What tips and tricks do you use for staying active but pacing yourself?

I seem to struggle with this concept. Take the last two days. I have been edging the lawn. OK we have quite a big garden, but I used to ace this stuff. Now after about half an hour (and using a kneeling stool) I felt a little tired but OK. However about 15 mins after I stopped (or rather was made to stop by my better half) my left hip and thigh were really painful, and my daily rest nap turned into a 2 hour session.

So what do I do? Do I severely ration the amount of physical effort so that I don't get any after effects? If so my activity level is going to be very low.

What do you do?

I suppose one answer might be to do enough that the subsequent pain is not intolerable, on the basis that to avoid all pain you'd pretty much have to avoid all activity, which cannot be good. Anyhow, I'm glad that you have the same question Gogs - I thought I was just being a wimpy man.

Anyone?

As well as the spoon theory Jennie taught me the traffic light system.
This means you look at (say a week)or day as a whole.

RED is stop and think if you should or can do the task

YELLOW means go very carefully and be prepared to stop what you're doing

GREEN means you going ahead when safe to do so.

I have found this invaluable over many years. It means listening to my body and being honest

with myself.

Hope this helps or someone can put it better. Don't know if it works as I am a car driver but think of pedestrian lights.
Anne

Well, I made the decision not to work over a year ago so my days are available for me to fill. We have a large garden and the plan was that when I retired I would help my wife maintain it. But that supposed that I was fit enough to do so, which on current experience is not so likely if I can only go half an hour without suffering. I felt no warning signs while I was working this morning. It was only after I stopped that the pain kicked in. If that's the case how on earth do I gauge how much effort to put in? I suppose I should just time myself.

I will have another go tomorrow and see what happens...

Hi Paul

I was diagnosed 4years ago, I understand the frustration you feel. I love gardening and in the beginning I used to "go for gold" and paid the price for it. I found it took some discipline not to try to do everything all at once.

Now I set myself a small task and then sit in the garden with a nice cuppa for half an hour or more then potter again, gone are days when I completed everything in one go. At least you can do a little bit at a time and the sit back see the fruits of your work "a bit at a time"

Give it a go.

Jane.

hi Paul and everyone,

sorry i've been quiet of late .. one of the problems being that i hadn't paced myself!! one of the first things i was told to do by my lovely friend Rose who sadly doesn't post much now.

anyway because i am reasonably OK, well i'm not really but classified as in clinical remission, i sometime's "forget" that i have RA. that doesn't mean i'm not in constant pain with my knee's as a lot of you know i am in a wheelchair for distance, and my left hand/wrist joint isn't good and i'm left handed .. but at home i am fine pottering.

anyway i did post about three weeks ago that i went mad with a steam cleaner, our heavy duty one that fit's all .. next day i was in agony with my back and that has taken the best part of three weeks to get back to normal. i hadn't pulled anything just had dreadful lower/lumber back pain where i could cry. also at the moment i am under a lot of stress with other issue's ( not health related ) so being a poor sleeper this has now added to the mix,

so back to pacing .. which for me is tackling one main job in the house every day, i.e. blitz the kitchen one morning, strip the bed another, the main jobs that need doing weekly and then i just run the vacuum round or dust one day etc. no more using heavy machinery, i have a steam mop for the kitchen floor and that's fine.

i love going out and about more so it's easier now Hubby has retired, so we tend to do that in the afternoons, also been to the theatre twice last week .. so trying to relax but i was so tired turning out in the evening, again do i stop trying to enjoy myself? also went out for a meal with friends and ended up crying on her shoulder with all my woe's.

no answers,

all i know i am now back onto what i feel i can do comfortably and what's not done can wait, fortunately Hubby is a great help but really the house is my domain but he can do the heavy duty stuff now, he was busy in the garden when i decided to do the steam cleaning, he did know as he had to set it up for me but he though i was just going to do the tile's and floor, ended up cleaning kitchen cupboards the lot!

we're off on a four night break on 28th April over to the Isle of Wight, intend to do nothing.

anyway that's me as i am

Suzanne

It's a real quandary isn't it? An hour's effort yesterday resulted in pain for the rest of the day and being wiped out all of today as well.

Well, I said I would have another try the following day to see how it went. But I didn't get that far and haven't since. Maybe tomorrow.

I think that part of what is going on here is the emergence of symptoms as I reduce the steroids. I am down to 12 mgs a day (from tomorrow) - the lowest I have been in over a year.

The weather is meant to be warmer tomorrow so I will aim to get out in the garden again. Watch this space.....

Well done Paul on both counts. Sounds like you are 'pacing' yourself
Enjoy the weather, the Easter weekend and the gardening, but do the latter in small amounts

Gogs

So sorry for some of the wording on above post stupid notepad changed them. Even now won't let me put corrected words. Just shows it is not only we mortals who don't work properly.
Val