Snowflakes and Spoons

Exercise: a necessity not a luxury. If I saw this post a year ago, I would never have clicked on it. I was always tired and felt like a barely made it through the day. When people traditionally talk about exercise routines words like 'sweat' 'pushing the limits' 'weight loss' 'body building' jump to mind. While most chronic Warriors would love to engage in this type of exercise, it is unrealistic for the majority of us. A regular exercise routine has helped me to improve my health, therefore I wanted to share my insight with you.  Suffering from Myasthenia Gravis, exercise can sometimes be seen as contradictory. In short, the strain on our voluntary muscles makes them weaker. However, we still need our muscles to move and engage in life or we risk becoming complete couch potatoes. Therefore a guided balance is needed. Literature notes the following benefits of exercise therapy for chronic diseases:   1 2 3   -    ...

The Spoon Theory and real life Basic theory The spoon theory was developed by Christine Miserandino. (1) Spoons are used as a metaphor to describe the units of energy available for people living with chronic illnesses. Each day everyone has a limited number of spoons available for the day. When spoons are used a person has to rest to replenish them. Therefore, people with chronic illnesses need to plan and manage their days. As there are only a specific number of spoons available people may choose to use their spoons differently to what is sometimes expected. The picture to the right was designed by the Chronic Fatigue Blogger, Jessica: http://sweetbriarsisters.com, to demonstrate this point. I have learnt some personal lessons along the way that I feel need to be added to this theory. Spoon Stealers Many people don't realise that activities of daily living (ADLs) such bathing or brushing your hair can steal spoons from a person with chronic illn...