The Importance of Exercise: Making the Most of Your Recovery at Home

by Cindy Kamphaus BS, PT

Whenever a person is involved in an accident, diagnosed with a disease process, or has undergone surgery, all parts of the body can be affected. For example, a broken hip or arm might outwardly affect only the involved limb, but the whole body responds to the shock.

Recovery does not just happen—you have to work at it. Your exercise program becomes your plan to achieve wellness. Knowing what to do and what to expect at home can speed recovery and make the process easier and more beneficial. Below are some tips to help you make the most of your recovery at home.

• Recovery takes time. Do not underestimate your loss of general strength and abil­ity to tolerate previous activities (endurance). Attempting to resume your daily ac­tivities as before can lead to failure. The shock of injury or surgery to your system, various medications, anesthesias, and inactivity can drain your body of normal strength and endurance. For example, research has shown that confining a healthy, young individual to bed for as little as 3 days can result in a 29 to 30 percent loss of strength. This is without the side effects caused by medication, anesthesia, and shock!
   

• Everything you do is exercise. For example, sitting up on the edge of the bed, getting dressed, brushing your teeth, walking to the bathroom or kitchen, taking a shower, eating—all of these activities are exercise. They require energy to com­plete, and when accomplished, have provided a strengthening activity for your muscles and your body in general. Not including these in your exercise program sets you up to fail. If you do not count this energy expenditure, you will unknow­ingly overdo.
   

• Stick with your program. As with any exercise program, you have to work at it over a period of time to see results. Professional athletes endure weeks, often months, of training to get ready for competition. Many athletes have coaches, trainers, and other personnel to help them. You may not have these individuals available to you at home, so you must be your own coach. Start a basic program of exercise that you, your therapist, and your doctor agree on. Then build on the basic program by gradually adding to the amount of exercise you do.
   

• Eat three meals a day. Small meals are fine as long as they contain protein and your doctor has placed no limitations on your protein intake. Protein is needed because it provides the structure for all living things (Balch & Balch, 2000). In its various forms, it promotes the vital chemical processes that sustain life. Next to water, protein makes up the greatest portion of a human's body weight. Protein substances make up muscles, ligaments, tendons, organs, glands, and vital body fluids and are necessary for growth and repair (Balch & Balch). It is also a good idea to eat a couple of protein snacks throughout the day. This gives your body a consistent source of energy so that healing and strength can improve at an even pace, not in peaks and valleys. Check with your doctor if you have questions about any specific condition your diet might affect.
   

• Get plenty of rest. Rest allows a "downtime" for your body so it can recuperate from the energy it has used. Resting in a recliner or lying on a sofa can seem like a good choice, but these pieces of furniture can position your body so that muscles and joints can tighten up. Circulation can be impaired. In addition, some muscles may not be able to relax at all, because they have to maintain a low level of con-traction in order to hold a particular position. Rest periods should be taken in a secluded area away from "house traffic" and stimulating activities like TV, talk radio, phones, and visitors. Stretching out on a bed for 30 to 45 minutes, whether you sleep or not, encourages the body and mind in total relaxation. Allow your body to hibernate from the world and regenerate!
   

• Keep a daily schedule. This will help you to be consistent in getting enough ex­ercise to strengthen without overdoing it. When you feel good, you might have a tendency to do too much exercise during a short period of time. This can lead to increased pain and fatigue, which can cause you to become so tired that you do not feel like doing anything. This cycle of too much exercise, followed by a period of not being able to do anything, results in recovery that is uneven. This pattern, known as peaks and valleys, is very easy to fall into and results in extended re­covery time and inconsistent improvements in strength. Allow the schedule to be flexible so if something special occurs, such as a doctor's appointment or a visit from a friend, you can adjust your schedule without overtiring yourself. A sched­ule that includes your daily functional activities as well as specific exercises gives you the control to get well as quickly and completely as possible. Here is a sample schedule to be used only as a guide when devising your own:

8:00 a.m.     Get up from bed

8:15 a.m.     Eat breakfast

9:00 a.m.     Take a shower and get dressed 10:00 a.m. Rest, then eat a snack

10:30 a.m.   Do therapist's exercises

11:00 a.m. Read mail, make phone calls, watch TV

11:45 a.m.   Make or assist with lunch, such as setting the table or getting drinks; eat, then clean up

1:00 p.m.     Rest

2:00 p.m.     Do therapist's exercises

2:30 p.m.     Watch TV or do a homemaking activity, such as folding laundry or loading or unloading the dishwasher