Home Exercise Programme

This leaflet is intended to provide information on your home exercises, what its benefits, risks, general and safety tips and how to progress your exercises

Benefits that help:

• you become more active
• improve your strength and balance
• to reduce your pain and stiffness in your joints
• to improve your breathing
• to improve your circulation

General tips:

• Select a chair that is stable, solid and without wheels.
• Wear loose, comfortable clothing and keep some water handy.
• Do not exercise if you feel unwell, light headed or feeling dizzy.
• Do not exercise after heavy meals.
• Do not exercises in extremes of weather( too hot or cold)

Risks:

• If you have any specific joint or muscle or any other body problem, please discuss with your physiotherapist before starting the exercise
• You might experience a mild pain or discomfort after the exercises. This is a normal response to exercise after your muscles have been worked more than what they normally do.
• If you experience uncomfortable pain or aching, aim to reduce the exercise repetition or weights and then gradually build up once you feel stronger.
• If you have experience any increase pain or discomfort or sustain any injury with any of these exercises, please stop continuing the exercises and seek further advice from your doctor or physiotherapist.

How to progress my exercises

• Use the modified borg scale of breathlessness as a guide to monitor and progress your exercises.

Your physiotherapist: .............................................

Contact number: .............................................

The Modified Borg Scale of Breathlessness

People with chronic lung conditions tend to become breathless during activity or exercise. Breathlessness is not harmful however it may be frightening. It is not a good idea to avoid activities just because they make you breathless.

Use the scale below to rate how breathless you feel during activity or exercise, such as washing, dressing or walking. Look for the phrase that best describes how breathless you feel at that moment in time.

It is acceptable to be scoring a rating of 3-4 on the above scale.

If you feel that you are more breathless than this when you are taking part in an activity or exercise then you should slow down, use any strategies you have been taught to manage your breathlessness, or rest.

If you are performing a specific exercise routine and feel that the exercise is causing you to be less breathless than this you should ask your Physiotherapist about changing that particular exercise.

Some exercises may make you feel more breathless than others.

Exercises

Sitting upright in the chair

Marching your legs

Time how long you do this for

How Long: .............................................

Repetitions: .............................................

Sets: .............................................

Sitting upright in the chair

Push up onto your toes, then push back down

How Long: .............................................

Repetitions: .............................................

Sets: .............................................

Sitting upright in the chair

Pull your toes up, tighten your thigh muscle and straighten your knee

Hold approximately .......... seconds and slowly relax your leg

How Long: .............................................

Repetitions: .............................................

Sets: .............................................

Hands on your hip or hold on to the chair if you need to.

Stand up by tightening your buttock muscles and then slowly sit down

How Long: .............................................

Repetitions: .............................................

Sets: .............................................

Stand yourself behind a chair or a solid, stable surface-kitchen work surface/table and support yourself with both hands

Slowly bend your hips and knees, trying to push your bottom back

Stand up again tightening your buttock muscles

How Long: .............................................

Repetitions: .............................................

Sets: .............................................

Sitting upright in the chair

Holding small hand held weights or you can use tinned food cans

Start with your arms relaxed at the sides of your body.

Bend alternate elbows. Hold approximately .......... seconds and slowly relax back to sides of your body

How Long: .............................................

Repetitions: .............................................

Sets: .............................................

Stand yourself holding onto a chair or a solid, stable surface-kitchen work surface/table

Lift your leg sideways and bring it back keeping your trunk straight throughout the exercises

How Long: .............................................

Repetitions: .............................................

Sets: .............................................

Stand up facing a wall with your hands on the wall and arm straighter

Do push-ups against the wall keeping your body in straight line.

How Long: .............................................

Repetitions: .............................................

Sets: .............................................

Stand yourself holding onto a chair or a solid, stable surface-kitchen work surface/table

March on the spot

Try and bring your knees high up as you can

How Long: .............................................

Repetitions: .............................................

Sets: .............................................

Stand up next to the bottom step of your stairs.

Hold on to the hand rail or bannister

Step up and down