Sports for lupus, what are recommended?

Lupus is a chronic disease that makes the immune system unable to recognize its own body tissues so it attacks them and causes normal body tissue to become damaged. People who experience this disease feel tired quickly, so many avoid doing routine exercise. In fact, routine exercise has become a necessity that must be met by everyone, even for people who are sick.

What are the benefits of exercise for people with lupus?

If you often hear that exercise will only weaken the sufferer's condition, of course this is not entirely true. In fact, exercise doesn't make lupus worse at all. In fact, there are many things that can be obtained if someone with lupus does regular exercise. Here are the various benefits of exercise for lupus:

1. Make bones stronger and body flexible

One of the symptoms often experienced by lupus sufferers is muscle pain and stiff muscles, so exercise is needed to make it more flexible and relieve these symptoms.

2. Improve and maintain mental health

Many studies have shown that about 60% of people with chronic illnesses also have mental disorders, whether it's mild to severe depression. Therefore, exercise is recommended to make you mentally healthy again. Research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine also states that 20 minutes of physical activity a week can improve mental disorders in chronic disease patients.

3. Reducing feeling tired and fatigued

One of the things that makes patients with lupus or other chronic diseases avoid exercise because this activity is thought to make the body tired and fatigued. On the contrary, as many as 70 studies have stated the same thing, namely that regular exercise is effective in overcoming fatigue. Of course, in chronic disease patients, physical activity must be planned in advance.

4. Prevent various side effects of treatment

Some of the drugs given to people with lupus, especially prednisone, can cause weight gain. Several others can make sufferers experience increased blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. even steroid drugs can also make your appetite increase. All these side effects are of course bad for the body. therefore, regular exercise is needed to keep him under control.

What types of exercise can people with lupus do?

The type of exercise for lupus is actually adjusted to each patient's condition. However, the American College of Rheumatology suggests that people with lupus should exercise:

• Exercise to increase flexibility
• Exercise to strengthen muscles
• Cardio exercise

Some types of exercise that are safe for people with lupus, namely:

• Swimming or water sports
• Tai chi
• Yoga
• Low intensity aerobic exercise

Tips for doing exercise for lupus

If you want to do sports, there are a number of things that must be done to prevent your body from getting worse, namely:

Talk to your doctor. Each lupus patient has their own level of strength, this also determines what types of sports can be done and how often these activities can be applied. So, ask your doctor what activities you can do.

Start slowly. There is no need to rush to do it. Start with sports or physical activities that are easy, the most important thing is that you stick to it regularly and consistently.

Listen to your body. if you feel unwell, then you don't need to be forced to do high-intensity sports. You just have to stay active, such as taking walks or gardening, and other things that get your body moving.