Come and join us

Click to enlarge.

Exercise the 2 minute way and feel better

The 2 minute exercises below are from the exercise leaflet I was given when I attended a NHS 8 week lung 'boot camp' in Beechdale, Nottingham, this autumn. The first visit was for a pre-assessment and the last visit was my post-assessment but both involved walking, so I think they count.

It is my intention to replace the images below with photographs. In the meantime check out the simple exercises you will do (or similar) at The Pearson Youth Centre in Beeston town centre every Thursday morning with Gareth Dixon for just £5 a session. It's worth every penny.

As you can see the exercise leaflet was produced for use by the Nottingham CityCare Partnership. I cannot praise them enough for the work that they do.

The exercises are simple and can be done at home at your own pace. If you are unsure, show them to your doctor before you start if you are unable to exercise under Gareth's watchful eye.

Irish exercise inspiration

My Nottingham City Hospital consultant Dr. Chang drew my attention to a recent '2,000 steps a day challenge' initiative by the Irish Lung Fibrosis Association, so I contacted them, made a donation and received the pack they have produced.

All this came about because of a conversation I had with Dr. Chang about exercise and the fact that since my open heart surgery at the end of February 2017 I had set myself the target of 5,000 steps a day, which I try to manage at least 5 days a week.

A few months ago my wife Susan bought herself a new Fitbit and gave me her old one, which I wear daily. I measured my steps with Susan's help, so I have a good idea how far I walk in terms of distance but I focus on my 5,000 steps a day. If I find myself around teatime short by a few hundred or a couple of thousand steps (as I can), I walk between our front door and patio door at the back of the house. An in-house 'circuit' is always 35–36 steps and I do c.100 a minute, which equals 1,000 every 10 minutes. When the day is damp and cold and I don't go out, I do the 5,000 steps in the house in a couple of 20–30 minute sessions. About 1,500 steps usually comes from just pottering about the house; making tea, preparing food etc.

Back in 2017 I made the decision to try and manage 5,000 steps a day after attending a 6 week cardiac rehab group during the early summer. I went home 10 days after my open heart surgery and it was 8 weeks before I went back to the City Hospital to see how I was progressing, by which time they wanted me to be walking 30 minutes a day — which I managed to do by walking 5 minutes during my first few days at home, then adding 5 minutes each week so that by the 6th week I was doing my 30 minutes a day. It was after that that I set myself the target of 30 minutes a day, which I have maintained and now bettered with my 5,000 steps a day target, often exceeding without any thought.

The point of telling you this is to point out that it is better to set and achieve a modest target than to be over ambitious. By being over ambitious you are setting yourself up to fail and to be disappointed — which is is why the ILFA programme is so appealing even though I will continue to walk 5,000 steps day most of the time.

I had thought at first that the Irish Lung Fibrosis Association (ILFA) programme was based on 5,000 steps a day but it's actually 2,000 steps a day and to know this gives me quite a fillip.

By being active and a small amount of exercise you improve your physical (and mental) strength, which in turn helps you to fight of infections and to keep going longer. I feel already that such a simple thing as modest exercise has extended my life and that I'm one lucky bunny.

Below is a copy of the leaflet you can read. There is a link to the ILFA 2,000 Steps a Day Challenge at the beginning of this post: