Exercise in bed, is this okay to do?

[foxytina_69]

hi everyone

i wanted to get all of your input on this.

sometimes i am too sick to get out of bed, but would still like to do a little something involving exercise if i can. if im in bed, i could do things like work out with weights (arms, chest, back, shoulders) and do stomach exercises and leg lifts etc. is this okay to do even though i am on a soft surface, and will i still get benefits from doing it?

thanks dolls

(i didnt put this in the personal health problems because i figured that im sure there are other people who sometimes get too sick to do exercise [like those with arthritis, back problems or who have the flu or anything else] but would maybe want to try it in bed or on the couch if they could, and so thought if i posted it in the health forum, others could get some benefit from this thread too. maybe i should have titled this differently, like "alternative ways to exercise" or "alternative ways to exercise if you are unwell" oops)

[auntierozzi]

Sorry to hear that you aren't well Foxy. I'm not an expert on yoga but maybe there are some yoga exercises which would be good for you and help you to feel good.

[foxytina_69]

thanks auntierozzi. i wonder if there are any you can do in bed. i know of a few. i will post them later with directions of how to do them.

[KarmaGirl]

I have RA, and I sometimes have to do my exercise on a soft surface. You will get benefit from it. Any movement at all will help.

Leg lifts work well in bed, you can do crunches and arm exercises. If you are in bed for much time, moving around is very good for you since it will get blood moving around more.

[foxytina_69]

thanks karma

[foxytina_69]

here are some things i found whilst searching on this topic.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2066052_exercise-bed.html

this looks like a book i would like to get. its called "get fit in bed":

http://enewschannels.com/2006/11/11/enc392_054501.php

this dvd or book is called "yoga in bed":

http://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Bed/dp/B000ERVJOU

http://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Bed-20-As...2468830&sr=1-1

[RedWellies]

If you are sick, I'm not sure you should put your body under the strain of excercising. Maybe just do some stretches and save anything more strenuous for those days when you feel better. If you can get out, a gentle walk in the fresh air would probably help.

[foxytina_69]

i usually cant ever exercise though thats the thing. if i dont try i wont get any at all lol.

[tipsy]

some easy piates and yoga moves should be fine to do in bed. the soft surface will actually give your abs a bit more of a workout, cause youll have to work to keep from toppling over

but its not reccomended if you have a bad back...

[foxytina_69]

okay thanks jj. i dont have a bad back so thats lucky for me. i do have a bad back, however, when i sit on the computer for way too long!! lol.

[herbwormwood]

If you have enough strength to want to do gentle exercise it may be better in the long run to get out of bed for half and hour or so and just do a little gentle stretching and possibly a little walk in the fresh air, perhaps with someone supporting you. Staying in bed can cause a lot of muscle wasting.
When this affects the legs it is particularly bad because it makes you too weak to walk. It is also dangerous for the development of a cabin fever type mood and depression.

[foxytina_69]

ive been doing a lot of exercise lately (well, a lot to me) and my muscles everywhere are getting toned and bigger! its great! so having some extra muscle is making things easier, like lifting cands or jugs or myself out of the tub etc. i will take your suggestion herb and ask steev if we could go for a nice evening walk, because im sure i could do a small one if i could hold onto him. i just get scared that ill need to sit down for a minute! i have been stretching also. im going to do some more stretching when i go to bed.

thanks

[herbwormwood]

Thats good news.
If you do manage to get out check the weather forecast before you go, or if you have trees outside see what they are doing. Wind can make a big difference, its so tiring walking in the wind when you are weak. I always check the trees before I go out.

[foxytina_69]

thanks herb, i wouldnt have thought of that!

[XSveg]

Basic exercises like crunches ,pushups and air squats (at 2 sets) are doable in bed.

[foxytina_69]

are air squats bending your legs at the knee as if you were squatting, but upside down?

[XSveg]

Air squat is just plain old bodyweight squat (bend at the knees as if sitting on a chair) with your hands held out (palm facing down) for balance.

[XSveg]

hope I didnt manage to confuse you

[herbwormwood]

Sexercise (google it) can be done in bed.
Its the latest get fit craze.
There are other exercises you can do with your partner which are not actually sex but can be part of foreplay or as an exercise in their own right. For example : You both sit on the bed facing each other, spread your legs (one partner has to put the legs over the other partner's) so your groins are touching, clasp each others hands with arms outstretched, and push each other gently away, in turn. We found the instructions in a women's magazine a while back and had fun with it for while but I've lost them unfortunately. But most of the sexercises on the net can be adapted if you don't feel up to full sex.

[herbwormwood]

Another reason its not a good idea to spend too much time in bed if not sleeping or having sex is that it can interfere with sleep if people suffer at all from insomnia.
Google sleep hygiene for more. The principles of sleep hygiene are considered by most of the insomnia experts to be very useful and effective.
Anyone who has insomnia should only sleep, prepare for sleep, and have sex in bed. Even if when are really tired but not sleepy, its best to sit on a sofa or in a chair or even sit or lie on the floor if thats suits more than a chair.
Sometimes I have severe back pain and I find lying flat on the floor with my knees slightly bent really helps it.

[Agatha]

i used to work in an acute ward on a hospital and many of the patients were bed ridden and very poorly. They were recommended to do light exercises by the physios to relieve bed sores and pressure points, keep the circulation healthy, and so on. The idea is to do little but often, so three sessions of ten minutes in a day rather than half an hour every day, and really simple stretches and muscle toning exercises. many ballet, pilates and yoga exercises are carried out on the floor anyway so they will be fine as long as your body is properly supported by your mattress.

Good luck with it all and i hoe you make a recovery soon

[foxytina_69]

thanks agatha!