Staying active with fatigue
If you have Parkinson's and experience fatigue, it can be difficult to motivate yourself. Here, specialist physiotherapist Bhanu Ramaswamy shares her tips.
Fatigue is an overwhelming lack of energy and feeling of exhaustion. It’s more than a one-off feeling of tiredness that will go away with rest.
Fatigue can often trigger a cycle where you become less and less active. This can happen if daily activities make you feel tired. But the less you do, the weaker your muscles become, and the more fatigued you’ll feel over time.
Whilst some people juggling home, work or family life can feel exhausted, the more you can stay fit, the less likely you are to experience fatigue. Tailored physical activity and exercise can also help with sleep and boost your mood.
Choose an activity to suit you
Motivating yourself to start physical activity, or keep it up, can be challenging when you have fatigue.
So to get started, it’s a good idea to talk to a physiotherapist or exercise professional. They can help you look at how your fatigue is affecting you and get the right balance between the amount of physical activity you do and how much rest you need in between.
Tips to help with motivation
Try walking around the house or garden. Walking around just once is enough to start building your energy levels. Go at your own pace and get support from someone if you need it.
You could also try a short walk, building up the distance gradually. For example, walk along to a specific door number of a building on your street. Next time, walk a few doors along from where you got to last time. You can progress as your stamina and energy levels increase.
A good way to make progress is to do short bursts of an activity that requires more energy. You could choose a job around the house that takes you upstairs and back down again before you take a rest. Or try a task that takes you into different rooms — vacuuming, for example.
To stop getting too tired, take rest breaks. Increase these as you become more physically active. This way you’ll make progress, rather than start losing motivation.
If you’re less fit, try tasks around the house to keep you motivated that involve stretching or lunges. This can help strengthen your leg muscles. For example, unloading the dishwasher or washing machine.
Mental fatigue is a common symptom with Parkinson’s, especially later in the condition. This can make thinking while moving or multitasking harder.
Keeping active with family or friends can help you stay motivated. A short walk can be stimulating, supportive and take attention away from your fatigue.
If mobility is an issue, you can try tai chi or qigong, which can be practised standing or sitting.
Remember that there’s going to be some days when you’re struggling with your fatigue. At times like this, don’t force yourself — listen to your body and rest.