I was talking with my hubby the other night and I realized that POTS is annoying. Yeah, I'm sure that all the other POTSies out there already knew this, but I wonder if anyone else shares my specific irritation.
I can't stand the fact that I can't stop thinking about it.
It's always in my face. When I pick up a piece of food, I have to check it out and read the label and do the math. Does it have enough sodium? How many carbs? Is it gluten free? Is it time to eat again?
I love going to the gym, but I hate that I don't get to CHOOSE to do it. I can't skip a day. It's not an option if I want to function. Going to the gym, like I said, is not the problem. It's the fact that I don't get to exercise a choice in the matter.
I don't like that I HAVE to do all this stuff. It makes me feel marked, like this silly disease is always in my face. Staring me down. And I have to spend constant effort on not being the first to blink.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Up and Downs
No matter what you do, there's going to be ups and downs in POTS. I'm definitely feeling a "down" right now. The past few days I've woken up just tired and drained. Still, I've gotten out of bed and made myself go to the gym. I'm so glad I've done this, because it made me feel better.
Oh my POTS compatriots... hang in there. Whatever you do, don't let this thing keep you down. Get out of bed, at least for 5 minutes at a whack. No matter how crappy you feel, force it to happen. I know, believe me, I know how horrible it feels and how getting up is the last damned thing you want to do. I know it deeply. But I can tell you I also know how much better I feel after moving around.
No matter how much of a horror show your workout is, make yourself get through it. Get out of bed, lay down on the floor and knock out crunches, hip thrusters and kneeling pushups. You can do it! I know you can!!!
Oh my POTS compatriots... hang in there. Whatever you do, don't let this thing keep you down. Get out of bed, at least for 5 minutes at a whack. No matter how crappy you feel, force it to happen. I know, believe me, I know how horrible it feels and how getting up is the last damned thing you want to do. I know it deeply. But I can tell you I also know how much better I feel after moving around.
No matter how much of a horror show your workout is, make yourself get through it. Get out of bed, lay down on the floor and knock out crunches, hip thrusters and kneeling pushups. You can do it! I know you can!!!
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Starting Easy... REALLY Easy
In September, I was hospitalized for four days while doctors tried to find my mystery ailment, which had recently become outright debilitating. When they kicked me out with no answers, I was about ready to brain someone, so I may not have been listening super great at that point. But one thing the neurologist said cut through my irritated fog - "Make sure you are exercising. You don't want to become deconditioned."
When you have full-blown POTS, the last thing on Earth you want to do is exercise. But it bugged me, probably because I used to be a competitive 5k runner (ok, maybe I was the only one who viewed me as competition) and I felt like she was calling me weak or out of shape. There was a time that I spent a full 45 minutes on the treadmill at an 8-minute pace. Deconditioned? I'll show you deconditioned.
In the beginning, all I did was roll out of bed onto the floor and perform a small set of calisthenics. That's it! I started off with 25 crunches, 25 hip thrusters and 5 pushups. Then, I crawled back into bed.
At first, I did that once a day. Then I started doing it twice a day. Then three times. A great way to build overall endurance is to use shorter bursts of tolerable activity. So I did that every single day - three short sessions of calisthenics.
Over time, my endurance grew. My sessions grew, too. I added on more crunches. I brought in some simple quad extensions, squats, calf raises, side lying leg lifts, flutter kicks and "Supermans" for my back. I started setting a timer on my phone and making myself keep exercising for 15 minutes, rotating between sets of different activities.
After about 2 months I was able, ready and willing to start hitting the gym for cardio and weight training. But it started small - very, very small.
So even if you feel terrible, try it. If you have tried other exercise approaches and they just didn't help, give this a shot. Start easy, build up slowly. Get down on the floor and do 25 crunches, 25 hip thrusters and 5 pushups. Try to do this 3 times a day, a few hours apart. See how you feel in a few weeks. If you stick with it, I'm guessing you will feel a difference.
When you have full-blown POTS, the last thing on Earth you want to do is exercise. But it bugged me, probably because I used to be a competitive 5k runner (ok, maybe I was the only one who viewed me as competition) and I felt like she was calling me weak or out of shape. There was a time that I spent a full 45 minutes on the treadmill at an 8-minute pace. Deconditioned? I'll show you deconditioned.
 |
| Hip Thrusters. |
| Pushups can be performed on your knees. |
At first, I did that once a day. Then I started doing it twice a day. Then three times. A great way to build overall endurance is to use shorter bursts of tolerable activity. So I did that every single day - three short sessions of calisthenics.
Over time, my endurance grew. My sessions grew, too. I added on more crunches. I brought in some simple quad extensions, squats, calf raises, side lying leg lifts, flutter kicks and "Supermans" for my back. I started setting a timer on my phone and making myself keep exercising for 15 minutes, rotating between sets of different activities.
| Do NOT put your hands behind your head! |
So even if you feel terrible, try it. If you have tried other exercise approaches and they just didn't help, give this a shot. Start easy, build up slowly. Get down on the floor and do 25 crunches, 25 hip thrusters and 5 pushups. Try to do this 3 times a day, a few hours apart. See how you feel in a few weeks. If you stick with it, I'm guessing you will feel a difference.
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