: Mickey Trescott of Autoimmune Wellness
Published: Mon 03 Oct 2016
Episode Link: https://autoimmunewellness.com/the-autoimmune-wellness-podcast-episode-12/

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Welcome to The Autoimmune Wellness Podcast Season 1! We’ve created this podcast as a free resource to accompany our upcoming book, The Autoimmune Wellness Handbook: A DIY Guide to Living Well with Chronic Illness.

Episode #12: Step 6: Move – Our Stories is an episode dedicated to talking about our histories with exercise, as well as, where we are today in this area of our lives. We start with discussion of what it was like when we first realized we were losing physical ability as our autoimmune struggles deepened. Next we move on to exploring the two ends of the movement spectrum, too little and too much, and where each of were pre-diagnosis versus where we are today. We also chat about our movement routines before we got sick and our routines now. We wrap up with a look at why we believe walking is ideal for those with autoimmune disease and how we gauge if we are under or overdoing it with movement. This episode is a chance for listeners to understand totally opposite sides of the movement conundrum that those with autoimmune disease face.

If you want to know more about why exactly the balance with exercise and autoimmune disease is such a fine one, check out the section, “Why Is Exercise Difficult for Those with Autoimmune Disease” in Chapter 6. This section adds a little science background to this issue.

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Show Notes:

0:00 Intro

1:29 Opening the Move topic

2:25 Angie shares what it was like to realize she was losing physical ability due to illness
- She recognized her body no longer had additional energy reserves for workout routines.
- Experienced a lot of shame with not being able to keep up with others.

4:58 Mickey shares what it was like to realize she was losing physical ability due to illness
- She noticed herself becoming weaker, rather than stronger, despite training hard.
- More of Mickey’s struggle and recovery.

6:58 Both Mickey and Angie describe the fear that came with muscle wasting

8:08 Mickey talks about exercise obsession pre-diagnosis
- This was the result of her lacking other more appropriate stress management tools.

10:30 Angie’s struggle with moving too little

There are complex barriers for those who move too little with autoimmune disease:
- Fears/Shame
- Incorrect intensity level
- Fatigue
- Injury
- Pain
- Overwhelm

13:30 Mickey’s exercise routine pre-diagnosis
- Biking over 100 miles/week
- Running/gym/yoga 3x/week
- Multiple routines per day
- Cardio-obsession
- She feels she used this to “numb” herself.

15:58 Angie’s exercise routine pre-diagnosis
- Hiking
- Backpacking

16:42 Angie’s exercise routine now
- Walking

17:18 Mickey’s exercise routine now
- Walking
- Horseback riding
- Yoga
- Touching on the negative cultural messages about how intense exercise needs to be

19:24 Why walking is so great for those with autoimmune disease?
- The benefits of walking

27:23 How we assess where the “line” is for physical activity
- Troubleshooting routines

30:20 Your homework for Step 6, Move!
- Try out the “Where Are You on the Movement Spectrum” self-test in Chapter 6 of The Autoimmune Wellness Handbook to assess how much attention this area of your healing journey needs.

31:15 Outro

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The Autoimmune Wellness Podcast is a complimentary resource to our forthcoming book, The Autoimmune Wellness Handbook: A DIY Guide to Living Well with Chronic Illness. Support us in our mission to revolutionize how autoimmune disease is viewed and treated by pre-ordering your copy today!