Day 2: Flare-Ups
Today begins the first of many lessons about the healthy habits you will need to foster in order to have a safe and effective cardio routine.
The first thing we need to discuss is exercise induced symptom flare-up. I don’t want to scare you, but, since cardio can cause a flare-up, I would be remiss if I didn’t give you a heads up about it, tell you what to watch out for, and what to do if it happens.
Flare-ups happen due to stress. Cardio adds a lot of stress to the body- which is exactly why we aren’t going to start practicing cardio until your body is ready for it. We are going to do everything in our power to prepare the body for cardio, so that when we begin, the body is ready for it and the cardio activity won’t be AS stressful as it would have been if you had begun without preparation.
Does that make sense? I hope so. (If not, let me know??)
So, before we begin, I want you to evaluate your body and how much stress you think it can handle.
Let’s start by answering these questions.
Do you feel like you are always tight, tense, holding your breath, ready to spring into action?
Do you feel like you are totally exhausted, wiped out, and the thought of movement is overwhelming?
Do you feel like the world is simply too much and you are in overload mode?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, it means that you are at a higher risk of a flare-up. Your body is already under stress and duress, and extra effort and energy expenditure might tip your body over the edge and into flare-up territory.
So, you have two options.
The first is to keep going, with just a heightened awareness of where your body is at. And if it feels like too much? Then we can stop the cardio party, go back to the regular Autoimmune Strong program and work from there.
The second is to stop right now and go back to either the Autoimmune Strong program or the Flare Recovery Challenge- with the goal of getting your body settled down and you are out of the flare danger zone. This way, you can come back to the cardio party when the time is right for you.
Note that stopping the cardio party here this is NOT a failure- this is actually a success. Recognizing where your body is at, not pushing through, and doing something less intense is exactly what I want to teach you to do when your body is at the edge of a flare-up. This is how we take care of ourselves, and prevent flares in the future.
If you are ready to continue?
Let’s take the next step (haha no pun intended!)
Make a mental note of how you answered these questions- especially noting whether you are tight and tense, or if you think your body and mind are not in alignment about what you should be doing. This is the first step to the “check in” process, which is the beginning of learning how to listen to your body.
If you want feedback, please share with me how this “check-in” process went for you. As you know, I am here to support you, and so are the other members!
You can post on the Cardio Party Facebook Page and introduce yourself to the group by clicking here:
And/or, You can email me and introduce yourself by clicking here: