Exercise Well With Autoimmunity

by Zoe McKenzie

We're told that we need to exercise to stay healthy, but we're not told HOW to exercise. We're certainly not told how to exercise with an autoimmune condition. This is the definitive book you need to help you understand and support your body when exercising with an autoimmune condition.Here, Zoe tells us of her own health journey, whilst exploring the benefits of exercise for someone with an autoimmune condition and how you can get onto a plan that suits your needs. She uses case studies, experts and her own research to- the benefits of exercising with a chronic condition- the barriers to exercising with a chronic condition and how to overcome them- how to keep motivation high when exhausted- which exercises you should do (complete with illustrations)- how to adapt your exercises depending on your condition- how to get into the right mindset with exerciseZoe teaches with compassion and understanding that is unique in this field and brings to market a guide that covers all aspects of exercising with chronic conditions, including simple, clear practices that you can put into action and meld into part of your balanced lifestyle programme.

256 pages, Paperback

Published October 15, 2024

Reviews

[Sybiee Colvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do what you can, when you can.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible book! A must read for anyone living with a chronic health condition, autoimmunity, arthritis, chronic pain… all of it. An honour to write the foreword for this book. Well done Zoe!

[Jasmine]

p214 The pain is in your brain. it 100% comes from your brain, but it is also 100% not your fault.

Chronic pain lasts longer than three months. As the pain continues, the nervous system is highly attuned to danger alarms. 'Central sensitisation', the whole pain pathway becomes overactive and needs less and less input from the messenger neurons in the tissue in the first place in order to produce pain. All the systems in our bodies then start to become more involved and perpetuate the pain cycle. Our sympathetic nervous system, along with our adrenal glands, produce more adrenaline, and the endocrine system produces more cortisol (often known as a stress chemical), making our bodies feel stuck in 'fight or flight'. The immune system communicates with the sympathetic nervous system and endocrine system, which then releases pro-inflammatory chemicals called cytokines, which help to spread pain around other areas of the body or flare up old injuries. To summerise: every system in the body ramps up, responding as though everything is a constant threat and, as a result, the brain becomes very good at labelling everything as pain.