SICKLE CELL AND EXERCISE

Walking

I am sure that as someone with Sickle Cell, you grew up being pampered and looked after and told you can’t strain or stress yourself and to be careful what you do.

What do we do with experts telling us it is important for everyone to exercise?   Well, if they say it is, then it is, I guess…

I have taken up walking a lot, walking instead of taking the bus, getting off three bus stops before or after my stop and walking.  I don’t jug, as when I do I become breathless and don’t want to get back home and fall ill.  I try to walk from 30 mins to an 1 hr at least 5 days a week, when I can. Sometimes, I also carry my shopping as I go on my walk and that to me is as lifting weights.  I sometimes power walk and I walk leisurely mostly.

In the past, I also took up swimming as a pass time but the problem with that is the water getting into my her hair and sometimes the water not being warm enough for me.  So I stopped.

Ultimately, you want to do something that you know your body can take, as you don’t want to do something that will affect your body negatively, exercise wise.

What are the benefits of walking?

1. Walking strengthens your heart.

2. Walking lowers disease risk.

3. Walking helps you lose weight.

4. Walking tones up legs, bums and tums.

5. Walking boosts vitamin D.

6. Walking gives you energy

7. Walking makes you happy.

8. Walking improves circulation.

9. Walking improves sleep.

10. Walking supports your joints.

11. Walking improves your breath.

12. Walking slows mental decline.

From: www.tescoliving.com and www.arthritis.org