Safara Fisher

 Its easy to forget the role that exercise plays in helping to maintain your health when you are ill.  Often we are fatigued and confine ourselves to our beds or couches for long periods of time and the last thing on our mind is exercise.  We experience the aches and pains all over our body much of which stem from the exhaustion of our body trying to do what it does best, heal.

We due ourselves a dose of good energy and help in the recovery process when we find ways to keep some bit of exercise in our day as part of our approach to healing.  This does not mean that we hit the gym with our regular routine pushing ourselves beyond what we know our bodies feel comfortable with.   Rather, we do well by our bodies when we introduce light regular exercise into our day for short segments of time.  Exercises that focus on improving our strength while increase the circulation of blood can help with lymphatic drainage and the flow of blood in our body.

I have found that exercises that help maintain the level of circulation in my body to be particularly therapeutic especially for the belly.  We may think that digestion occurs simply by the acts of what we place into our bodies and what it does to use the food we introduce to convert it to energy.  But what we must remember is that without some due cause for digestion, much of our body will find itself needing a reason to work that food off and without one will become sluggish.  Movement gives our bodies reason to digest and helps the intestines process what we consume with ease.  While increased circulation can help detoxify the body and allow excess bile to be released more effectively.

An easy and fun way to get some low-impact exercise when we are sedentary are with the use of a foot and upper body cycler.  These portable cyclers are usually light weight and can be used to tone your legs, arms, shoulders and back.  They usually come with some form of resistance or adjustable tension lever, so you can work at building your level of endurance as your stamina begins to improve.  Personally, love the versatility of it and the easy by which I can get some exercise into my day within the comforts of my home which is where I feel most comfortable when I feel unwell.

Accompany this with some good light stretching exercises for your back and you might just find that your mind and body will thank you for introducing this into your healing process.

So what forms of movement do you do when you are unwell to help support your body?  Share them with us.